Graduate Program
The curriculum is designed to assure that Ph.D. students receive an adequate grounding in all of the fundamental areas of linguistics, while leaving them the freedom they need to become independent researchers. The first year is devoted to course-work, to give students a strong foundation, and to enable them to quickly begin contributing to the research life of the department. Beyond the core, students are relatively free to design their own program of study both within the discipline and across disciplines, within a framework of requirements set by the field and the graduate school. This program is organized in consultation with a Special Committee of the student’s own choosing. Committee members represent the student's major and minor subjects. Minors may be chosen from disciplines other than linguistics, so that it is possible, for example, for a Ph.D. student to major in General Linguistics and minor in such areas as Computer Science, Latin American Studies, or Cognitive Studies. The Special Committee system makes the Ph.D. program maximally flexible and allows students to avail themselves of the entire university's resources.
Progress towards the degree is attained by (1) completing the core course requirements, (2) passing the Admission to Candidacy Exam, (3) completing and defending dissertation.
Core Requirements
Students normally complete courses equivalent to the following:
Phonology II (LING 402)
Syntax II (LING 404)
Semantics I (LING 421)
Field Methods (LING 600)
A course in linguistic structure (e.g. morphology, phonetics) or language use (sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics)
Research workshop (LING 604)
The Research Workshop provides students with an opportunity to develop an original research paper through a number of revisions, some of which are presented to an audience of fellow students. The final version is presented at a year-end conference.
Language Requirements
A) Ph.D. students are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge of a language other than English with a significant scholarly literature relevant to their research interest.
B) In addition, the Field has an in-depth language study, which may be satisfied by
two semesters of formal language study of a single language (e.g. Thai 101/102), or
Structure of Language X (e.g. LING 430, Structure of Korean), or Language Typology (LING 400).
Admission to Candidacy Examination (A-Exam)
This exam is taken between the 4th and 6th semesters in residence. The format of the exam may vary, but the Field of Linguistics requires that the candidate submit in advance of the exam 2 research papers in distinct areas and a dissertation prospectus. In addition, the special committee will normally ask the candidate to prepare written answers to two questions.
M.A. Program
We do not offer a Master's program. The exception is through the Employee Degree Program (a benefit for Cornell employees).
Contact the Graduate Field Assistant for more information (lingfield@cornell.edu or 255-1105).
Teaching and Research Assistantships
Admitted graduate students are supported with a combination of fellowship and teaching assistantship support. Prospective students should make every effort to investigate other potential sources of aid (see the Funding and Career Placement page).
After the first year, most students are supported with a teaching assistantship of some kind. A linguistics teaching assistantship involves the student in one of various undergraduate courses in the basic areas, and entails leading sections, holding office hours, and grading assignments and exams. We also have teaching assistantships in language courses. All of these positions provide not only financial support, but also valuable teaching experience. Applicants who feel that they may qualify for a teaching assistantship in a commonly-taught language (Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, etc.) should indicate this on their application and describe their language background in detail in their application letter.
