MA in Linguistics
The MA in Linguistics program of the Department aims to equip students with advanced knowledge of contemporary linguistic theories and methodologies that may be applied in conducting critical analyses of language structures, language use in society, and variation. The program also strongly promotes documentation and description of Philippine languages and dialects, as well as studies on their historical development.
Current students and graduates of our MA program have successfully conducted research that focus on language documentation and description, lexicography, diachronic linguistics, field linguistics, phonology, dialectology, ethnolinguistics, sociolinguistics, and comparative linguistics.
Program Requirements
Students under the MA in Linguistics program must satisfy the following academic requirements to obtain the degree:
- Core Courses: 27 units
- Cognate Courses: 6 units
- Language Proficiency Examination
- Master’s Thesis (Lingg 300): 6 units
Core Courses
The following core courses must be taken by all MA students. Each course has 3 credit hours. Note that some core courses must be taken in sequence.
- Lingg 204: Phonology
- Lingg 206: Grammatical Analysis I
- Lingg 207: Grammatical Analysis II
- Lingg 213: Diachronic Linguistics
- Lingg 225: Field Methods in Linguistics
- Lingg 245: Lexicography
- LinggPil 280: Structure of a Philippine Language
- LinggPil 285: Structural Comparison of Philippine Languages
- Lingg 299: Seminar in Linguistics
Students who do not hold a bachelor’s degree in linguistics are required to take Lingg 201: The Science of Linguistics [Ang Sayans ng Linggwistiks], where they must obtain a grade of 1.5 or higher to continue in the program.
Cognate Courses
Students are required to take six (6) units of cognate courses. Cognate courses may be in a subfield of linguistics or courses from related disciplines offered by other units of the University, subject to the approval of the graduate program adviser. The Department offers the following courses that can be taken as cognates:
- Lingg 214: Proto-Philippines and Proto-Austronesian
- Lingg 230: Grammatical Theories
- Lingg 240: Semantics
- Lingg 241: Linguistics and Translation
- Lingg 250: Sociolinguistics
- Lingg 260: Psycholinguistics
- Lingg 270: Ethnolinguistics
- Lingg 290: Current Trends in Linguistics
- LinggPil 271: Linguistics and Folklore
Note that cognate linguistics course offerings vary every semester, depending on the availability of the instructor who may teach them.
Language Proficiency Requirement
All MA students are required to submit a certificate of proficiency in a language for research. The language for research is ideally a language that the student can use in their studies and research. It may be any language other than English, Filipino, and the student’s native language(s).
Master’s Thesis
After completing their coursework and fulfilling the language proficiency requirement, MA students are required to enroll in a 6-unit thesis course (Lingg 300), where they will write a master’s thesis on their chosen research topic under the supervision of an appointed thesis adviser.
The master’s thesis is a culmination of a student’s graduate work. It is a significant new contribution to scientific knowledge, written in a style acceptable to a wide community of scholars. A set of University rules and procedures are followed, from the conceptualization of the thesis proposal to the submission of the final thesis manuscript. A student must successfully defend their thesis proposal at least one semester before the final oral thesis defense.
Grade Requirements
Students who do not hold a bachelor’s degree in linguistics are required to take Lingg 201, where they must obtain a grade of 1.5 or higher to continue with the program.
All continuing students must obtain a general weighted average (GWA) of 1.75 or higher in all core linguistics courses and a cumulative weighted average grade (CWAG) of 2.0 or higher in all required (credited) courses.