corpus linguistics phd

Department of Linguistics - UC Santa Barbara

Corpus linguistics.

Corpus research at UCSB is unique in the extent to which it is both theory-driven and pervasive across the subfields of the department. Most department faculty and graduate students are involved in one way or another in developing and using a corpus—a body of attested instances of naturally occurring language use. The corpus may be large or small, written or spoken, automatically assembled from pre-existing online texts, or meticulously transcribed by the researcher in the hands-on process of documenting a previously unwritten language. In line with theoretical goals of seeking functional explanations for language, more and more linguists are demanding that explanatory generalizations about language be built on firm empirical foundations, and have come to see corpus data and research methods as critical tools for serious research. Current research at UCSB makes use of corpora in studies of syntax, morphology, phonology, discourse, pragmatics, cognition, child language, interaction, sociocultural function, historical linguistics, and lexicography. Methods range from close qualitative analysis of interactional structures and their pragmatic functions in richly transcribed conversational data to the application of powerful new quantitative computational tools and innovative statistical techniques for systematically identifying the most important and reliable patterns of grammatical constructions in very large corpora. Corpus-related resources and activities at UCSB include the Santa Barbara Corpus of Spoken American English and editing of the journal Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Theory.

Core Faculty

Stefan Th. Gries ,  Simon Todd

Linguistics 120: Corpus Linguistics Linguistics 201: Research Methodology and Statistics in Linguistics Linguistics 202: Advanced Research Methods and Statistics Linguistics 204: Statistical Methodology Linguistics 210: Computational Linguistics Linguistics 212: Discourse Transcription Linguistics 218: Corpus Linguistics Linguistics 219: Corpus Construction

Santa Barbara Corpus of Spoken American English

Interdisciplinary Ph. D. Emphasis in Cognitive Science

Interdisciplinary Ph. D. Emphasis in Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences

Phone/Fax Tel: 805-893-7488 Fax: 805-893-7491 [email protected]

Campus MailCode: 3100 Campus Maps

Graduate Program

The graduate program in Linguistics at Berkeley combines mentoring from faculty members in the department, coursework, research training, and professional development opportunities.

Faculty expertise in the department spans an unusually diverse range of endeavors. The graduate program accordingly includes a broad range of advanced seminars, along with coursework focusing on analyzing linguistic structure (e.g. syntax, semantics, phonology, phonetics), language ecologies (language variation and change, language and cognition), and methods (including field methods, archival research, experimental and corpus-based analyses, and computational modeling).

Graduate students have published their research in numerous journals, including Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Glossa , Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America , Language Documentation & Conservation , Linguistic Inquiry , and Phonology ; and regularly present their work at conferences, including the Annual Meeting on Phonology , the Manchester Phonology Meeting , New Ways of Analyzing Variation , the Cognitive Science Society Conference , the CUNY Conference on Sentence Processing , LabPhon , the Acoustical Society of America Meeting , the Linguistics Society of America ,  NELS , Sinn und Bedeutung , the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas , among others.

Graduate students actively participate in working groups, reading groups, and other activities, including Fieldwork Forum, Phorum, Syntax & Semantics Circle, and TABLE .  These groups contribute to the strength of the program as hubs of intellectual exchange, professional networking, and community building.

Graduate students in the Linguistics department are eligible to apply to two Graduate Designated Emphases : the Designated Emphasis in Indigenous Language Revitalization , and the  Designated Emphasis in Cognitive Science .

Our graduates build exciting careers in research labs, for-profit businesses, non-profits, government agencies, and higher education, among others.

Detailed description

The particulars of this program, describing the exact course requirements, details about the exams and required research papers are available in the  Linguistics Graduate Program description  (updated 2023). This document changes from time to time. Get previous versions of the program description for 2022 ,  2020 ,  2019 ,  2018 , and 2017 .

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Corpus linguistics

Corpus linguistics uses specialised software to draw out patterns from large bodies of digitised language data (corpora). Especially in combination with other approaches to the study of language, corpus methods can empirically address both qualitative and quantitative research questions. Analysing large-scale corpora helps uncover patterns of communication and hidden bias in language that we might not have noticed before and has lots of exciting applications in all sorts of domains such as literature, languages, policy, education, sociology, health communication.

For example, researchers in the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics at the OU have used corpus linguistics with (critical) discourse analysis to answer questions about ideological representations in news media texts (for example, constructions of gender, representations of poverty and place, representations of social workers); with pragmatics to study professional communication such as email; and in combination with ethnography to study writing in social work practice.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and an MA or research methods training at MA level (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English .

Potential research projects

• Projects which combine critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics
• The use of corpus linguistics to explore issues of ender in any kind of text but especially in the media and/or literature
• Professional communication including professional writing
• Corpus approaches to politeness in language
• Corpus pragmatics
• Corpus study of student writing and/or teacher feedback
• Corpus study of children’s and young adult fiction
• Corpus approaches to language and gender
• Corpus approaches to sociolinguistic variation and change

Current recent research projects

• A corpus-based study of academic vocabulary in foundation-level students’ assessed academic writing at a UK university
• The role of language in power and coercion in maternity services
• Exploring contemporary citation practices of Russian scholars writing in Russian and English in three disciplinary fields (Economics, Sociology, Philosophy): static and dynamic approaches
• Scots new speakers as agents of sociolinguistic variation
• The dialogic nature of online discourse: A corpus analysis of online discussions

Potential supervisors

• Dr Maria Leedham
• Dr Laura L. Paterson
• Dr Rachele de Felice
• Dr Sally Hunt

Professional doctorate fees

Some of our research students are funded via the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership or The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership ; others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit  Fees and studentships .

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see  Current studentships .

• School of Languages and Applied Linguistics

Get in touch

If you have an enquiry specific to this research topic, please contact:

Dr Jackie Tuck, PGR Convenor in Applied Linguistics Email: WELS-student-enquiries Phone: +44 (0)1908 654057

Please review the  application process  if you’re interested in applying for this research topic.

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PhD studentship in Corpus Linguistics/ Applied Linguistics

The research project 'People, products, pests and pets: the discursive representation of animals ' (Leverhulme) will run at King's College London and The University of Birmingham from September 2013-2016. 

Learn more: People, products, pests and pets: the discursive representation of animals

Working on this project with  Dr Alison Sealey  and Dr Mel Evans, will be the recipient of a three-year PhD studentship.

The PhD student will use corpus analytic techniques to investigate ways in which animals have been represented in English discourse in the previous two centuries. This research will entail the collection and analysis of a diachronic corpus of texts, working in liaison with the project team and under the supervision of Dr Alison Sealey and Dr Mel Evans. Potential topics include: the language used in wildlife broadcasts from the earliest examples to 2000; newspaper reports featuring stories about wild / domestic / farmed animals 1800 – 2000; archival texts from organisations represented in the main project, such as the RSPCA, from its inception in 1824 to 2000.

Informal enquiries are welcome and can be made to Dr Alison Sealey [email protected] , project Co-Investigator. Applicants should apply directly to Dr Alison Sealey via email. The successful candidate will be asked to apply formally to the University’s Graduate School after selection. Qualifications: you will have very good undergraduate and Master’s degrees in relevant disciplines, e.g. English Language, Applied Linguistics, Corpus Linguistics. Only applicants who are not already reading for a PhD are eligible for this studentship. Application: Send hard and electronic copies of the documents listed below to Dr Alison Sealey, Department of English, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT by 27th September 2013 1. CV including your undergraduate and MA/M.Phil educational history with degree and exam results, and any awards; special skills or experience (e.g. language proficiency, other relevant expertise); and publications (if any). 2. Covering letter one A4 side only, describing your preparation and qualification for, and interest in, this studentship. 3. A sample of your post-graduate academic writing (up to 3000 words), or a short academic publication. 4. A proposal of not more than 2000 words, outlining the PhD research you would undertake within the parameters of the Birmingham studentship for this project as described in the summary. In addition, you need to supply two letters of reference, one of which should be from a tutor on your post-graduate course, preferably your dissertation supervisor. Ask your referees to send their letters directly by email to [email protected]  27th September 2013. Interviews will be conducted as soon as possible after the closing date, in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Applied Linguistics, Doctor of Philosophy

Department of English

College of Arts and Letters

If language is humanity's most useful tool, then applied linguistics, as the study of language, puts that tool to work. The focus of applied linguistics is on trying to resolve language-based issues that people encounter in the real world (Grabe 2002). This dissertation-based degree allows students to customize their coursework and research around such areas as second language studies, teaching and assessment of language skills, corpus linguistics, grammar and discourse, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, and speech perception and production.

University Requirements

To receive a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses, from one or more disciplines, ranging from at least 60 - 109 units of graduate-level courses. Most plans require research, a dissertation, and comprehensive exams. All plans have residency requirements regarding time spent on the Flagstaff campus engaged in full-time study. The full policy can be viewed here.

In addition to University Requirements:

• Complete individual plan requirements.

Purpose Statement

PhD students pursue a diverse range of applied linguistic issues in preparation for their careers as researchers, teacher trainers, or leaders in fields related to teaching and learning second languages, including:

• computer-assisted language learning (CALL)
• corpus linguistics
• grammar and discourse
• language planning and policy
• language testing and program evaluation
• language variation
• literacy       
• register analysis
• second language acquisition
• second language teaching and learning
• speech perception and production

Our faculty work closely with individual students, helping them to develop as colleagues in applied linguistics. As a result, our PhD students have outstanding records of publication and participation in major conferences such as TESOL and AAAL. Graduates of our program have also been highly successful at obtaining tenure-track faculty positions at major universities. Student Learning Outcomes Upon completion of the PhD in Applied Linguistics, students will have:

• Advanced critical and analytical knowledge of the structure and uses of the English language, English language discourse processes and genres, the development of second language learning processes in their diverse cultural contexts, and the assessment of both language program effectiveness and individual language proficiency.
• Ability to address issues of language learning in real world settings
• Ability to address both language program effectiveness and individual language proficiency.
• Ability to contribute to innovative and effective English language teaching practices in the State of Arizona and elsewhere.
• Ability to integrate use of technology into language instruction and research.
• Ability to synthesize information and approaches across a range of core topics in Applied Linguistics, such as language acquisition, language in society, English grammar, and the development of language curricula and programs.
• Understanding of the many issues relevant to cross-cultural communication.
• Comprehensive preparation and professional orientation for advanced research in PhD programs.
• Ability to design, conduct, analyze, and interpret original and important empirical research.
• Ability to contribute as active professionals in Applied Linguistics and related fields.
• Expertise and qualifications to contribute significantly in professorial positions to the growth and development of Applied Linguistics.

Graduate Admission Information

The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College. Admission requirements include the following:

• Transcripts.
• Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.

Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies. Ready to apply? Begin your application now.

International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy .

Additional Admission Requirements

Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

• GRE® revised General Test
• Two letters of recommendation
• Writing Sample
• Personal statement or essay
• Resume or curriculum vitae

Official TOEFL iBT/IELTS scores taken within the last 2 years are required for international applicants. Please see department website for information regarding minimum score requirements.

Doctoral Requirements

This Doctoral degree requires 81 units distributed as follows:

• Master's-level Coursework: 36 units
• Statistics Coursework: 9 units
• Seminars: 9 units
• Graduate Electives: 12 units
• Dissertation: 15 units

Take the following 81 units:

Master's-level Coursework (36 units)

• Coursework relevant to your research interests. (36 units)

Statistics Coursework (9 units)

• Prerequisite: Admission to TESL M.A. or Applied Linguistics Ph.D.">ENG 668 , Prerequisite: ENG 668">ENG 768
• Approved PhD Seminars

Seminars (9 units)  

Graduate Electives (12 units)

• Graduate electives, chosen in consultation with your dissertation committee. (12 units)

Dissertation (15 units)

• ENG 799 , for the research, writing, and oral defense of an approved dissertation (15 units)
• 15 units of dissertation credit may be applied to your degree; however, you may end up taking additional units since you must enroll each term while you're working on your dissertation.

Additional Information

In addition, you must:

• Complete a screening process.
• Complete a qualifying exam.
• Fulfill Northern Arizona University's residency requirements (For more information about residency and other requirements that pertain to this degree, see the policy on Requirements for the Doctoral Degree, PhD .
• Pass an oral exam on your dissertation (Dissertation Defense).

Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.

Campus Availability

We have 2 corpus linguistics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

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corpus linguistics PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

English language and applied linguistics - postgraduate research opportunities, awaiting funding decision/possible external funding.

This programme is waiting to confirm funding from a university or external source. This may depend on attracting suitable students and applications are welcome. Please see the programme details for more information.

Arts Research Programme

Arts Research Programmes present a range of research opportunities, shaped by a university’s particular expertise, facilities and resources. You will usually identify a suitable topic for your PhD and propose your own project. Additional training and development opportunities may also be offered as part of your programme.

PhD Studentship (3 years): Utilising ChatGPT as a strategy for self-regulation among L2 English speakers

Phd research project.

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

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Associate Professor Peter Crosthwaite

Researcher biography

I am an Associate Professor in the School of Languages and Cultures at UQ (since 2017), formerly assistant professor at the Centre for Applied English Studies (CAES), University of Hong Kong (since 2014). I hold an MA TESOL from the University of London and an M.Phil/Ph.D in applied linguistics from the University of Cambridge, UK.

My areas of research and supervisory expertise include corpus linguistics and the use of corpora for language learning (known as 'data-driven learning'), as well as computer-assisted language learning, and English for General and Specific Academic Purposes. I have published over 50 articles to date in many leading Q1 journals in the field of applied linguistics, 10+ book chapters, 4 books, 3 MOOCs, and several textbook series.

I am the Editor-in-Chief for the Australian Review of Applied Linguistics (from 2024). I am also currently serving on the editorial boards of the Q1 journals IRAL, Journal of Second Language Writing, Journal of English for Academic Purposes, and System, as well as Applied Corpus Linguistics, a new journal covering the direct applications of corpora to teaching and learning.

Publications

Book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, areas of research.

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

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PhD Program in Cognitive Science of Language

Join our world-class Languages & Linguistics Department to continue your study of language structure, language processing and the neural basis of language in the Cognitive Science of Language PhD Program.

Our courses are so hands-on and application based that you end up developing a unique and valuable skillset, which ends up leading into a variety of career paths that would otherwise have been difficult to grow accustomed to.

Meliha Horzum '20

Honours Cognitive Science of Language

About the Program

Based in the Department of Linguistics and Languages, the PhD program in Cognitive Science of Language is interdisciplinary and includes faculty from Humanities, Science, and Health Sciences. The program has a strong research orientation with expertise in cognitive science, corpus linguistics, neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and theoretical linguistics. The program introduces students to the issues in those fields that form the nexus of linguistics, cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience, and trains students in the research methods employed to study them.

Admission Requirements

A MSc in the Cognitive Science of Language or an equivalent Master’s degree is required for entrance into the PhD program. Some applicants may require additional courses in core areas (e.g. linguistics or cognitive science) in order to be eligible for admission. Each application will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Language Requirement

In order to ensure language diversity and breadth, the Department has a second-language requirement for the PhD degree, in addition to the general Graduate School requirement of English proficiency. Candidates should have, as a minimum, intermediate knowledge of a language other than English, defined as having passed the equivalent of two (2) full year courses. Candidates admitted without this requirement will be expected to pass the equivalent of two (2) full year courses or to pass a Qualifying Exam. The Department will evaluate each student’s language preparation at the Admission stage.

Application Process

The official electronic transcripts should be sent from the issuing institution directly to our department’s email: [email protected]

The online application portal for our graduate program in Cognitive Science of Language unlocks November 1st each year for September admission only. 

THOSE WHO SUBMIT  THEIR  COMPLETED APPLICATIONS (BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL) BY THE JANUARY 31ST DEADLINE WILL HAVE FIRST CONSIDERATION.

• Complete the online application -> McMaster University Application  
• Statement of Interest (identify the faculty member you wish to work with)
• Writing Sample (any type of academic writing i.e. term paper, thesis chapter)
• Two academic references (McMaster University uses an Electronic Referencing System. By entering the email address of your referee through the online application, the system will automatically send an e-Reference request on your behalf)
• English Language Proficiency (if English is not your native language)
• Official transcripts of all post-secondary academic work completed to date (transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing institution to our Department, please include English translation if applicable)
• Official copy of your TOEFL or IELTS scores or any other evidence of English proficiency (TOEFL: minimum score of 92 (internet based), 237 (computer based) or 580 (paper based), minimum of 20 per band; for the Faculty of Engineering a minimum score of 88 (internet based) or 213 on the (computer based) or 550 (paper based)  IELTS (Academic): minimum overall score of 6.5, with at least 5.5 in each section)
• **NOTE** Applicants from outside of Canada should begin the application process as early as possible to allow time to obtain all necessary documents.

Program Timelines

Students entering with a MSc in the Cognitive Science of Language are required to complete three half courses plus one pass/fail module. If the following courses were not completed in the MSc program, they must be included in the PhD program of study:

• COGSCIL 730 / Language Analysis Methods: Phonology and Morphology
• COGSCIL 731 / Language Analysis Methods: Syntax and Semantics
• COGSCIL 726 / The Cognitive Science of Language Ph.D. Lecture Series must be completed in Year 1 of the PhD program
• Plus additional courses approved by the student’s supervisory committee to total three half courses

Students entering with a Master’s degree but not an MSc in the Cognitive Science of Language are required to complete seven half courses plus one pass/fail lecture series module as listed below. The Lecture series must be completed in year one of the program.  

Required courses:

• COGSCIL 721 / Fundamentals of the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language
• COGSCIL 722 / Contemporary Issues in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language
• COGSCIL 726 / The Cognitive Science of Language Ph.D. Lecture Series  
• Plus additional courses approved by the student’s supervisory committee to total seven half courses

The Comprehensive Examination is intended to ensure that the student develops competence in a subfield of Cognitive Science of Language beyond the focus of the thesis. In consultation with the supervisory committee, the student will identify a topic for the Comprehensive that is distinct from the thesis topic.

In most cases, the Director of the Comprehensive will not be the thesis supervisor. The student and the Comprehensive Director agree in writing on the nature of the deliverable for the Comprehensive and on interim and final deadlines. At a minimum, the Comprehensive consists of a written paper and oral examination of the topic of the paper. The paper may consist of a literature review, proposal for a research project, report of a research project or report of a teaching project. The scope of the project should be such that it can reasonably be completed within one semester. The paper will usually be 20-30 pages long.

The Comprehensive Director identifies at least one other faculty member; together, the Director and these other faculty members constitute the Comprehensive Exam Committee. (Comprehensive Directors are encouraged to recruit Comprehensive Examiners from beyond the Department of Linguistics & Languages.) The Comprehensive Director advises the student on the preparation of the paper. The Comprehensive Exam Committee determines whether the paper is ready for an oral defense, and conducts the oral examination. The oral examination consists of a brief presentation by the student regarding the content of the paper followed by questions from the Committee. The Comprehensive Exam must be successfully completed within 20 months of entering the PhD program.

All students are expected to attend the talks in the Cognitive Science of Language Lecture Series, where scholars from around the world in the fields of Linguistics, Psychology, and Cognitive Neuroscience discuss their research.

Tuition & Program Fees

Visit Graduate Studies to learn more about tuition, supplementary fees and everything you need to know about being paid as a Teaching or Research Assistant. Tuition fees are assessed on a term by term basis, depending on the number of courses a student takes or if they are paying by term.

Faculty Scholarship Adjustments Guidelines

The McMaster Graduate Scholarship (MGS) is the most common form of scholarship support available to graduate students in our program. The MGS ensures that students receive a guaranteed minimum level of scholarship support. Adjustments to the MGS will depend on other available scholarships.

The Faculty of Humanities Adjustments guidelines policy is available for review.

REVIEW THE POLICY

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Supplemental information.

Graduate Courses in Linguistics and Languages

Course outlines 2024-2025

• Cogscil 6D03 – Computers and Linguistic Analysis
• Cogscil 6XX3 – Topics in Linguistic Theory
• Cogscil 712 – Reading Course (Linguistics)
• Cogscil 713 – Reading Course (Cognitive Science)
• Cogscil 726A – The Cognitive Science of Language M.Sc. Lecture Series
• Cogscil 749 – Lab Visual Language

Winter 2025 (the outlines will be added by the beginning of the winter term)

• Cogscil 6EL3 – Experimental Lab in Cognitive Science of Language
• Cogscil 6G03- Language, Sex and Gender
• Cogscil 6LC3 – Advanced Morphology and Syntax
• Cogscil 713 –  Reading Course (Cognitive Science)
• Cogscil 721 – Fundamentals of the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language
• Cogscil 726B– The Cognitive Science of Language M.Sc. Lecture Series
• Cogscil 730 – Language Analysis Methods: Phonology and Morphology

Course outlines 2023-2024

• Cogscil 6LB3 – Advanced Phonetics and Phonology
• Cogscil 722 – Contemporary Issues in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language
• Cogscil 726A – The Cognitive Science of Language Ph.D. Lecture Series

Winter 2024

• Cogscil 6NN3 – Cognitive Neurolinguistics Lab
• Cogscil 726B– The Cognitive Science of Language Ph.D. Lecture Series
• Cogscil 731 – Language Analysis Methods: Syntax and Semantics
• Cogscil 734 – Issues in Syntax

Course outlines 2022-2023

Winter 2023

• Cogscil 6AS3 – Topics in Advanced Semantics
• Cogscil 726B – The Cognitive Science of Language Ph.D. Lecture Series

Domestic MSc students usually receive a funding package consisting of a teaching assistantship and scholarship. The total value of the funding package ranges from $16,000 to $19,000 per year.

Currently all domestic PhD students receive a funding package of $23,500 per year, usually including a teaching assistantship of 260 hours plus a scholarship.

McMaster Graduate Studies Scholarship Information

The School of Graduate Studies provides funding to our graduate students so they can devote their time and energy to the successful completion of their studies.

External Graduate Scholarships

All eligible students are also strongly encouraged to apply for external scholarships such as the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and Canada Graduate Scholarships.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship

Note that applications must be submitted directly to the institution(s) where you plan to pursue graduate studies. The deadline is normally in the fall, before the application deadline for graduate school. 

Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s Program

Graduate Scholarship – As with OGS, applications for the Canada Graduate Scholarship must be submitted through an eligible institution. The deadline is usually December 1, before the application deadline for graduate school.

All applicants and current students will be considered for funding support from McMaster, including TAships.

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PhD in Linguistics

Dawei Jin, presenting a conference paper (now an Assistant Professor Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China)

The mission of the department’s PhD program is to train students to do research in linguistics and produce research that reflects the values and the mission of the department as a whole, to prepare them for academic jobs at teaching universities, liberal arts colleges, or major research universities and for jobs outside of academia. Our goal is to ensure that all of our students have at the end of their study an academic or industry position that requires a PhD in Linguistics. Our doctoral degree track focuses on breadth and empirical/experimental methodologies. Students receive training in traditional disciplines such as syntax, semantics, pragmatics, phonetics and phonology, and they may also receive substantial training in other areas, such as language typology, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, and historical and contact linguistics. All of our students are required to take at least two semesters of Methods classes, which include courses in Field Methods, Quantitative Methods and Statistics, Corpus Linguistics and Computational Linguistics. Our students are also encouraged to explore interdisciplinary research within the UB Center for Cognitive Science , and many of our students receive extensive training in Cognitive Science through collaborations with the Psychology or Computer Science departments. 

PhD Funding

Join a community of scholars and researchers working together to solve pressing global problems. 

We are committed to recruiting the very best PhD students and preparing doctoral students for career success. UB features:

• World-class faculty experts  mentor PhD students in a dynamic research and learning environment. Students can focus on their research and scholarship alongside renowned faculty while preparing for the careers and professions that await them after graduation.
• A city on the rise.  Buffalo, N.Y. offers affordable housing, arts, culture and community. Learn more about Buffalo .

PhD Funding Opportunities

• UB’s stipend levels are competitive among public Association of American Universities (AAU) member institutions.
• Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship Program : To be eligible for a Schomburg Fellowship, candidates must demonstrate high academic achievement and have overcome a disadvantage or other impediment to success in higher education. The Schomburg Fellowship is intended to support high-achieving doctoral students. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible.
• Presidential Fellowships:  To be eligible for Presidential Fellowships, candidates must meet the criteria listed on the Presidential Fellowship page. Both domestic and international students are eligible, if they meet these criteria. For any questions regarding funding for academic year 2025–2026, contact the director of graduate studies or department chair.

Application Deadlines

December 15:  All PhD applicants wishing to be considered for financial support

March 1:  All other international PhD applicants

April 1:  All other domestic PhD applicants

Online Application

Phd program metrics, degree requirements.

For most students with no transfer credits from other institutions, the categories in the table above should account for 48 of the 72 credits required for the Ph.D. The remaining 24 credits can be Independent Study, thesis/dissertation guidance or up to 12 credits from other UB departments. (Students in the Cognitive Science track and those earning a concurrent M.S. in Computational Linguistics may be permitted to take additional courses in other departments in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies.)

*Students should consult the Director of Graduate Studies to determine which Methods courses are more appropriate given their intended specializations.

Areas of Specialization

PhD students are required to take four courses in their main specialty (including relevant core and methods courses), and are expected to choose their two methods courses in accordance with their specialization. Students need not choose their area of specialization early in their graduate career; faculty only expect that students take these four courses by the time they finish their course work (i.e., complete their 72 credit hours).

Students admitted to the PhD track who decide, during the first or second year, that they no longer wish to pursue a PhD, may instead complete the course requirements for the MA specialization and take the MA exam.

Specializations and Applicable Courses

This list of courses is intended only as a guideline, and additional classes may be added to these lists upon approval by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Please also note that some courses are more frequently taught than others. Students should contact the DGS to inquire about future course scheduling. 

*Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics are highly interdisciplinary and may involve substantial work in other departments.

Qualifying Paper

The qualifying paper (QP) is required of students who have been admitted to the Doctoral program in the Department of Linguistics. It must be completed before the student can pass on to Phase 2 of the program (i.e., the phase during which students conduct their PhD thesis research). The QP is intended to give the student experience in carrying out a research project that goes beyond what is normally required of a course paper; however the project certainly can evolve out of a course paper. The paper should have the format of a journal submission, and be between 9,000 and 12,000 words in length.

Early in their second year of graduate study, the student should choose a faculty member who will advise the student while he or she is working on the QP. (The faculty member may be, but does not have to be, the same faculty who will direct the student’s dissertation.) The role of the advisor is to guide the student as he or she is carrying out the research and the writing. The student, together with the advisor, select a second committee member (or “reader”), who will read and comment on the QP.

Once the QP has been approved by the advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies will assign a third committee member (or “reader”), and the other members of the QP committee will then read the QP and provide feedback or simply approve the paper if no additional revisions are necessary. When the committee has approved the QP, the three faculty sign the approval form. Students return the form to the Director of Graduate Study after all three faculty have signed the form, and (s)he will also sign it. Finally, the form is sent to the graduate secretary, so that (s)he can enter the information into our student database and file the form in the student’s file.

Students are required to make an oral presentation of their QP research at the end of their fifth semester (at the latest), and to finish their QP by the end of the sixth semester (at the latest). Upon completion of a student’s QP, the faculty as a whole will either determine whether (s)he should passed onto Phase 2 of the PhD program. In the event a student is not passed onto the P.D phase of the program, (s)he will earn a terminal MA and will leave the program.

Dissertation Proposal

The dissertation proposal is not intended to be a paper in the same sense as the QP. Rather, the dissertation proposal should be viewed as a very long abstract. It should include a statement of the topic (or hypothesis/claim); the context for the research (Why should other linguists be interested in the research? How does it fit into previous research?); the methodology and nature of the data or evidence that the student hopes to collect or find; and, perhaps, a preview of the conclusions the student hopes to present or the contribution the dissertation will make. Generally, the proposal should not be any longer than 20 pages; however the dissertation advisor ultimately determines the form of the proposal.

Dissertation Proposal Defense

The proposal defense is simply a meeting of the committee members and the student to ensure that everyone is clear about the nature of the topic, the scope of the research, and the methodology. Typically, no one “fails” a proposal defense, since the primary goal is to clarify and comment on the research before the research begins. The student should be aware, however, that the proposal defense may result in significant changes in the research plan.

Once the proposal defense has taken place, the committee members sign the form, the form is returned to the Director of Graduate Studies to sign, and finally the form is sent to the Assistant to the Chair.

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Corpus Linguistics for Health Communication: A Guide for Research. Gavin Brooks and Luke Curtis Collins.

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Fei Yang, Corpus Linguistics for Health Communication: A Guide for Research. Gavin Brooks and Luke Curtis Collins., Digital Scholarship in the Humanities , 2024;, fqae047, https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqae047

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Areas of the humanities and social sciences have experienced a heightened interest in language and discourse in the past three decades or so ( Lupton 2013: 13), and linguistic analysis has been a useful way to grasp what humanities are talking about and how they change. Among multifarious fields, the multiplying health-related communication, both on and off line, has attracted much attention in this digital era. While digital humanities’ focus on the development and exploitation of databases or data repositories, corpus linguistics is devoted to data collection, corpus building and language analysis via corpus approaches ( Aijmer 2020: 6), which allows the two to intersect with and promote each other. There are a variety of uses of corpus linguistics in digital humanities ( McEnery and Brezina 2022: 5), the book authored by Brookes and Collins (2023), based on authentic health communication across various context and genres, echoes to the former statement and explores effective application of corpus methodology to health communication included researches of digital humanities.

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PhD in Linguistics

These are the new requirements implemented beginning in August 2019; for the old requirements, please click here .

A Brief Description of the PhD Program

The PhD program in Linguistics allows a high degree of flexibility and specialization, and is designed to encourage students to advance quickly to producing original research. Students may choose any of several standard areas of specialization, or design their own specialization with the help of their faculty advisor.

The PhD program in Linguistics consists of three stages, which correspond to the three Graduate College doctoral degree stages (see chapter 6 in the Graduate College Handbook ). The entire PhD program in Linguistics is intended to take 5 or 6 years: 2 years for Stage 1, and 3 or 4 years for Stages 2 and 3.

Stage 1 , which should be completed in two years, consists of 40 hours of graduate coursework, and the Stage 1 qualifying examination ; at the completion of Stage 1, students are eligible to receive a MA in Linguistics.

Stage 2 consists of 64 hours of graduate coursework, the Stage 2 qualifying examination , and the preliminary examination .

Stage 3 consists of the final defense and dissertation deposit.

Entry Requirements for the PhD Program

Students may be admitted to the PhD program in Linguistics with or without a prior master’s degree in linguistics or a related field. Depending on the student’s prior preparation, they may be admitted either into Stage 1 of the PhD or into Stage 2 of the PhD. Students who have completed a master’s degree in linguistics or a closely related field may be considered for admission to Stage 2 of the PhD program. Students without an approved prior master’s degree will only be considered for admission to Stage 1 of the PhD program. For admission to Stage 1 of the PhD program, undergraduate preparation should include the study of at least one foreign language; a course equivalent to LING 400 (Introduction to Linguistic Structure); and a broad background in the humanities, social sciences, and/or mathematics. 

Students admitted to Stage 1 must complete 40 credit hours in the areas listed below, maintain a GPA of 3.5 or better in all core courses, maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better overall, and earn a grade of High Pass on the Stage 1 qualifying examination in order to advance to Stage 2. Students who complete Stage 1 with a GPA of 3.0 or better overall, and who earn a grade of either Pass or High Pass on the Stage 1 qualifying examination, are eligible t o receive an MA in Linguistics.

Students who are admitted directly to Stage 2, but lack any of the core courses required for Stage 1, must complete Stage 1 requirements immediately on entry into the program; the courses will not count toward the 64 hours required for Stage 2 of the PhD.

How to Apply

Follow this link to information about applying to the PhD program; click here to start your graduate application.

Academic Advising

All students should choose a faculty member to serve as their academic advisor. New students are advised by the Director of Graduate Studies until a different advisor is chosen. Consult often with your advisor about course selection, research projects, publications, conference presentations, and any other academic issue. You may change advisors at any time. Once you reach the stage of writing your dissertation, your academic advisor serves as your Director of Dissertation Research. Typically (though not necessarily), your advisor also serves as chair of your Prelim Examination and Final Examination Committees. To select or change an advisor, fill out the electronic advisor agreement form . Your advisor should be a tenure-track or tenured faculty member at the University of Illinois.

PhD Program Requirements: Stage 1

40 graduate credit hours are required for Stage 1 of the PhD in Linguistics. Credit hours which have already been applied to another degree do not count toward this total; nor do preparatory courses taken as a condition on admission. It is normally possible to complete Stage 1 in two years. Note: core courses for Stage 1 are under bullets A and B below; all other courses are non-core courses.

A. The following courses are required (12 hours):

• LING 501: Syntax I
• LING 502: Phonology I
• LING 507: Formal Semantics I

B. Choose at least one course each from two of the following four areas (8 hours):

• LING 450: Sociolinguistics I
• LING 406: Intro to Computational Linguistics Note: LING 402 (Tools & Technology in Speech and Language Processing) needs to be taken as a pre-requisite to LING 406 for students without a computational background
• LING 425: Introduction to Psycholinguistics
• LING 426: Child and Adult Language Acquisition
• LING 489: Theoretical Foundations of SLA

C. Choose at least one course  in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods (4 hours):

• LING 403: Introduction to Field Methods
• LING 413: Corpus Linguistics
• LING 514: Design and Methodology in Linguistic Research
• LING 516: Field Methods
• A section of LING 490 on statistics or methodology for language research (subject to SEEC approval)
• A section of LING 591 on statistics or methodology for language research (subject to SEEC approval)
• A relevant course from another unit, such as Educational Psychology, Psychology, Anthropology, or Communications, with approval from the Student Examination and Evaluation Committee (SEEC); please click here to see a list of methods courses from other units that can satisfy the methods requirement.

D. Practicum and independent study are required (4 hours):

• LING 504: Practicum (2 hours)
• LING 590: Special Topics in Linguistics (2 hours)

E. Three elective courses are required (12 hours):

• These may be any LING courses at the 400-level or above, or non-LING courses approved by the student's advisor.

F. Language Requirement:

• For students who are native speakers of a language other than English, English satisfies this requirement.
• For students who are native speakers of English, demonstrated 4 th -level proficiency is required, which can be achieved by (a) completion of four semesters of college study (or four years of high school study), or equivalent, within 5 years of matriculation; or (b) corresponding placement on an Illinois foreign language placement test.
• Language courses can be taken Credit-No Credit (CR/NC) here at UIUC to satisfy the requirement. 

G. Stage 1 Qualifying Examination:

• Students first work closely with a faculty member to prepare an original research paper. The paper must be submitted to the department during the Spring semester of the student's second year (the deadline is set by the Student Examination and Evaluation Committee, and is usually the first day of the Spring semester), and the oral exam must take place before the end of the Spring semester.
• Qualifying papers must be supervised by a tenure-line faculty member with a non-zero appointment in Linguistics. For any questions about qualifying paper supervision, students should contact the Director of Graduate Studies.
• The examination itself consists of an oral presentation of the research paper before a committee of faculty members, who may ask questions concerning the research, the written paper, and the presentation.
• High Pass : the student is eligible to proceed to Stage 2 of the PhD, as well as to earn a MA in Linguistics , provided all other requirements are met.
• Pass: the student is NOT eligible to proceed to Stage 2 of the PhD, but the student IS eligible to earn a MA in Linguistics , provided all other requirements are met. The student has to leave the program with a terminal MA.
• Fail : the student is NOT eligible to proceed to Stage 2 of the PhD, and NOT eligible to earn a MA; the student is dismissed from the program with no degree.

H. Minimum GPA requirements

• Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA across all courses, and a minimum 3.5 GPA across all core courses (listed under Point A and Point B above) in order to be eligible to proceed to Stage 2.
• Students who maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA across all courses are eligible to earn a MA in Linguistics , provided all other MA requirements are satisfied.

PhD Program Requirements: Stage 2

64 graduate credit hours are required for Stage 2 of the PhD in Linguistics. For students admitted directly to Stage 2 of the PhD, credit hours which have already been applied to another degree do not count toward this total; nor do preparatory courses taken as a condition on admission. The requirements below are in effect for all students entering the program in Fall Semester 2019 or later.

A. Choose at least one upper-level course in one of the following areas (4 hours):

• LING 541: Syntax II
• LING 581: Topics in Syntactic Theory
• relevant section of an advanced seminar or other course, with SEEC approval
• LING 542: Phonology II
• LING 520: Acoustic Phonetics
• LING 522: Articulatory Phonetics
• LING 582: Topics in Phonological Theory
• LING 547: Formal Semantics II
• LING 551: Pragmatics

B. Choose at least one upper-level course in one of the following areas (4 hours):

• LING 550 (Sociolinguistics II)
• LING 587 (Topics in Sociolinguistics)
• LING 506 (Topics in Computational Linguistics)
• LING 525 (Psycholinguistics)
• LING 529 (Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism)
• relevant section of LING 588 (Seminar in Second Language Learning)
• relevant section of LING 560 (Seminar in Bilingualism)
• LING 584 (Theories in Second Language Acquisition)
• relevant section of Ling 588 (Seminar in Second Language Learning)

C. Elective courses (12 hours)

• Students must complete at least 12 hours of graduate courses (400-level or higher) in Linguistics or related fields. These courses should reflect the student’s interests and professional goals, and should be selected in consultation with the advisor.

D. Research/Project/Independent Study Hours (12 hours)

• Students must complete at least 12 credit hours of LING 590: Special Topics in Linguistics, or of another independent research course approved by the advisor.

E. Language Requirement:

• Students must demonstrate knowledge of the structure of a language that is not their native tongue nor the same language that satisfied the foreign language requirement for Stage 1 of the PhD, or (in the case of students admitted directly to Stage 2) of the prior approved master's degree.
• This requirement may be satisfied through (a) 2 nd -level proficiency in the language, obtained through two semesters of college-level study, or equivalent; (b) 2 nd -level placement on an Illinois foreign language placement test; (c) completion of a course on the structure of the language; (d) completion of LING 516: Field Methods; or (e) a demonstration that the language is the focus of the student’s doctoral research.
• One of the languages with which the student is familiar (this may be the student’s native language, or the language used to satisfy one of the language requirements) must be a non-European or a non-Indo-European language.

F. Stage 2 Qualifying Examination:

• Students first work closely with a faculty member to prepare an original research paper. The paper may be in the same or a different area than the paper submitted for the Stage 1 qualifying examination , and it may be supervised by the same or a different faculty member. The Stage 2 paper must differ from the Stage 1 paper in terms of research topic, research questions, and/or research methods.
• For students who proceeded to Stage 2 from Stage 1, the Stage 2 paper must be submitted to the department during the Spring semester of the student's third year (the deadline is set by the Student Examination and Evaluation Committee, and is usually the first day of the Spring semester), and the oral exam must take place before the end of the Spring semester.
• For students who entered the program at Stage 2, the Stage 2 paper must be submitted to the department during the Spring semester of the student's second year (the deadline is set by the Student Examination and Evaluation Committee, and is usually the first day of the Spring semester), and the oral exam must take place before the end of the Spring semester.
• Pass : the student is eligible to proceed to the thesis proposal stage.
• Rewrite : the student is given a timeline to rewrite and resubmit the paper. Only one rewrite is permitted. The possible grades for a rewritten qualifying paper are Pass (proceed to the thesis proposal stage) or Fail (dismissal from the program).

G. Minimum GPA requirements

• Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in all courses in order to be eligible to proceed to Stage 3.

H. Thesis Hours Required (32 hours)

Students must complete at least 32 credit hours of LING 599: Thesis Research. Enrollment in LING 599 is not normally allowed before the semester in which the student expects to complete the Preliminary Examination.

I. Preliminary Examination

All students must pass the Preliminary Examination, normally in the fourth year of the PhD program for students who entered at Stage 1, or in the third year of the PhD program for students who entered directly into Stage 2.

• To take the Preliminary Examination, first finish all your course requirements. Work closely with your advisor to prepare a written dissertation proposal. Assemble your examination committee, bearing in mind the policies on committee membership set by the Graduate College (see https://grad.illinois.edu/thesis/submitting-doctoral-committee-requests for more information). Submit your written proposal to your committee at least two weeks before the oral examination, which may be scheduled through the  Graduate Student Services Office  of the School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics (please fill out the scheduling form at  https://slcl.illinois.edu/resources/graduate-student-services/graduate-student-exams ). You will also need to file a petition to form your prelim exam committee through the Graduate College Petition Portal .
• The examination consists of an oral presentation of the dissertation proposal before the committee. The committee may ask questions about the proposed research, the written proposal, or the presentation.

PhD Program Requirements: Stage 3

Students complete all Stage 2 program requirements before proceedings to Stage 3.

A. Final Examination/Dissertation Defense

All students must write a dissertation and successfully defend its thesis in an oral examination. Familiarize yourself early in the process with the  Graduate College policies and procedures regarding dissertations .

• The Final Examination committee is normally (but not necessarily) identical to the Preliminary Examination committee. If it is different, please bear in mind the policies on committee membership set by the Graduate College (see https://grad.illinois.edu/thesis/submitting-doctoral-committee-requests for more information).  Work closely with your advisor and other committee members to be sure the dissertation is satisfactory before arranging for the Final Examination. The completed dissertation must be submitted to the committee at least two weeks prior to the examination, which may be scheduled through the  Graduate Student Services Office  of the School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics (please fill out the scheduling form found at https://slcl.illinois.edu/resources/graduate-student-services/graduate-student-exams ). You will also need to file a petition to form your prelim exam committee through the Graduate College Petition Portal .
• The Final Examination consists of an oral presentation of the dissertation and defense of its thesis before the committee. The committee may ask questions about the research, the written dissertation, or the presentation.

B. Dissertation Deposit

Following successful completion the defense, make any revisions requested to the dissertation by the committee, and secure the approval of your advisor. Make sure the dissertation conforms to the  Graduate College formatting policies . Deposit the dissertation according to  the procedure set by the Graduate College .

Applying credit from other institutions

Students who enter the program with previous graduate work in Linguistics from another institution may petition to transfer course credit to the University of Illinois. Transfer of credit is not possible if the courses have already been counted towards a degree at any other institution. Transfer must be requested through the  SLCL Graduate Student Services office .

Ph.D. Programs

The Department of Linguistics offers four concentrations leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Linguistics (see list below). No matter the concentration, our faculty work closely with students, guiding their research and supporting their passions.

• Applied Linguistics
• Computational Linguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Theoretical Linguistics

Applicants to the Ph.D. program are encouraged to identify prospective research advisors, at least one of whom should be in the concentration to which they apply.

After entering the program, Ph.D. students may elect to add a minor in a second one of these concentrations [new policy effective Spring 2023].

An interdisciplinary (second) concentration in Cognitive Science is also available to Ph.D. students.

Master’s in Passing

If, in their course of the Ph.D. program, a doctoral student meets all of the requirements of a M.S. degree in Linguistics, he or she may apply to receive a “Master’s in Passing.” Please consult section IV.D.3 of the Graduate School Bulletin for full details about the “in passing” or “terminal” Master’s degree.

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Linguistics, PhD

The Ph.D. program in Linguistics at Penn embraces a wide range of theoretical specializations and methodologies. What unites them is a commitment to careful and explicit formal analysis of the human capacity for learning and using language.

The core of our program is the formal generative tradition, but we encourage the cross-fertilization that results from the confrontation of empirical and theoretical perspectives on language structure. By our close collaboration with other programs (such as computer science and psychology) we promote an awareness of the broad view of language that interdisciplinary study induces. In addition to broad training, students are offered and expected to master the methods and results of their chosen areas of concentration in linguistics as a prerequisite to fruitful engagement in dialogue with others, both within and outside the program.

For more information: https://www.ling.upenn.edu/graduate/

View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs .

Required Courses

The total course units required for graduation is 20. A minimum of 12 course units must be taken at the University of Pennsylvania.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2024 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

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Ph.D. Students

Sara Afifi is a PhD student in Applied Linguistics and Technology at Iowa State University. She holds an associate’s degree in Computer Science and a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Her research interests include computer-assisted language learning with a focus on second language writing and the use of automated writing evaluation systems for assessing and improving students' academic writing abilities. Prior to joining ISU, she worked as a teaching assistant in an academic writing course at Shiraz University’s Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics and also taught English to children and adults at several English language institutes and Shiraz University Language Center.

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Abdulrahman Alharthi

Abdulrahman Alharthi is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. He has a bachelor's degree in English Language from King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia and a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. His research interests include language assessment (in particular listening tasks in high-stake tests such as IELTS and TOFEL), L2 listening comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, language motivation, and Directed Motivational Currents (DMC).

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Ella Alhudithi

Ella Alhudithi is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Linguistics and Technology at Iowa State University with interests in corpus linguistics, languages for specific purposes, systemic functional linguistics, and language pedagogy. Her present research integrates a genre and corpus-based approach to examine the rhetorical move structure of teaching philosophy statements by faculty at large public universities in the States. She hopes the results will be of great assistance to any academic seeking to advance their knowledge of the genre. In addition to her studies, Ella enjoys preparing and delivering workshops, consultations, and interactive materials on academic and professional genres at the Graduate College’s Center for Communication Excellence. Her work has been presented in journals and conferences, like LLT, TESOL, AAAL, ACTFL, and MLA, and recognized with several awards, including the Hutchinson-Lahman Research Award from the University of Northern Colorado and the International Presidential Fellowship from Colorado State University.

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Mutleb Alnafisah

Mutleb Alnafisah is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. He is primarily interested in language assessment and pronunciation. He is also interested in English for medical purposes. He holds a BA in English and Translation from Qassim University and an MA in Linguistics and TESOL from Southern Illinois University. He taught basic English language courses for two years for college-level students in Saudi Arabia. Mutleb has presented some of his research at the conferences of ILLS and ICQI.

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Stacy Amling

Stacy Amling  is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program. She holds Master’s degrees in Applied Spanish Linguistics and TESOL from Michigan State University. Her professional interests include technology education for in-service foreign language teachers, L2 writing, technology integration into the language classroom, and developing state standards for foreign language instruction. She has taught ESL and Spanish to learners of all ages from elementary to adult learners, and she currently works full-time as a Spanish Professor at Des Moines Area Community College and serves on the Executive Board for the Iowa World Language Association, which is the state-level professional organization for Iowa foreign language teachers.

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Fatimah Aseeri

I am a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. I hold a bachelor's degree in Translation from King Saud University in Riyadh, and an M.A in Applied Linguistics from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. I taught many courses to undergraduate students such as writing, vocabulary, applied linguistics, and scientific and legal translation. My research interests include language assessment literacy, the assessment of speaking and the role of corrective feedback in second language learning.

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Ebtehal Asiri

Ebtehal Asiri is a Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics and Technology at ISU. She holds a BA degree in English Language and Translation from King Khaled University, Saudi Arabia, and a Master's degree in TESOL from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA.

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Shireen Baghestani

Shireen Baghestani is a PhD candidate in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program with interests in language testing and corpus linguistics. Prior to joining Iowa State, she worked as an item writer and rater for various international English proficiency tests. Her research interests include rater bias in assessment scoring, rubric creation, and test validation.

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Jeanne Beck

Jeanne Beck holds an Educational Specialist degree (Ed.S.) in Education Administration from William Woods University, and a Master’s degree in TESOL Education, a BS in Middle School Education, and a BA in International Studies from the University of Missouri. She has taught English as a second or foreign language at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, South Korea; on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in Nagano, Japan; and in rural Missouri public schools. Her interests include CALL, technology education for teachers, project based learning, EL policy, and rural English language learners and teachers. She currently serves as an Edtech chair and board member for MIDTESOL, and has presented at TESOL, MIDTESOL, JALTCALL, and other conferences. She helped co-author an English textbook in South Korea and has written for Language Magazine and for the MIDTESOL website.

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Wren Bouwman

Wren Bouwman is a Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics and Technology. She has a BA in English and an MA in TESL / Applied Linguistics from Iowa State University, where she used corpus-based methods to compare morphological expressions of imperative speech acts in Gothic. Her interests include writing processes and evaluation, historical linguistics (particularly Old English and Gothic), and higher education pedagogy.

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Kate Challis

Kate Challis has a BA in French Teaching and a minor in TESOL K-12 (BYU ’09) and an MA in Teaching English as a Second Language and Applied Linguistics (ISU '22). She speaks English, French, Arabic, and Czech and is passionate about the intersection of data science methods and second language acquisition.

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Zhi (Stone) Chen is a PhD student in Applied Linguistics & Technology. He has a BE in Materials Science from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and an MBA from The University of Western Ontario in Canada. Before coming to Iowa State, he worked as the senior director of Wall Street English Training Center in Beijing, China. His interests include second language acquisition, pronunciation, and computer-assisted language learning.

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Denise Coberley

Denise Coberley is a Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics and Technology. She has a master's in Journalism and Mass Communication and a minor in Applied Linguistics from Iowa State University. Her interests are in science communication and the language of science policy. Her work has included the use of corpus linguistic analysis to determine grammatical features of agricultural and conservation communication within University Extension. Denise was a high school science teacher for 23 years before coming back to continue her education in 2018.

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Nergis Danis

Nergis Danis is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program. She holds an MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics from Iowa State University and a BA in Western Languages & Literatures from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. Before coming to Iowa State, she worked as a lecturer at Piri Reis University in Istanbul, where she taught academic reading and writing classes. Here at ISU, she has taught a variety of academic writing and speaking classes in addition to working as an academic communication consultant at the Center for Communication Excellence at ISU. Her research interests include corpus linguistics, register variation, English for Academic Purposes, and Systemic Functional Linguistics. She has published her work in journals like English for Specific Purposes and the International Journal of Applied Linguistics. She has also presented at local and international conferences, such as AAAL, the International Corpus Linguistics Conference, and TSLL.

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Nadezhda Dobrynina

Nadezhda Dobrynina is a PhD student in Applied Linguistics and Technology. In 2019, she earned a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics from the Northern (Arctic) Federal University in Arkhangelsk, Russia. She also holds a Master’s degree in Translation and Interpretation Studies from the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow, and a Master's degree in TESL/Applied Linguistics from Iowa State University.

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Mahdi Duris

Mahdi Duris is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics & Technology, specializing in research on second language pronunciation. His research is specifically focused on the automation of intelligibility ratings through the Acoustic Masking and Intelligibility (AMI) theory and the development of Mispronunciation Detection and Diagnosis (MDD) systems. He is a research assistant to Dr. John Levis (NSF-funded project) and Dr. Volker Hegelheimer (U.S. Department of State-funded project).

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• Articles and Repositories: Google Scholar

Thomas Elliott

Tom Elliott is a PhD student in Applied Linguistics and Technology (ALT). He received B.A.s in Linguistics and French, and an MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics from Iowa State University. Prior to joining the program, he worked as an ESL tutor for the America China Exchange Society. His current interests include corpus linguistics methodology, natural language processing, and syntax.

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Sondoss Elnegahy

Sondoss Elnegahy holds a BA in Linguistics and Translation from Helwan University, Egypt. Graduating the first runner-up on her class, she was appointed as a Teaching Assistant in the English Department. She taught English courses to different faculties at Helwan University. In 2012, she was accepted to participate in the "English Language Teaching Materials Development: Principles, Tools, and Technologies" online course provided by English Department here at ISU, which was followed by "English Language Materials Development" workshop at ISU campus. This was a turning point for Ms. Elnegahy since it planted a dream for her to come back to ISU one day. As a Fulbright grantee, she obtained her MA degree from the University of Delaware. Her dream came true as she is currently honored to be back to ISU as a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program. Her research interest is mainly second language pronunciation and oral communication assessment.

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Andrea Flinn

Andrea Flinn  is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. Andrea holds an MA degree in TESOL from San Francisco State University and a BA in Communication from Cornell University. She has taught at SFSU and the University of Jordan, as a Fulbright fellow.  She is simultaneously pursuing a Master’s in Teaching Arabic as a Second Language at Middlebury College, and has amused refugees with her broken Arabic while volunteering at community centers in Jordan and Southern California.  Her research interests include CALL, pronunciation, and corpus linguistics.

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Ali Garib is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at ISU. He holds an MA in Linguistics from Arizona State University and an MA in TESOL and Educational Technology from the University of Manchester. Ali is a Fulbright and Chevening alumnus. His primary research interests span the areas of technology-assisted project-based language learning (PBLL), computer-assisted language learning (CALL), and mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). In addition to teaching ENGL99S, ENGL101C, and SPCM212 at ISU, Ali has been a Digital Facilitator for World Learning | Global Exchange Program.

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Benjamin Godard

Ben Godard holds a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Northern Iowa. He has a strong interest in second language acquisition. The primarily focus of his Master's degree research paper was the pronunciation of French vowels by native English speakers from Iowa.

Ben has also a passion for music. His main instrument is the guitar and he likes 50's style instrumental and surf rock music.

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Erik Goodale

Erik Goodale is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University.  He earned his MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics also at ISU in the spring of 2019.  Erik's research interests include pronunciation and how technology can be used by learners to better improve their comprehensibility.

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Agata Guskaroska

Agata Guskaroska is a Fulbright alumna, currently a Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics and Technology. She holds two MA degrees, one in General Linguistics and the other one in Applied Linguistics/TESL. She has taught EFL and composition courses, as well as a Global Online Course and MOOC, Using Technology in the English Language Classroom. She has been working as a speaking, writing and nationally competitive awards consultant at the Center for Communication excellence and currently serves as a postdoc communication consultant. Her research interests include computer-assisted language learning, pronunciation teaching, and sociolinguistics.

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Shangyu Jiang

Shangyu Jiang is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at ISU. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from Southwest Jiaotong University and a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Beijing Foreign Studies University. His main research interests include corpus linguistics and register variation. Prior to joining ISU, he has taught EFL courses to undergraduate students in China.

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Leyla Karatay

Leyla Karatay  holds a BA from Ataturk University in Turkey and an MA in Applied Linguistics from Iowa State University. She has experience as an instructor at Duzce University in Turkey, and has taught different English courses such as listening and speaking, English 101, and Academic English. She is interested in computer-assisted language testing, specifically assessment of integrated listening & speaking skills. She has presented at local conferences such as MwALT and TSLL.

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Haeun Kim , also known as Hannah Kim, is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. She holds a BA and a EdM in English Language Education from Kyungpook National University. Before joining the program, she taught English to middle and high school students in South Korea for six years. She worked as a teaching assistant for the ISUComm Foundation courses for two years. Currently, she is working for the Online Learning Team (OLT) and the Writing and Media Center (WMC). Her research interests include language assessment, language processing, corpus linguistics, and bilingualism.

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Gi Jung Kim

Gi Jung Kim has been teaching English at secondary schools in Korea for almost 10 years, and his research interests concentrate on classroom-based language assessment, language testing, and the use of technology in language teaching and assessment.

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Sebnem Kurt

Sebnem Kurt is a Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics and Technology Program (ALT) at Iowa State University. She holds an MA in TEFL from Bilkent University in Turkey. She is a former Fulbright scholar and a TESOL certificate holder from Idaho State University. Her research interests include computer-assisted language learning, automated speaking evaluation, and Natural Language Processing.

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Widya Kusumaningrum

Widya Kusumaningrum is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. She joined the ALT program as a Fulbright scholar in 2021. She holds Master’s degrees in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) and in English Language Education from Universitas Negeri Semarang (Indonesia) and a Bachelor’s degree in English Language Education from Universitas Negeri Semarang (Indonesia). Before coming to ISU, she taught undergraduate courses at Universitas Tidar (Indonesia). Her research interests are language assessment, second language pronunciation, and technology-based assessment.

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Erika Latham

Erika Latham joined the ALT PhD program in Fall 2021. She holds a BA in Linguistics with a Minor in Spanish from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA in TESL from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before coming to ISU, she taught university courses in ESL Writing for undergraduates and Oral Communication for International Teaching Assistants. She has also developed content for high-stakes assessments including ETS’s TOEIC, WIDA’s ACCESS for ELLs, and the DLPT-5. Her research interests include second language assessment (especially listening comprehension) and pronunciation.

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Febriana Lestari

Febriana Lestari is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at ISU. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from Yogyakarta State University. In addition to her academic degree, she also holds some international EFL/ESL teaching qualifications from Cambridge University, i.e., TEFL and CELTA. She has more than seven years of EFL/ ESL teaching experience. Her current research interests center around cognitive linguistics of construction grammar, corpus linguistics, second language acquisition, and the intertwinement of the latter two—Learner Corpus Research (LCR). She has taught grammar and writing courses for ESL students and ISU Communication Foundation Courses at ISU.

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Hwee Jean (Cindy) Lim

Hwee Jean (Cindy) Lim is a Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics and Technology, co-majoring in Human-Computer Interaction. She is currently an instructor for the ISUComm Foundation Courses and works for the Online Learning Team (OLT). Prior to joining the program, she taught courses in TESL and Educational Technology to undergraduates for over eight years and taught ESL for three years in a high school. She holds a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Universiti Putra Malaysia and a B.A. (Hons.) in English Language from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia. Her research interests are Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and technology-mediated teaching and learning.

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Ananda Astrini Muhammad

Ananda Astrini Muhammad is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program. She started her Ph.D. after graduating with an MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics from Iowa State University as a Fulbright Scholar. She is originally from Indonesia where she taught after graduating with a BA in English Language and Literature from Universitas Hasanuddin. In this EFL setting, she taught people of various ages and backgrounds in different settings: private language schools and higher education. Her research interests are in computer-assisted language learning and second language assessment, specifically in the area of L2 pragmatics.

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Inyoung Na holds a BA in English Education from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, South Korea, and an M.A. in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is an in-service public school English teacher in Korea (from 2016 to present) and is currently a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. Her research interests are second language pronunciation and speech intelligibility, language attitudes, World Englishes, psycholinguistics, and language testing and assessment.

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Duong (Zoe) Nguyen

Duong (Zoe) Nguyen is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology at Iowa State University. Duong holds an MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at Michigan State University and a BA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education in Vietnam. Before coming to the US under Fulbright Student Program, Duong taught general English for different levels of students at a gifted high school for four years and at a bilingual middle school for one year. Her research interests include Corpus Linguistics, Data-Driven Learning, Second Language Writing, and Genre Analysis.

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MacKenzie Novotny

MacKenzie Novotny is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. She has a master's degree in TESL/Applied Linguistics and bachelor's degrees in French and Linguistics from Iowa State University. Currently, her research interests include computer-assisted pronunciation teaching (CAPT) and automatic pronunciation evaluation at the segmental level. Having been at Iowa State since 2015, she has enjoyed working as a research assistant for a variety of projects, meeting many wonderful professors, and exploring Iowa State's beautiful campus. After taking a gap year to live in the Seattle area, she is excited to return to Ames and continue working, networking, and exploring.

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Chris Nuttall

Chris Nuttall is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology (ALT) program. He is the recipient of three degrees from Brigham Young University, including a BA in Portuguese, a BA in Philosophy, and an MA in TESOL. Before studying at ISU, he worked as a lecturer in UC Davis’ University Writing Program (UWP). As a lecturer in the UWP, Chris was tasked with helping freshly matriculated ESL students improve their writing skills. His research interests include corpus linguistics, discipline-specific writing, and writing evaluation. In his free time, Chris enjoys playing music and spending time outdoors with his family.

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Altay Ozkul

Altay Ozkul holds a BA in English translation & interpreting from Izmir University of Economics, Turkey and an MA in TESL/AL from Iowa State University. He has work experience as a freelance translator & interpreter and English tutor. He has also worked as a lecturer at Iowa State University and taught first-year composition and oral communication strategies courses.  His main areas of interest are CALL and teaching writing.

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Qi Qi (pronounced "chi") is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program. She has an MA in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College of Columbia University and a BA in International Education of Chinese from Hebei University of Technology. Prior to joining the program, Qi worked with adult immigrants as an ESL instructor. She also taught Mandarin Chinese to heritage speakers and speakers of other languages. Her research interest is second language assessment, especially oral communication assessment.

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Maryam Saneie Moghadam

Maryam Saneie Moghadam is a Ph.D. student in Applied Linguistics and Technology at ISU. She holds a BA degree in English Language and Literature and an M. A. in Applied Linguistics from Shahid Beheshti University in Iran. Her research interests include corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, metaphor studies and second language academic writing.

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Burak Senel

Burak Senel has 10 years of experience teaching English at various levels, including college and K-12, with a focus on high-stakes language tests such as TOEFL. He holds a Bachelor's degree in English Language Teaching from TED University, Turkey, and a Master's degree from the University of Arizona in Natural Language Processing obtained through a Fulbright Scholarship. Currently, Burak is a doctoral student at ISU in Applied Linguistics and Technology, with a general focus on artificially intelligent agents, robotics, and virtual reality in language education. His work in the field of AI in education has been acknowledged through media recognition as an early adopter.

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Liberato Silva dos Santos

Liberato Silva dos Santos is a Ph.D. student in the ALT program. He is also an academic writing and speaking consultant, and a Portuguese and English instructor. His research interests include language assessment and testing, assessment literacy, computer-assisted language learning and testing, and written and oral academic communication. He has presented his research at TSLL, LARC, TESOL, CALICO, and Siabralitec, among other venues, and has published in EJALTEFL. In 2018, he was a language assessment Summer intern at ETS. He holds an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Brasilia, and a B.A. in Language Teacher Education from the Catholic University of Goiás, Brazil. In his spare time, Liberato enjoys dining out with friends, going on walking tours, reading comics and graphic novels, and watching movies and TV series. He is also an enthusiastic, beginner level Muay Thai practitioner.

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• Articles and Repositories: Research Gate

Noëmie Sollier

Noëmie Sollier holds a B.A. in Applied Foreign Languages from Lyon 3 University, France, and an MA in French Linguistics from Indiana University Bloomington. She is currently co-majoring in Human-Computer Interaction. Noëmie is passionate about second language learning, UX and programming. Her research centers around the different mechanisms that can be used to improve the learning experience for informal language learners and learning communities. Noëmie pursues research on adaptive systems, motivation, game-based learning and gamification, fan practices and immersive technologies.

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Andrias Tri Susanto

Andrias Tri Susanto is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program. He holds a Master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor's degree in English Education from State University of Malang in Indonesia. He has been involved in the world of teaching English since 2007 with students from various academic backgrounds and teacher training since 2014. His main interests include English grammar learning, computer assisted language learning (CALL), and English for specific purposes (ESP), as well as critical thinking in language learning.

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April Tan is a Ph.D. student co-majoring in Applied Linguistics and Technology and Human-Computer Interaction. She holds an M.A. in TESL/Applied Linguistics from Iowa State University and a B.A. in Creative Advertising with a concentration in Graphic Design from Drake University. Her academic interests include the development of educational applications, game-based learning, and research-based UX/UI design. She currently works at the Center for Communication Excellence (CCE) as an Academic Communications Consultant.

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Junghun Yang

Junghun Yang is a Ph. D. student in Applied Linguistics and Technology (ALT) at ISU. He holds an MA in English with Linguistics specialty from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a BA in English from Hallym University in South Korea. His research interests include corpus linguistics, computer-assisted language learning, and project-based language learning. Currently, he is working as a research assistant for Using Educational Technology in the English Language Classroom Global Online Course sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and provided by ISU and an editorial assistant for the Journal of Supply Chain Management.

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Shuhui Yin is currently a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. She received her master’s degree in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics in Foreign Languages from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her primary research interests are corpus-informed research in second language writing, genre analysis, and English for Academic Purposes. She has experience in teaching EFL courses to learners at secondary and undergraduate levels.

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Zoë Zawadzki

Zoe Zawadzki  is a PhD student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. Her research interests include pronunciation, specifically intelligibility and suprasegmentals, and computer-assisted language learning, especially the integration of technology into pronunciation teaching. Zoe is currently the editorial assistant for the  Journal of Second Language Pronunciation  (JSLP). She holds a B.A. in French and Linguistics and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from Ohio University. She spent one year teaching English to children in France. Zoe has presented at conferences such as PSLLT, TESOL, and MEXTESOL and published her work in the  PSLLT proceedings  and  Speak Out!

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PhD in Linguistics

• MA in Linguistics
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Aims of the PhD

Human language is a multifaceted phenomenon. It is simultaneously a property of individual minds and of whole speech communities, and thus both internal and external to us. It both shapes and is shaped by our societies over time. It is a combination of sound (or sign), which has physical properties that can be measured, and meaning, which does not. Accordingly, becoming a linguistic researcher involves mastering a variety of methods, both quantitative and qualitative. The PhD in Linguistics at BU aims to produce scholars who are versatile enough to be experts in both of these aspects of linguistic inquiry, yet skilled enough to do cutting-edge research in a particular subfield of the discipline. We offer a solid grounding in a range of research methods, including field methods, quantitative methods, and computational methods.

Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a PhD in Linguistics will demonstrate:

• broad knowledge of the discipline
• deeper knowledge in a specialized area or subfield
• ability to carry out a significant piece of independent research (which implies knowledge of and ability to use research methodologies in order to complete the research)

Prerequisites

The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is not required to apply.

Entering students are expected to have completed introductory classes in: 

• phonetics/phonology (e.g., GRS LX 601)
• syntax (e.g., GRS LX 621)
• semantics/pragmatics (e.g., GRS LX 631)

Students who do not have sufficient background in linguistics must complete additional coursework to fulfill the above prerequisites prior to entry or during the first year. Note: if completed at BU, GRS LX 601, 621, and 631 will not count toward the PhD course requirements.

Admissions & Funding

The deadline for application to enter the program in Fall 2023 is January 6, 2023.  Information about the graduate admissions process ( including the application process and requirements ) is available at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) website:

We anticipate being able to admit about five students per year. All admitted students will receive full coverage of tuition costs plus a fellowship for five years. For further information about funding, consult the GRS website above.

Requirements

Course requirements.

The PhD requires successful completion of 64 credits at the graduate level, including three core courses: 

• GRS LX 703 Phonological Analysis
• GRS LX 722 Intermediate Syntax
• GRS LX 732 Intermediate Semantics

Six additional courses from the four areas below, with two courses each in two of the areas, and one course each in the remaining two areas:

• advanced phonetics, phonology, or morphology (e.g., GRS LX 706)
• advanced syntax, semantics, or pragmatics (e.g., GRS LX 723, 736)
• linguistic research methodology
• language acquisition or socio-historical linguistics

A 4-credit graduate proseminar sequence (GRS LX 801 & 802) is typically taken in the second year.

Finally, six additional courses (including up to 8 credits of directed study) are taken in Linguistics or related fields that comprise a specialization , which will generally be in the area of the dissertation. These courses will be decided upon by the student in conjunction with their advisor, whose approval is required.

Language Requirement

The PhD requires demonstration of graduate-level reading proficiency in two foreign languages (one of which may be English, for non-native speakers) by the end of the third year of enrollment.

These proficiencies can be demonstrated through any of:

• a language examination
• successful completion of a non-credit graduate-level foreign language reading course offered at BU
• the equivalent of two years of undergraduate study of the language at BU (or successful completion of any higher-level language course taught in the language)

Graduate-level foreign language reading courses offered at BU include:

• GRS LF 621 Reading French for Graduate Students
• GRS LG 621 Reading German for Graduate Students
• GRS LI 621 Reading Italian for Graduate Students
• GRS LS 621 Reading Spanish for Graduate Students

Qualifying Examinations

To advance to candidacy, students must satisfactorily complete and defend two substantial research papers in different areas of the field (the first by the end of the fourth semester, the second by the end of the sixth semester of enrollment).

Each Qualifying Paper (QP) will be planned and carried out under the supervision of a Linguistics faculty member with expertise appropriate to the relevant project and, upon completion, will be defended orally and approved by an examining committee, composed of the first and second reader as well as a third faculty member determined by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in consultation with the student.

A brief proposal for each QP must be submitted, with signed approval of a first and second reader (who have been approved by the DGS and who have agreed to advise the student on the proposed project), by October 15 of the academic year in which the project is to be completed. For the second QP, a topic approval form, in which the student explains how the second QP differs from their first QP, must also be submitted, in advance of the proposal approval form.

Dissertation and Final Oral Examination

PhD candidates will demonstrate their abilities for independent study in a dissertation representing original research or creative scholarship.

A prospectus for the dissertation must be completed and approved by the readers, the DGS, and the Department Chair.

Candidates must undergo a final oral examination in which they defend their dissertation as a valuable contribution to knowledge in their field and demonstrate a mastery of their field of specialization in relation to their dissertation.

All portions of the dissertation and final oral examination must be completed as outlined in the GRS general requirements for the PhD degree:

Director of Graduate Studies

Co-Directors of Graduate Admissions

Computational Linguistics

The computational linguistics program at Stanford is one of the oldest in the country, and offers a wide range of courses and research opportunities.

We take a very broad view of computational linguistics, from theoretical investigations to practical natural language processing applications, ranging across linguistic areas like computational semantics and pragmatics, discourse and dialogue, sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, syntax and morphology, phonology, psycholinguistics, and phonetics and speech, and applications including machine translation, question answering, and sentiment analysis.

Uniting this wide variety of research is the shared ambitious goal of dealing with the complexity and the uncertainty of human language by integrating rich models of linguistic structure with sophisticated modern neural and statistical techniques.

Together with the  Computer Science Department , our department houses a wide variety of research labs, reading groups, and informal workshops on computational linguistics, and we also maintain close ties with industrial natural language processing work in Silicon Valley.  For more information, see the  Stanford Natural Language Processing Group  and the  CSLI Pragmatics Lab .

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Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics

Dietrich college of humanities and social sciences, graduate courses in applied linguistics & second language acquisition (alsla).

The courses listed below are offered as part of the Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition and the M.A. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition .

82-783 Second Language Acquisition: Theories and Research

This course introduces students to the field of second language acquisition (SLA) in order to provide them with an understanding of the way in which second languages are learned and acquired. The course will survey various theories of second language acquisition (e.g., Innateness and Universal Grammar, Connectionism, Input/Output, sociocultural theory, emergentism), and their claims will be examined in the light of recent research findings. The course will also examine the impact of internal and external variables on second language acquisition and development. Some topics include: the role of learning environment for language acquisition, explanations for different success among second language learners, variations in second language use, and the effect of classroom instruction in second language acquisition.

  82-793 Teaching Methodologies for the Foreign Language Classroom

This course is intended to expose students to different language teaching methodologies. We will study the development and history of teaching approaches and methods, and examine the intersection of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories of language learning to approaches and methods. Students will also apply the content of this course by way of their classroom observations for the 82-893 Practicum I course. Students will leave this course more comfortable as language teachers and able to adapt and apply their knowledge to new teaching situations.

  82-795 Ideologies of Critical Language Awareness

Within the field of Critical Language Awareness (CLA), language is understood as a social practice and, as such, is inseparable from historical, political, moral, and other ideological variables. Awareness of the ideologies and contexts that shape languages--and the teaching and learning of languages--allows one to understand and respect learner experience, interact effectively with language learners, design relevant curricula and materials, and potentially disrupt inequities that confront language learners daily. This course will introduce students to scholarship and pedagogies commonly found in CLA as a foundation for their own teaching, tutoring, consulting, and interacting with language learners in a variety of contexts. Through an exploration of communication skills and strategies (productive and receptive language skills, pronunciation and accent modification, etc.), students will investigate multiple approaches to language learner support. Course presentations, readings, discussions, and assignments will require students to think critically about teaching and research practices, the values on which those activities are based, and ways to challenge and transform the biases inherent in them. Students will also reflect on and evaluate a variety of instructional, sociocultural, cognitive, and linguistic dimensions of language learning, focusing on how these dimensions are expressed and experienced differently across various spaces, identities, technologies, and learner abilities. The main purpose of the course experience is to equip students with the information and analytical skills to support the diverse needs of language learners they will encounter in their future work.

82-885 Introduction to Qualitative Methods

This course focuses on the theoretical and practical principles that guide qualitative inquiry in second language and multilingual contexts. The course provides students the opportunity to explore in depth data collection and analysis tools (e.g. interviews, participant observation, discourse analysis, narrative analysis, etc.). In addition, students reflect about the ethics and style in research reporting characteristic in this approach. The course is grounded on individual research projects conducted by students during the course of the semester.

82-888* Research Methods in SLA

The course introduces students to research methodology as it applies to language learning and language teaching. It provides an examination of different approaches currently used in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research ranging from experimental studies to survey investigations. The goal is to develop an ability to critically evaluate, design, and implement sound SLA research. 

82-888* Introduction to Linguistic Data Analysis Using R

This course provides a hands-on introduction to the fundamental aspects of statistical  analysis of quantitative linguistic data using the open-source statistical environment R. Students will first understand how spoken and written language can be conceptualized as data, what this data looks like, and how to think about such data from a computational perspective. Students will also learn how to visualize and appropriately form specific research questions related to linguistic analysis, and how data and its presentation can be manipulated in unethical ways. Students will also examine how the same data set can tell different stories/outcomes depending on the analyses and presentation. In-class labs and homework will make use of corpus, psycholinguistic, and survey data from a variety of languages and methods. 

82-888* Qualitative Perspectives on Context, Instruction and Learning

This course asks two central questions: 1) How do we capture language learning outcomes that aren’t measurable quantitatively? and 2) How do we understand the relationship between context, instruction, and second language learning? To answer these questions, we will examine research and its practical applications from a variety of qualitative traditions (e.g., ethnography, discourse analysis, qualitative interviews, diary studies) that has been carried out in a wide range of contexts, including study abroad, technology-enhanced environments, and informal learning in the wild.

82-888* Second Language Acquisition and Technology

We will explore how technology can be used and researched in contexts of second language acquisition and teaching. Well investigate research, best pedagogical practices, and technological tools used in Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Students will learn how to conduct a review of a pedagogical tech tool or app (e.g., Chat GPT, Duolingo, Lingostar AI) and how to integrate it into a task-based or project-based lesson plan. In addition to teaching demos, students will engage in the creation of a research project proposal and/or literature review regarding a specific facet of technology-enhanced language teaching and learning.

82-888* Second Language Pragmatics

Pragmatics is broadly understood as the study of language use in social context. This course, therefore, addresses various topics in second language (L2) pragmatics, including theories in pragmatics learning, multilingual translanguaging in L2 pragmatics, research methods in L2 pragmatics, target areas of investigation, instruction and assessment, and learning contexts. Through critical examinations of the literature in these areas, students will develop an understanding of existing research paradigms in L2 pragmatics and future directions.

82-888* Second Language Speech

This course provides an overview of the fundamental questions, theories, methodologies, and findings of second language (L2) speech research. In this team-based, collaborative course, students will read published research to first understand how speakers perceive, process, and produce the sounds of an L2. Students will then work together to develop a testable hypothesis related to L2 speech. Students will collect pilot data, perform null hypothesis tests, and compare the results to previous findings. Throughout the course, students will gain experience in each step of the research process and have the opportunity to disseminate their findings to a larger audience. The course focuses on both theoretical frameworks of human language and cognition, as well as the ‘applied’ function of speech research as it relates to effective foreign language teaching. 

82-888* Interaction and L2 Development

* Titles, sections and offerings for 82-888 change regularly. See the schedule of classes for current information.

• Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition
• M.A. in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition

• School of Languages and Cultures
• Research clusters

Linguistics

Our researchers and teaching staff draw on modern European languages as a source of data to understand the way language works and how it is practised in the wider world.

Amongst the languages we work on are: Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Luxembourgish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Our work is data-driven; it is informed by usage-based linguistic theories and approaches, challenging them and developing them further.

The Structures of Language

From the very smallest units of sound to the pragmatics of discourse, we collaborate to investigate and supervise work on many aspects and levels of language, across the range of languages we offer. We carry out research into phonetic and phonemic variation in dialects, accentuation and intonation ( O’Neill ).

Work on morphological variation looks at competition between structures and features within a language variety, with reference to core structures such as tenses in western European languages ( O’Neill ) and aspect and case systems in the languages of central and eastern Europe ( Bermel ).

Studies of pragmatics examine amongst other things register variation and cross-cultural pragmatics ( Baumgarten ).

Sociolinguistics, Language and Identity

How do languages and the societies around them interact, and in particular how does language contributes to the creation and maintenance of national identity? Research in language policy and planning ( Baumgarten , Bermel , Horner ) looks at the ways in which language use and language varieties are officially and unofficially regulated in European societies both currently and historically, with studies of language and migration being an important extension of this.

Sociolinguistic research considers the way language practices are represented by linguistic communities ( Baumgarten , Horner ). Critical discourse analysis considers the relationships between language and the exercise and maintenance of power, including the study of the history of ideas and institutions ( Horner ).

Studies of language practice ( Baumgarten , Bermel ) examine individual and organisational multilingualism as well as the use of language in institutions and organisations, and with it the growing role of English as a lingua franca.

Language and its applications

Translation and cross-cultural communicative practice feature prominently in the School’s research and teaching. The School’s applied linguistics team ( Baumgarten , Hamaidia , Woodin ) examines issues in intercultural communication and tandem learning (Woodin), in meaning-making in screen translation ( Baumgarten , Hamaidia ), and in the theory-practice of translation and localisation ( Baumgarten ).

Other areas of research include organisational communication, language and technology, second language learning and multimodal discourse ( Baumgarten ).

Empirical linguistic methods

We believe the use of empirical data is central to extending our understanding of language. As part of this, an important strand of our work examines language as it is used; we do this through large-scale text databases called corpora and experiments with native speakers.

Researchers in corpus linguistics use general and specialised corpora to deduce patterns about usages and structures in language in morphological paradigms ( Bermel , O’Neill ).

We then test our model that is based on corpus data against the performance of native speakers. For this, we use a variety of experimental set-ups, including structured questionnaires ( Bermel , O’Neill ) and other tasks.

Current postgraduate research supervised in the School includes:

• Renaissance women’s correspondence: a historical pragmatic analysis of cases from the Orange-Nassau dynasty (Joshua Bengough-Smith)
• The politics of pedagogy in contemporary Spain: a language ideological study of Catalan and Valencian textbooks and didactic materials (Andrew Bradley)
• Language and the construction of Ladin identity in the northern Italian autonomous province of South Tyrol (Anthony Connor)
• Multilingual spaces in globalising times: investigating the impact of English on Luxembourg’s linguistic landscape (Cian Hurley)
• Repertoire and lived experience of language and education policies: narratives of primary school students in Luxembourg (Sarah Muller)

PhD graduates and their current affiliations:

• Morphological doublets in Croatian: A multi-methodological analysis (Dario Lečić, Croatian Science Foundation)
• Translation universals: A usage-based approach (Nina Szymor, Raspberry Pi)
• Do speakers build the categories linguists postulate? A usage-based exploration (Jarosław Jozefówski)
• A word-based approach to Russian derivational morphology with the suffix {+k(a)} (Fadhel Shalal, Foreign Service Institute, Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Language policy and Russian-titular bilingualism in post-Soviet Tatarstan (Teresa Wigglesworth-Baker, Sheffield Hallam University)
• Nahuatl contemporary writing: studying convergence in the absence of a written norm (Israel Escobar-Farfán, National Library of Mexico) 
• Conceptual equivalence and the EU multilingual discourse (Susan Holdsworth)
• Experiencing migration, language policy and citizenship 'from below': the case of Luxembourg (Joanna Kremer, École Privée Fieldgen, Luxembourg)
• Acquisition of the Dutch vowel system by native English learners of Dutch (Daniel Williams, Univ. of Potsdam/Univ. of Worcester); 
• Lexical changes in the Czech lands after Communism (Marie Sanders, Palacký University, Olomouc); 
• Phonetics and phonology in second language learning of German (Robert Mayr, Univ. of Cardiff); 
• Form and function of time-critical utterances in spontaneous spoken language (Torsten Müller, Ruhr-Universität Bochum); 
• Analysis of directing conversations in German radio-play productions (Andrea Milde, Kings College London); 
• Word meaning in intercultural conversations (Jane Woodin, Univ. of Sheffield); 
• Generic uses of pronouns in spoken German (Anna Linthe, Cambridge Univ. Press)
• Phonemic and morphological assimilation in the speech of Moravian incomers in Prague (James Wilson, Univ. of Leeds)

Related information

More research clusters

Our research

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Linguistics

• Entry year 2024 or 2025
• Duration Full time 3 - 4 years, Part time 4 - 7 years

Complete your PhD with world-leading experts in Linguistics and be part of a thriving department that is ranked 3rd in the world for Linguistics (QS world rankings 2024).

We welcome proposals for doctoral research across any area of linguistics that falls within our expertise. These include but are not limited to:

• Cognitive Linguistics
• Corpus Linguistics
• Critical Discourse Analysis
• First Language Acquisition
• Forensic Linguistics
• Historical/Diachronic Linguistics
• Language Testing
• Linguistic Typology
• Literacy Studies
• Phonetics and Phonology
• Psycholinguistic
• Sociolinguistics
• Speech Science and Technology
• Second Language Learning and Teaching

If you pursue doctoral research in linguistics at Lancaster you will join a research-intensive department with a large community of doctoral students and a number of different research groups. This provides a rich, stimulating and supportive environment in which to conduct your research with lots of opportunities to share your research with others. The department also hosts an annual postgraduate conference in Linguistics and Language Teaching.

You will work independently under the guidance of one or more supervisors or as part of a team. You may also benefit from additional research methods and academic skills training provided by the faculty Research Training Programme (offered on-site and by distance learning).

You will be fully supported throughout your studies as you move through key milestones in the PhD process.

• Option to study full time (36 months) or part time (48 months)
• Study on campus in Lancaster or by distance
• Opportunity to undertake additional research methods and academic skills training provided by the faculty Research Training Programme
• Submit in traditional or alternative (by research article) format

Your department

• Linguistics and English Language Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Entry requirements

Academic requirements.

Master's degree (UK or equivalent) in a subject relevant to the proposed research, with an average of at least 60% for UK MAs.

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Applied Linguistics or a related subject, for example Linguistics, Foreign Languages, Education.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

Additional Requirements

As part of your application you will also need to provide a viable research proposal. Guidance for writing a research proposal can be found on the department's PhD study page.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.5 in reading and writing and 6.0 in listening and speaking. We also consider other English language qualifications .

We do not offer pre-sessional English language programmes for this programme.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email [email protected]

Fees and funding

General fees and funding information

Additional fees and funding information accordion

There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.

Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.

College fees

Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.

For students starting in 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.

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To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.

The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.

For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.

For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.

The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status .

If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years .

Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities .

We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries .

Similar courses

Linguistics and tesol.

• Applied Linguistics and TESOL MA
• Corpus Linguistics (Distance) MA
• Corpus Linguistics (Distance) PgCert
• Discourse Studies MA
• Forensic Linguistics and Speech Science MSc
• Intercultural Communication MA
• Language and Linguistics MA
• Language Testing (Distance) MA
• Language Testing (Distance) PgCert
• Linguistics (by thesis and coursework) PhD
• TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) (Distance) PgCert
• TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) with Corpus Linguistics (Distance) MA
• TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) with Language Testing (Distance) MA

Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information .

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MAAL7001 Applied corpus linguistics

• Curriculum Structure
• Graduates’ Testimonials
• Fees and Scholarships

COURSE TEACHER : Dr.  Lisa Cheung Email:  [email protected]    

Corpus linguistics allows us to see how language is used today and in different contexts, enabling us to teach language more effectively. By introducing the principles of corpus linguistics, this course will help students to understand various corpus approaches and tools that can be applied to language teaching and learning. 

The practical focus of the course encourages students to consider how to construct, annotate and derive statistical trends from large collections of both native and learner language data, either currently existing collections or of the student’s own collection. Students will receive hands-on training in corpus building and annotation software, and learn about automated techniques for dealing with large data. There will also be a focus on how corpora can be used in the English language classroom for the purposes of data-driven learning.  

This course introduces students to a variety of applications of corpus linguistics, including phraseology, lexicogrammar,  register, English for Specific Purpose, and curriculum design.  

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES   

By the end of the course, students will be expected to:  

• Understand the basic principles of corpus linguistics;
• Understand and evaluate current trends in applied corpus research;  
• Develop the methodological capabilities to conduct small to large scale corpus research projects using existing and self-built corpora; and  
• Identify and test how and when language corpora can be used for pedagogical purposes.  

SCHEDULE   

KEY REFERENCES   

Core Reading

Hunston , S. (2002).  Corpora in applied linguistics . Cambridge University Press.  

Suggested Readings  

Anderson, W. & Corbett, J. (2009).  Explaining English with online corpora: an introduction . China: Palgrave.  

McEnery, T., Xiao, R. &  Tono , Y. (2006).  Corpus-based language studies: An advanced resource book . Routledge.  

O’Keeffe, A., McCarthy, M., & Carter, R. (2007).  From corpus to classroom.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  

Teubert , W., &  Cermakova , A. (2004).  Corpus linguistics: A short introduction . London.  New York: Continuum.  

ASSESSMENT  

You have to submit a  2500-word  written assignment (individual).

An assignment on a topic negotiated with the course teacher which will be related to the planning for and the integration of corpus in a language teaching context. The corpus-based materials shall be included in appendices.

Produce a small-scale research project to build, annotate and extract meaningful results from a self-built corpus (e.g. a corpus of your students’ written essays) or an existing corpus (e.g. a publicly accessible corpus like BNC). The assignment will be an analytical discussion of the corpus findings in relation to lexis, grammar, phraseology, or register/discourse.