Linguistics Ph.D.
Pursue a doctoral degree in linguistics
The Ph.D. program in linguistics was established at the University of Delaware in 1985. Its mission is to provide students with the intellectual ability to understand, create, integrate and apply sophisticated, discipline-specific knowledge. It is designed to furnish students with a solid background in theoretical linguistics as well as to direct them to advanced study in the program's major specializations. Discipline sub-areas include theoretical, experimental and applied linguistics.
Graduate Education Goals
The department is committed to helping students develop their capacity to:
- Identify and investigate substantive research questions in various subfields of Linguistics;
- Critically evaluate previous research, including the use of linguistic data, analytic methods, and theories of language and mind in the work of other scientists;
- Employ appropriate research methods to present, analyze, and articulate research results in the area of concentration;
- Possess the ability to disseminate knowledge in the area of specialization, by writing articles for peer reviewed journals and presenting work at major conferences.
Research Expectations
Ph.D. students are expected to learn the intellectual system that underlies research in all fields of linguistics. The faculty encourage students to engage in original, innovative research by:
- Taking required courses on the core areas of linguistics, such as syntax, phonology, and semantics.
- Engaging with advanced seminars and participating in departmental groups that present student and faculty research.
- Combining core areas with specializations in experimental psycholinguistics, language acquisition, philosophy of mind, the description and documentation of endangered and underdescribed languages, and computational linguistics.
Advisement
Ph.D. students are assigned a temporary advisor, typically the graduate director, when they enter the program. They are free to change advisors at any time but must inform department staff of the change. The departmental committee on graduate studies will continue to monitor students' progress throughout their program of study.
Assistantships and Fellowships
Assistantships and fellowships at the University of Delaware consist of full tuition plus a stipend. Renewal of funding packages each year depends on satisfactory progress toward the degree.
Stipends and Tuition Scholarships
The Graduate College at the University of Delaware is responsible for policies related to the implementation of stipends and tuition scholarships.
For more information about assistantships, fellowships, stipends and tuition scholarships, visit the Graduate College's page on funding opportunities.
Travel Support
Graduate students may apply for travel awards from the Graduate College, which are funded by the Office of the Provost. You MUST list Alaina Norvell (anorvell@udel.edu) as the department contact on the application form to avoid delays in reimbursement.
Visit the Graduate College's Emergency Support page for resources available to students experiencing financial hardships or mental health issues.
Program Requirements
Advanced Seminars
Both before and after advancement to candidacy, all students are expected to participate in advanced courses and research forums. Specifically, all students who have not yet advanced to candidacy are required to enroll in at least one advanced seminar at the 3-credit level per semester; all students who have advanced to candidacy and are in sustaining status are encouraged to attend one or more advanced seminars each semester. All students are expected to participate in department-level research forums (e.g., departmental colloquia, seminars, and brown bags), as well as lab meetings in their area of specialization.
Students are required to submit two qualifying papers that are judged to be substantial and meet professional standards of scholarship by the qualifying paper committee, which consists of the primary advisor for the paper and a second reader. The two papers must be in distinct areas of linguistics, and no faculty member can serve as the primary advisor for both papers.
Students are required to submit two qualifying papers that are judged to be substantial and meet professional standards of scholarship by the qualifying paper committee, which consists of the primary advisor for the paper and a second reader. The two papers must be in distinct areas of linguistics, and no faculty member can serve as the primary advisor for both papers. When a QP is completed, the student must pass a closed oral defense with their QP advisor and second reader. The defense includes a conference-style oral presentation of the paper (approx. 20 minutes) by the student, followed by Q&A and discussion (approx. 20 minutes). The advisor must certify to the Director of Graduate Studies that the QP has been passed. Students who are funded by LCS should complete the first Qualifying Paper by the end of the fall semester of the third year. The second Qualifying Paper must be completed by the end of the fall semester of the fourth year.
The final requirement for admission to candidacy is the acceptance of the Dissertation Prospectus. Each student must choose a dissertation director, form a dissertation committee, and submit a Dissertation Prospectus for approval. The dissertation director must hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science. There must be at least three other members, chosen by the student, that are acceptable to the dissertation director, one of whom must be outside the student's major area. In order to receive LCS funding for the fifth and final year of their Ph.D. studies, students must complete the dissertation prospectus by the end of the spring semester of the fourth year in the program.
Course papers may be submitted as a qualifying paper, but a grade of A in a course does not imply that the paper is acceptable as a qualifying paper.
The final requirement for admission to candidacy is the acceptance of the Dissertation Prospectus. By the end of the Spring semester of their fourth year, each student must choose a dissertation director, form a dissertation committee, and submit a Dissertation Prospectus for approval. The dissertation director must hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science. There must be at least three other members, chosen by the student, that are acceptable to the dissertation director, one of whom must be outside the student's major area. Further information about the composition of dissertation committees can be found in the Graduate Catalog.
The dissertation committee will meet with the student to examine the proposal and the qualifications of the student to carry out the proposed research. The results of this review will be acceptance into candidacy or a re-examination to be held at a later date to be determined by the dissertation director. The committee may also require further course work if deficiencies are found.
Students whose research proposals involve human volunteers must comply with all University and governmental requirements, including obtaining human subjects approval from the University's Office of the Vice Provost for Research. In order to receive LCS funding for the fifth and final year of their Ph.D. studies, students must complete the dissertation prospectus by the end of the spring semester of the fourth year in the program.
Registration Requirements prior to Doctoral Candidacy
Once the student has registered for all course requirements in a program of study but has not yet met all of the stipulations for passing into candidacy, the student must maintain registration during the fall and spring semesters in course(s) or in three to twelve credits of Pre-Candidacy Study (LING964). Pre-Candidacy Study is graded pass/fail. If the student registered in Pre-Candidacy Study is admitted to candidacy before the end of the free drop/add period of the next semester, the registration in Pre-Candidacy Study (LING964) for the preceding semester may be changed to the course, Doctoral Dissertation (LING969). Students who hold a graduate assistantship or tuition scholarship must be registered for a minimum of six graduate credits, and those holding a fellowship must be registered for a minimum of nine graduate credits. Students should enroll in nine credits of Pre-Candidacy Study (LING964) during the semester in which they will defend their dissertation prospectus. If the prospectus defense is passed by the add/drop date of the following semester, then these credits may be converted to Doctoral Dissertations credits (LING969), which will allow the student to move to sustaining status.
Registration Requirements after Admission to Candidacy
Once a student has met all of the stipulations for candidacy and becomes classified in candidacy, the student is required to register in nine credits of Doctoral Dissertation (LING969). Students may not register for Doctoral Dissertation (LING969) until they are admitted to candidacy. Registration in Doctoral Dissertation (LING969) and Doctoral Sustaining (999) is restricted to students with candidacy. Once the student has registered in nine credits of Doctoral Dissertation, the student is required to maintain matriculation in the doctoral program by registering in Doctoral Sustaining (UNIV999) in subsequent semesters until the degree is awarded. All students must be registered in the term in which the degree is officially awarded. Sustaining registration is required in summer or winter session only if the degree is awarded at the conclusion of the summer or winter session.
A student who has advanced to candidacy has completed all of the requirements for the Ph.D. apart from the dissertation. Once a student has advanced to candidacy and completed the minimum number of dissertation credits, it is possible to enroll with 'sustaining' status. In order to advance to candidacy, all of the requirements listed above must be completed.
As part of the Ph.D. requirements, students must also complete nine credits of dissertation research. Nine credits of pre-candidacy study may also count towards satisfying this requirement, provided that they are taken no earlier than the full semester immediately preceding advancement to candidacy.
Students who have completed all of the above requirements are allowed to write the dissertation. The dissertation director has the responsibility of distributing the dissertation to the readers in ample time for the dissertation to be read adequately; the director also must see to it that the dissertation committee meet when necessary as a group to discuss the progress of the dissertation. The committee is to administer a final oral defense of the dissertation. Certification of successful defense is then submitted to the Graduate College of the University.
In addition to the academic progress policy guidelines of the Graduate College at UD, the graduate committee closely evaluates students' progress each semester, based on the students' performance in classes, timely satisfaction of program requirements, performance as teaching or research assistants (if applicable), conference presentations, publications, and other qualitative factors that demonstrate progress towards successful research and scholarship.
Students taking the basic courses specified above (Advanced Syntax, Advanced Phonology, Language and Cognition, Experimental Linguistics) are evaluated twice a semester, at midterm and at the end of the semester. The instructor reports midterm and final grades to the director of graduate studies. Students must receive a minimum grade of B in each of these courses. If a student receives a grade below a B in any of these courses, their case is evaluated by the graduate committee within two weeks of final grades being posted. The graduate committee will decide on one of two remedies: (1) The student will be immediately dismissed from the program. (2) The student will be allowed to move on in the program, but will be considered to be on probation during the next semester. All requirements and deadlines must be met by a student on probation or they will be subject to dismissal at the end of the semester. If all requirements and deadlines for that semester are met they will be removed from probation and will be in good academic standing again.
When the graduate committee finds a student's performance less than satisfactory, the student will receive a letter stating the reasons for the concern and what the student must do to improve performance. Lack of sufficient improvement / progress after two or more warning letters may result in discontinuation of the student's funding or dismissal from the program.
As described under individual requirements above, students who do not successfully complete any of the requirements may be terminated from the program. Students can grieve termination for failure by a written application to the committee on graduate studies within 14 days of notification of failure.
Financial Aid
The Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science offers a small number of teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships, and/or research assistantships to Ph.D. students. The awards are granted to full-time students, normally for five years (the amount of time a full-time student needs to complete the Ph.D.), and are renewed each year based on satisfactory progress in the program.
Students funded by the department normally work as TAs/graders for undergraduate courses or RAs in a lab setting. The Linguistics Department therefore requires that first-year students whose native language is not English successfully complete the University's ITA program and pass the UDIA and the University's Speak Test with a score of 45. The ITA program is administered in August and January; we strongly advise students to complete it in August. Students must score 50 or higher on the Speak Test by the start of their second semester and need to establish proof of their English proficiency by retaking the University UDIA and SPEAK tests, scoring 250 and 55, respectively by the start of their second year, or they will not continue to receive funding.
Students who are appointed as TAs on a nine-month contract are expected to work an average of 20 hours per week, except during official university holiday breaks (Dec 22 to Jan 2/3) and the week of spring break. All other absences from campus (for example, extended absences during the winter term) have to be approved by the departmental committee on graduate studies.
Students on TA contracts are evaluated at the end of each semester by the Director of Graduate Studies; students on RA contracts are evaluated by their research supervisor. Evaluations have to be forwarded to the Director of Graduate Studies and the Department Chair. TA and RA support can be discontinued if the evaluations are not satisfactory.
