University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Home > Programs > Ph.D. Program

A Brief Description for the Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program has been revised to strengthen its curriculum by offering all candidates a small common set of core courses, and by providing them seven carefully constructed and enriched areas of sub-specialization in the field comprising, as indicated under the M.A.: computational linguistics, historical linguistics, phonology/phonetics, psycholinguistics /neurolinguistics, semantics/ pragmatics, socio-linguistics, and syntax. Students are required to take at least two required courses in their area of specialization in addition to the core courses.

The Ph.D. Course Requirements are as follows:

A. Core courses (each course 1 unit)

1. LING 504: Practicum
2. LING 516: Field Methods

Choose one course: (each course 1 unit)
3.  a. LING 407: Introduction to Mathematical Linguistics
     b. [Statistics]: an appropriate course in Social Statistics

B. Areas of Specialization

(* indicates required courses):

Candidates specializing in a particular area must take at least 2 required courses in the area specialization or a combination of such courses across specialization upon the approval the faculty advisor.

1. CS 400: Data structures for Non-Computer Majors
2. *LING 406: Introduction to Computational Linguistics
3. CS 421: Programming Languages & Compilers
4. CS 440: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
5. LING 486: Computer-Based Foreign Language Teaching
6. LING 591: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis [relevant section]
7. *LING 506: Topics in Computational Linguistics

1. LING 409: Introduction to Indo-European Linguistics
2. LING 410: Historical Linguistics
3. *LING 550: Sociolinguistics, II
4. LING 591-B: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis [relevant section ]
5. *LING 518: Sociolinguistic Methodology
6. *LING 583: Topics in Historical Linguistics

1. LING 401: Introduction to General Phonetics
2. LING 502: Phonology, I
3. *LING 591: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis [relevant section]
4. (*)LING 520: Acoustic Phonetics
5. LING 522: Articulatory Phonetics
6. LING 542: Phonology, II
7. *LING 582: Current Topics in Phonological Theory

1. PSYCH/LING 423: Language Acquisition
2. LING/PSYCH 425:Introduction to Psycholinguistics
3. PSYCH/LING 427:Language and the Brain
4. LING 435: Neurolinguistic Aspects of Bilingualism
5. PSYCH/LING 524: Developmental Psycholinguistics
6. PSYCH/LING 525: Psycholinguistics
7. PSYCH/LING 529:Second Language Acquisition & Bilingualism
8. LING 535: Seminar in Neurolinguistic Aspects of Bilingualism
9. LING 560: Seminar in Bilingualism
10. PSYCH/LING 570: Proseminar in Cognitive Science

1. *LING 407: Introduction to Mathematical Linguistics
2. LING 509: Cognitive Semantics
3. *LING 591-E: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis [Topics to be specified]
4. LING 507: Formal Semantics, I
5. *LING 551: Pragmatics
6. LING 547: Formal Semantics, II

1. LING 405: Introduction to Applied Linguistics
2. RELST/LING 429: Language of Religion
3. *LING 450: Sociolinguistics, I
4. *LING 550: Sociolinguistics, II
5. ANTH/LING 470: Mind, Culture, & Society
6. LING 591: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis [relevant section]
7. LING 515: Topics in Applied Linguistics
8. *LING 518: Sociolinguistic Methodology
9. LING 555: Sociolinguistics of World Englishes
10. LING 560: Seminar on Bilingualism
11. *LING 587: Topics in Sociolinguistics

1. *LING 407: Introduction to Mathematical Linguistics
2. LING 501: Syntax, I
3. *LING 591: Seminar in Linguistic Analysis [relevant section]
4. LING 504: Practicum
5. LING 541: Syntax, II
6. (1) *LING 507: Formal Semantics, I
7. (2) LING 547: Formal Semantics, II
8. (3) LING 509: Cognitive Semantics
9. (4) LING 551: Pragmatics
10. *LING 581: Topics in Syntactic Theory

C. Other Requirements

  1. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must earn at least 16 units of graduate work beyond the 10 units required for the M.A., including 8 units of Linguistics 599 (thesis research).
  2. All Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate proficiency in a language that is neither their native tongue nor the same language that satisfied the foreign language requirement for the M.A. degree.
  3. Candidates must pass the Preliminary Examination consisting of two parts: a written examination and an oral examination in which the thesis proposal is reviewed by the committee. Effective from the fall semester of 2004, there is a big change in the Qualifying Exam requirements. Please refer to the Qualifying Exam Guidelines.
  4. Candidates must present and pass the Final Ph.D. Thesis Defense.

D. Areas of Sub-specialization: Area Linguistics

Candidates may include in their specialization courses from the following areas of sub-specialization that are available within the Department and/or from cooperating departments:

1. LING 404: Tutorials in non-western languages [relevant section]
2. LING 412: Language in African Cultures & Societies
3. LING 420: Introduction to African Linguistics
4. LING 465: Introduction to Bantu Syntax
5. LING 469: Introduction to Semitic Linguistics
6. LING 510: Topics in African Linguistics

1. LING 430: Introduction to East Asian Linguistics
2. EALC 550: Seminar in East Asian Languages & Cultures

1. FR/LING 416: Structure of the French Language
2. ITAL 450: Italian Syntax and Phonology
3. SPAN 350: Introduction to Spanish Linguistics
4. SPAN 552: Spanish Syntax
5. SPAN 550: Spanish Phonology
6. SPN/FR/ITAL 556: Introduction to Romance Linguistics
7. SPAN 554: History of the Spanish Language
8. FR 529: Studies in French Linguistics
9. ITAL 550: Seminar in Italian Linguistics
10. SPAN 558: Seminar in Spanish Synchronic Linguistics
11. PORT 550: Seminar in Portuguese Linguistics
12. FR/ITAL/PORT 559:Seminar in Romance Linguistics
13. SPAN 588: Seminar in Second Language Learning
14. FR 581: Seminar in Linguistics and Psychological foundations of Language Teaching

Last update: 01/31/2007 © UIUC Linguistics