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In addition to Faculties of Graduate Studies and Arts requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Arts
a) Significant undergraduate training in linguistics, normally including at least one course in syntax and one course in phonology;

b) A statement of purpose specifying the applicant’s research interests and reasons for wishing to pursue a Master of Arts degree at the University of Calgary;

c) A sample of previous work in linguistics or a related field (e.g., an Honours undergraduate thesis, or a course paper);

d) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum IELTS score of 7.0; OR a minimum TOEFL score of 560 (written test), 83 (internet-based test); OR a minimum score of 550 (written test), 80 (internet-based test) AND  a minimum score of 5.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE); OR a MELAB score of 81; OR a PTE score of 59;

e) Three reference letters.

Doctor of Philosophy
a) A Master’s degree in linguistics, or a Master’s degree in a related field with significant training in linguistics at the graduate level, normally including at least one graduate course in syntax and one graduate course in phonology, with a minimum grade point average of 3.40 on a four-point scale;

b) A statement of purpose specifying the applicant’s research interests and reasons for wishing to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Calgary;

c) A sample of previous work in linguistics or a related field (e.g., a seminar paper or Master of Arts thesis);

d) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum IELTS score of 7.0; OR a minimum TOEFL score of 560 (written test), 83 (internet-based test); OR a minimum score of 550 (written test), 80 (internet-based test) AND  a minimum score of 5.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE); OR a MELAB score of 81; OR a PTE score of 59;

e) Three reference letters.

In addition to the Faculties of Graduate Studies and Arts requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Arts
a) A departmental presentation relating to the student's thesis research. Continuation in program is dependent upon this presentation being judged acceptable by the faculty members of the Linguistics Department;

b) A minimum of six half-course equivalents, including Linguistics 611, 613 and 697;

c) Linguistics 600;

d) A demonstrated knowledge of a language other than English. This requirement can be met in the following ways:

• having received credit for one full course equivalent in a language other than English at the undergraduate level
• Note: This may include field methods courses and/or courses on the structure of the language offered in the Department of Linguistics.
• demonstrating a native or near native ability in a language other than English
• demonstrating a strong reading knowledge of a language other than English

Doctor of Philosophy
a) Completion of six half-course equivalents in Linguistics beyond the MA, including Linguistics 711 and 713. Course requirements are normally completed during the first two years;

Note:  No more than two half courses can be taken with the same instructor.

b) Linguistics 600 and 797;

c) Either a knowledge of two languages other than English, or one language other than English and one research tool. This requirement can be met by fulfilling two of the following three possibilities, subject to approval by the supervisor:

i. A reading knowledge of a commonly used world language. Acceptable languages for the reading language requirement are those in which a significant body of writing pertaining to theoretical linguistics exists. Such languages include, but are not limited to, French, German, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese. This requirement can be met in the following ways: *

• successful completion of at least one full-course equivalent at the senior level in the language;
• satisfactory performance in an examination given within this Department or evidence of past schooling in which this was the language of instruction.

ii. A working knowledge of a second language. Acceptable languages for the working knowledge requirement include all non-Indo-European languages and all lesser studied Indo-European languages. This requirement can be met in the following ways: *

• successful completion of a graduate level course on the structure of the language;
• successful completion of at least one full-course equivalent at the senior level in the language;
• a demonstrated ability to conduct field work with bilingual speakers of the language;
• satisfactory performance in an examination given within this Department;
• evidence of past schooling in which a less-commonly used language was the language of instruction.

iii. A working knowledge of statistics and experimental design. This requirement can be met by passing one graduate-level half course pre-approved by the department (for example, Psychology 615 or 617).*

*It is the responsibility of the student to supply evidence that course work in a language and/or in statistics and experimental design at another university meets these requirements.

Master of Arts
A student is assigned an interim advisor (in most cases the Departmental Graduate Director) when first registering in the program. Students must choose a thesis supervisor by the end of the second term of study (usually April). Selection of a supervisor should be by mutual agreement between the student and the faculty member concerned, in consultation with the Graduate Director. It is normal practice for the student to approach an appropriate faculty member about thesis or program supervision, rather than vice versa. In cases where the student is unsure of how to select a supervisor, the help of the Graduate Director, the Department Head, or another professor should be sought.

Doctor of Philosophy
Selection of a supervisor should be by mutual agreement between the student and the faculty member concerned, in consultation with the Graduate Director.
Students are strongly advised to finalize their choice by the end of the second term of study, and must do so no later than the second annual registration. It is normal practice for the student to approach an appropriate faculty member about dissertation or program supervision, rather than vice versa. In cases where the student is unsure of how to select a supervisor, the help of the Graduate Director, the Department Head, or another professor should be sought.

The supervisory committee should be constituted in consultation with the student and will normally consist of the supervisor and two members recommended by the Department Head, and approved by the Graduate Director. One of the two members of this committee may be external to the department. It is desirable to have at least one committee member with supervisory experience at the doctoral level. The supervisory committee must be submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies no later than three months after the appointment of the supervisor.

A doctoral student is required to take the Candidacy Examination after completion of all course work, normally within 20 months of their entry into the program. Doctoral candidacy examinations have a written and an oral component. The written candidacy examination consists of an original research paper in the student’s research area, and the student’s portfolio which consists of final papers from 3 of the 6 required courses (papers are chosen by the student in consultation with supervisor), their current CV, and presentations and publications (if any). The oral examination questions will be based on the original research paper and the student’s portfolio papers.

Doctor of Philosophy
Students in the doctoral program must submit a written thesis proposal to their supervisory committee within twenty-eight months of the first registration, but not before the student has passed his/her oral candidacy examination. The body of the proposal (excluding bibliographic references) must not exceed ten pages in length.