Graduate Program

PhD in Linguistics

At Rochester, cross-disciplinary, collaborative research is strongly encouraged. The faculty in the Department of Linguistics are grounded in the traditional fields of formal linguistics, employing empirical methodologies to examine data and topics in experimental syntax, semantics, pragmatics, phonetics, laboratory phonology, and morphology in collaboration with researchers across departments and programs. Our work incorporates contemporary issues and practices in language documentation, corpus linguistics, dialect variation and psycholinguistics.

Currently, PhD students in the Department of Linguistics receive a full tuition waiver, health insurance, and an annual living expenses stipend of $28,000.

Interdisciplinary engagement

Linguistics is a core member of Rochester's Center for Language Sciences, which is an interdisciplinary center supporting research and training in natural language that brings together faculty and students with interests in spoken and signed languages across departments and programs. Many of our students have benefited from engaging in interdisciplinary work with other departments at the University of Rochester. These departments include computer science, philosophy, biomedical engineering, and brain and cognitive sciences, and might include diverse fields such as anthropology or music theory at the Eastman School of Music. At Rochester, cross-disciplinary collaborative work is the norm.

The PhD Handbook in Linguistics

A description of the PhD program, the requirements for the program, a list of graduate courses, a timeline, and two sample schedules are found in the downloadable PhD Handbook. If you have any more questions, please contact Maya Ravindranath Abtahian, Director of Graduate Studies.

For information about linguistics faculty and their research, visit their web pages:

• Maya Ravindranath Abtahian
• Ash Asudeh
• C.M. Downey
• Nadine Grimm
• Scott Grimm
• Joyce McDonough
• Asia Pietraszko
• Aaron White

Learning Outcomes

We expect PhD students in the Department of Linguistics to have gained the following outcomes by the completion of their program:

• High proficiency in core knowledge of linguistics
• High proficiency in their area of specialization
• High proficiency in research and scholarship
• High proficiency in communication of research results (oral and written)

Program Requirements

The PhD in Linguistics program is a 90-credit program designed to be completed in five years.

Students pursuing a PhD in Linguistics will complete 48 credit hours of foundational coursework during the first three years, complete two qualifying papers, one in year two and one in year three, serve as a teaching assistant twice throughout the program, and successfully defend a dissertation in the final year.

Students should bear in mind that they should strive to become research active sooner than later, and that following the completion of 48 credit hours of foundational coursework, the remaining 42 credit hours can be any mixture of elective courses and/or research credits.

Required Courses

PhD students must take at least eight foundational courses, listed below, and four elective courses, including at least one seminar, for a total of twelve core courses, or 48 credit hours. View the linguistics course catalog for a full and updated list of course offerings.