Overview

Our goal is to help students reach a level of preparation suitable for the pursuit of more advanced work in linguistics, or in allied fields with a commitment to the study of language. Many students who complete the MA degree will go on to PhD programs in these areas, while others will instead pursue careers in fields such as speech and language technologies or education, among others. Our program has particular strength in the areas of theoretical syntax and semantics, experimental phonetics and phonology, and language acquisition. Additional areas of focus include language documentation and field linguistics, language change and variation, pragmatics and information status, prosody, Romance linguistics, and sign language linguistics.

Key facts

The MA program in Linguistics at Boston University is designed to be completed in one year, though students wishing to complete a major independent research project, akin to a thesis or capstone project, may wish to consider spending three or four semesters in the program instead. The program is appropriate both for students with a limited background in linguistics, and for those holding an undergraduate degree in the field. Entering students must have completed an introductory class in linguistics (e.g., CAS LX 250 at BU). Students who do not have a sufficient background in linguistics must pass an examination or make up the deficiency through coursework prior to entry or during the first semester. Such coursework will not be counted toward the master’s degree requirements.

All students pursuing an MA in Linguistics are required to demonstrate graduate-level reading proficiency in a foreign language prior to completion of the degree. Language proficiency can be demonstrated through a language examination, successful completion of a non-credit graduate-level foreign language reading course offered by Boston University, or the equivalent of two years of undergraduate study of the language at Boston University.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Phonological Analysis

Syntax: Modeling Syntactic Knowledge

Semantics: The Grammatical Construction of Meaning

Linguistics

Phonetics
Languages of the World

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-09-02 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-03-15 00:00:00

Language

English

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Credits

32 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Boston, United States

Disciplines

Linguistics View 219 other Masters in Linguistics in United States

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Academic requirements

GRE^®

Required

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

125

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

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IELTS

Prepare for Your English Test

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98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

National

Transcripts

Three academic recommendations

Curriculum Vitae

Writing Sample

Personal statement/statement of purpose

International

Certified English translations of all transcripts and academic records.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

66670 USD / year

≈ 66670 USD / year
Out-of-State

66670 USD / year

≈ 66670 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

66670 USD / year

≈ 66670 USD / year

Living costs

Boston

United States

1560 - 3239 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Financing

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Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Linguistics.

Available Scholarships

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On this page

About

Overview

Key facts

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Boston

Financing

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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