Linguistics and English
as a Second Language

Master’s Degree Programs

Graduate opportunities

By majoring in Linguistics or English as a Second Language (ESL) at the University of North Texas, you immerse yourself in studying language structure, theory and application.

The Department of Linguistics and Technical Communication offers course work leading to a Master of Arts degree in Linguistics or English as a Second Language. We also offer course work leading to a Graduate Academic Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

No matter your degree focus, we encourage our students to take a variety of linguistics, English as a second language and technical communication courses and seek new synergies between these distinct yet interrelated fields.

You’ll work closely with professors who are published scholars and consultants with national and international reputations. They are uniquely qualified not only across the core areas of linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics) but also in their various specializations.

You will receive the kind of personal attention, mentoring and support that has invariably resulted in successful careers in ESL or subsequent placement into high caliber Ph.D. programs.

Attending UNT

Admission requirements

Applicants to the M.A. programs complete two steps. You must meet the general admission requirements for the Toulouse Graduate School and submit the following:

• Curriculum vitae or résumé
• 300- to 500-word personal statement describing your interests, career plans and purpose for working toward an M.A.

The GRE scores of accepted applicants range from the 50th to the 99th percentile on the verbal section and from 4.0 to 6.0 on the analytical writing section. If your native language is not English, you must also submit a TOEFL exam score.

The admission requirements for the graduate school are outlined at catalog.unt.edu. An application checklist for our programs is at ltc.unt.edu/graduat.

Degree requirements

Master of Arts in Linguistics Option I:
36 credit hours with thesis

• 6 credit hours of required courses
• 24 credit hours of elective linguistics courses
• Master’s thesis (fulfilled with 6 credit hours of LING 5950)
• Thesis defense
• Written comprehensive exam

Option II: 36 credit hours with scholarly papers

• 6 credit hours of required courses
• 24 credit hours of elective linguistics courses
• Two original scholarly papers on different topics (fulfilled with 6 credit hours of LING 5920 and LING 5930)
• Defense of each paper
• Written comprehensive exam

Option III: 36 credit hours with written exam

• 6 credit hours of required courses
• 30 credit hours of elective linguistics courses
• Written comprehensive exam

Master of Arts in ESL
Option I: 36 credit hours with thesis

• 18 credit hours of required courses
• 12 credit hours of elective linguistics courses
• Master’s thesis (fulfilled with 6 credit hours of LING 5950)
• Thesis defense
• Written comprehensive exam

Option II: 36 credit hours with scholarly papers

• 18 credit hours of required course
• 12 credit hours of elective linguistics courses
• Two original scholarly papers on different topics (fulfilled with 6 credit hours of LING 5920 and LING 5930)
• Defense of each paper
• Written comprehensive exam

Option III: 36 credit hours with written exam

• 18 credit hours of required courses
• 18 credit hours of elective linguistics courses
• Written comprehensive exam

TESOL Certificate Program

The Graduate Academic Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) provides basic background and skills for teachers of English as a second or foreign language. It requires four courses consisting of 160 student-teacher contact hours, including at least 40 contact hours of practicum. If you earn the certificate and then decide to further your education, all of the 5000-level courses will count toward the M.A. in ESL or Linguistics. The GRE is not required for admission into the certificate program, but the TOEFL is required for all international students. Please note that this program does not lead to certification for Texas public schools.

Financial assistance

Beginning full-time students who meet all qualifications may apply for an academic assistantship with the department. Those who have completed 18 graduate hours in an area offered by the department may apply for a teaching fellowship. Call 940-565-4458 to request an application for these positions.

For more information about employment opportunities, visit ltc.unt.edu/general-information. Information about other scholarship and financial aid opportunities is at financialaid.unt.edu.