Ph.D. in Linguistics
Gallaudet's Ph.D. program in linguistics, with a focus on ASL and other signed languages, gives students the opportunity to specialize in a range of theoretical and applied areas related to signed languages, including phonology, syntax, morphology, cognitive linguistics, sociolinguistics, first and second language acquisition, applied and engaged linguistics, multimodality, and language documentation.
Students who enter the Ph.D. program in linguistics with an M.A. in linguistics from Gallaudet University are required to earn an additional 33 credits to complete the Ph.D. in linguistics, followed by dissertation proposal development and dissertation research among other program requirements.
Students who have earned an M.A. degree from another program or university are also eligible for admission to the Ph.D. program in linguistics. These students are required to earn 59 credits to complete the LIN Ph.D., followed by dissertation proposal development and dissertation research among other program requirements. Although these students are not typically awarded an incidental M.A. on the way to the Ph.D. degree, this option is available upon successful completion of the entire MA in linguistics program of study, which includes 5 additional (3-credit) elective courses.
Program of Study
Students who enter the LIN Ph.D. program with a Gallaudet LIN M.A. are required to have a minimum of 36 credits to complete the LIN Ph.D. followed by dissertation research. For these students, the doctoral curriculum consists of a total of 77 credits of coursework plus dissertation research. This means that those who have taken the 41 credits required by the M.A. curriculum must complete another 36 credits of advanced linguistics courses.
Students who enter the LIN Ph.D. program without a Gallaudet LIN M.A. are required to have a minimum of 62 credits to complete the LIN Ph.D., followed by dissertation research. This includes 22 credits of core courses to be taken in the first year, plus 4 credits to be taken in the second year. These students must also successfully complete the Qualifying Exam and Compendium, in addition to other Ph.D. program requirements.
All students must complete the following advanced courses, totaling 24 credit hours: Sociolinguistics in Deaf Communities (LIN 741), Guided Research Project (LIN 880, taken twice), Phonology III (LIN 801), Generative Linguistics III (LIN 802), Cognitive Linguistics III (LIN 827), Concept Paper (LIN 883) and Dissertation Proposal Development (LIN 890). An additional 12 credits of elective courses must also be completed, to be chosen by the student in consultation with the student's advisor. These courses should focus on aspects of linguistic theory, application, or research related to the student's professional or academic goals. Some electives may also be taken through the Consortium of Colleges and Universities.
Guided Research Project (LIN 883) and GRP Presentation
Guided Research Project (GRP) LIN 880, 2 semesters. Students design and conduct an independent research project under the guidance of their dissertation advisor. Course requirements include a final paper and the following components, as applicable: development of an appropriate research plan, completion of the IRB human subjects review, and collection and analysis of data. The GRP typically is related to the student's dissertation topic, but is not required to be. The work done in the GRP is intended to lead to the independence necessary to complete dissertation research. Successful completion of LIN 880 is a prerequisite for LIN 883: Concept Paper. LIN 880 is typically taken during the first and second semesters of the first year.
Students are required to give a presentation on their GRP research. This is a formal presentation, similar to what would be given at a professional conference. It is to be 20 minutes in length with 10 minutes for discussion and/or Q/A. Faculty evaluate the presentation in areas of content, presentation, and language use. Students will receive feedback from the faculty. This is one of three presentations required. Successful completion of the GRP presentation is required to continue in the Ph.D. program.
Concept Paper (LIN 883), Field Exam, and Concept Paper Presentation
LIN 883: Concept Paper serves as a transition from students' preparatory coursework to their dissertation proposal. Students will complete a concept paper on their proposed dissertation topic. This paper will include a statement of the research question(s) and a review of relevant literature, while it will focus primarily on (a) defining the key concepts relevant to the student's anticipated research plans and (b) making explicit any underlying theoretical assumptions.
LIN 883 is typically taken during the first semester of the second year. The concept paper must be completed in the first 10 weeks of the semester in order to provide time for the Field Exam and Concept Paper Presentation to occur. Students may register for a second semester of LIN 883 at the discretion of the Linguistics faculty (e.g. in cases where the student has selected a particularly complex topic and is making steady progress, or scores an Unsatisfactory on their Field Exam and is required to revisit and strengthen their Concept Paper).
The Field Exam is administered after the first 10 weeks of LIN 883 and prior to the end of the semester. Content of the exam will be determined by the student's Concept Paper. Three examiners (the LIN dissertation advisor who led the student's Concept Paper, a second LIN faculty member with expertise in some area relevant to the student's Concept Paper, and a third LIN faculty member who does not work in the area of the student's Concept Paper) will conduct in-depth questioning in areas pertinent to the student's Concept Paper topic. Student responses will be evaluated by all three examiners together as a Pass with Distinction, Pass, Unsatisfactory or Fail. Students who receive an Unsatisfactory score on the Field Exam will be required to retake the exam; students who Fail the Field Exam will be terminated from the program. Students who retake the Field Exam and receive either a score of Unsatisfactory or Fail will be terminated from the program.
After successful completion of the Field Exam the student will give a presentation on their Concept Paper. This is a formal presentation, similar to what would be given at a professional conference. It is to be 20 minutes in length with 10 minutes for discussion and/or Q/A. Faculty evaluate the presentation in areas of content, presentation, and language use. Students will receive feedback from the faculty. This is one of three presentations required. Successful completion of the Concept Paper Presentation is required to continue in the Ph.D. program. Students must successfully complete the Field Exam and Concept Paper Presentation before taking in LIN 890 Dissertation Proposal Development.
Dissertation Proposal Development (LIN 890) and Proposal Defense
Each student seeking a Ph.D. will be required to complete a research-based dissertation on a topic acceptable to his or her doctoral committee. Students are expected to complete their dissertation proposal in one semester (LIN 890 Dissertation Proposal Development). However, those who fail to do so will be permitted to register for additional semesters of LIN 890 Dissertation Proposal Development, provided they maintain a passing grade each semester.
LIN 890 is the course in which students will develop their dissertation proposal, producing a research plan for answering the research questions posed in their Concept Paper. Emphasis will be on defining a project of appropriate scope, extending the literature review and selecting an appropriate research design and methodology. Students will meet regularly with their dissertation advisor for guidance and discussion, but are expected to pursue the bulk of the work independently. They may receive input from doctoral committee members. Once the full committee deems the proposal defendable, a defense date is set. The dissertation proposal defense is expected to happen at the end of the semester in which LIN 890 is taken. Students may not register for LIN 900: Dissertation Research until the proposal is successfully defended. All Ph.D. coursework must be completed or be on track to be completed by the semester the proposal defense occurs.
Successful defense of one's dissertation proposal is the candidacy examination for the LIN PhD program.
Dissertation (LIN 900) and Dissertation Defense
Once students have successfully completed and defended their dissertation proposal, they advance to LIN 900 Dissertation Research. LIN 900 may be taken multiple times, provided students earn a passing grade each semester.
Each Ph.D. student is required to prepare a research-based dissertation in an area acceptable to their Doctoral Committee. The dissertation is based on the proposal accepted by the committee, typically in the spring of the second year of Ph.D. study, and work on the dissertation proper typically begins in the fall of the third year. The dissertation is expected to be a research project designed to provide new understanding of the topic, and must include a thorough and thoughtful review of the relevant literature, description of methodology, analysis, and discussion and conclusion elucidating the significance of the findings. The dissertation process is discussed in detail in the Gallaudet University Dissertation and Thesis Handbook (on the intranet GU website and the LIN website). Students will also receive this handbook when they take LIN 890 Dissertation Proposal Development. The maximum time allowed for completion of the dissertation is seven years from the start of the LIN M.A. degree or six years from entrance into the Ph.D. program for those without a LIN M.A. degree. Any extension beyond this deadline will require the approval of the doctoral committee, the Graduate Program Coordinator, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the Graduate School.
Core Courses (Ph.D.)
For students who completed the Gallaudet M.A. in Linguistics
Required
Elective Courses in Linguistics (selected sample)
| EDU 801 | Principles of Statistics I | 3 |
| EDU 802 | Principles of Statistics II | 3 |
| LIN 510 | Introduction to First and Second Language Acquisition | 3 |
| LIN 537 | Depiction, Iconicity, and Gesture | 3 |
| LIN 543 | Bilingualism | 3 |
| LIN 585 | Prosody in Sign and Spoken Languages | 3 |
| LIN 745 | Languages and Cultures in Deaf Communities | 3 |
| LIN 811 | First Language Acquisition | 3 |
| LIN 812 | Second Language Acquisition | 3 |
| LIN 841 | Discourse Analysis | 3 |
| LIN 842 | Discourse Analysis: Conversation | 3 |
| LIN 843 | Discourse Analysis: Narrative | 3 |
| LIN 860 | Language Variation | 3 |
| | Core Courses in Statistics | |
Core Courses in Statistics: Ph.D.
Core Courses in Statistics: These courses are required for students whose Ph.D. specialization requires statistical work. If taken, they replace two elective courses.
Core Courses (Ph.D.)
For students who did not complete the Gallaudet M.A. in Linguistics
Required
Typical Program of Study (Ph.D.)
For students who completed the Gallaudet M.A. in Linguistics
Year III - Fall
Year III - Spring
| LIN 802 | Generative Linguistics III | 3 |
| LIN 827 | Cognitive Linguistics III | 3 |
| LIN 880 | Guided Research Project | 3 |
| | Present Guided Research Project | |
| | Complete Qualifying Paper | |
| | Present Qualifying Paper | |
Present Guided Research Project: Pre-requisite to LIN 883
Complete Qualifying Paper and Present Qualifying Paper: may occur earlier or later; pre-requisite to LIN 890
Year IV - Fall
| | Elective #1 | 3 |
| | Elective #2 | 3 |
| LIN 883 | Dissertation Concept Paper | 3 |
| | Field Exam | |
| | Concept Paper Presentation | |
Field Exam and Concept Paper Presentation: pre-requisite to LIN 890
Year IV - Spring
| LIN 890 | Dissertation Proposal Development | 3 |
| | Elective #3 | 3 |
| | Elective #4 | 3 |
Year V - Fall
Year V - Spring (and onward)
21 required credits + 12 elective credits = 33 PhD credits + Dissertation Proposal Development (LIN 890) and Dissertation Research (LIN 900)
Typical Program of Study (Ph.D.)
For students who did not complete the Gallaudet M.A. in Linguistics
Year I - Fall
Year I - Spring
Year II - Fall
| LIN 571 | Field Methods | 4 |
| LIN 880 | Guided Research Project | 3 |
| | Elective #1 | 3 |
| | Compendium II | |
Year II - Spring
| LIN 741 | Sociolinguistics in Deaf Communities | 3 |
| LIN 801 | Phonology III | 3 |
| LIN 880 | Guided Research Project | 3 |
| | Compendium III | |
| | Present Guided Research Project | |
Present Guided Research Project: Pre-requisite to LIN 883
Year III - Fall
| LIN 802 | Generative Linguistics III | 3 |
| LIN 827 | Cognitive Linguistics III | 3 |
| | Elective #2 | 3 |
| | Complete Qualifying Paper | |
| | Present Qualifying Paper | |
Complete Qualifying Paper and Present Qualifying Paper: may occur earlier or later; pre-requisite to LIN 890
Year III - Spring
| | Elective #3 | 3 |
| | Elective #4 | 3 |
| LIN 883 | Dissertation Concept Paper | 3 |
| | Field Exam | |
| | Concept Paper Presentation | |
Field Exam and Concept Paper Presentation: pre-requisite to LIN 890
Year IV - Fall
| LIN 890 | Dissertation Proposal Development | 3 |
Year IV - Spring (and onward)
50 required credits + 12 elective credits = 62 PhD credits + Dissertation Research (LIN 900)
Program Outcomes
1. Specialized knowledge:
a. Demonstration of in-depth familiarity with current literature relevant to their chosen topic of research.
2. Critical evaluation:
a. Ability to critically compare and evaluate claims from the linguistics literature and argue for or against them in a coherent manner.
3. Formulation of research questions:
a. Ability to independently formulate clear and tractable research questions related to their individual projects, and develop a systematic and culturally responsible plan for answering them, including identification of data needed to further the investigation.
4. Dissemination and communication:
a. Ability to communicate information about sign language linguistics competently and respectfully to the field, the Deaf communities, and the greater public.
5. Ethical conduct as researchers:
a. Demonstrating academic integrity and responsible conduct in their research practices with transparency and respect to the communities involved.