Admissions Information

Welcome to the Department of Linguistics at Purdue University! We are delighted with your interest.

To hear about grad student life from the perspective of our current grad students, you will want to watch these two videos on our YouTube page.

  • Detailed instructions for applications are available under Application Checklist. 
  • If you have been admitted to another Purdue graduate program/department and wish to change your degree objective, here are instructions.

Should you apply to the Department of Linguistics? 

  • If you are applying to the PhD department, we encourage you to identify one or two faculty members who could supervise your research and serve as your advisor. You may wish to email them to ask whether they are taking new students and if so, to find out if your interests are compatible.

    Please keep in mind that admission decisions are made by the admissions committee in consultation with department faculty. Individual faculty members cannot make admission decisions.

Are you applying for your first post-baccalaureate degree in Linguistics (i.e. you currently have only a bachelor’s degree in any field, or your higher degrees are in other fields)?

  • You have the option to apply for either the M.A. or Ph.D.
    • If your final degree goal is a Ph.D. you should apply directly to the Ph.D. program. 
      • This ensures that you will be considered for five-year fellowship funding packages. 
    • If admitted to the Ph.D. program, you can complete an M.A. along the way. 
    • If the admissions committee feels that your application is promising, but you are not competitive for the Ph.D., you may still be admitted to the M.A. program.
  • Applying for the M.A. program makes the most sense if:
    • You have a degree from Purdue and are sure you would like to pursue a Ph.D. elsewhere. You feel that completing your M.A. here will allow you to continue with a line of research already started at Purdue and/or help you develop a more competitive Ph.D. application elsewhere.
    • You are sure you are not interested in pursuing a Ph.D. but would like an M.A. in linguistics to enhance your professional development in your field, such as language teaching, language technology, or professional translating.
    • You are planning to continue on the same career path after earning your M.A.
    • You are sure you are not interested in a Ph.D. but would like to further your education in linguistics.

Linguistics Graduate Admissions Requirements

APPLICATION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 3

Required Supporting Documents

English Proficiency Requirements

  • Linguistics accepts the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars basic requirements as described on the English Proficiency Requirements page.

Degree Program Requirements

M.A. Program

  • Undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average:
    • 3.4 or equivalent required
  • Writing Sample:
    • Applications for graduate study in Linguistics at the M.A. level should include a course paper or other work that the student feels represents his/her general writing ability. The writing sample should be written in English. If the student does not have a writing sample in English (e.g., international students from non-English-speaking countries), the student can submit a writing sample in the language she/he is seeking to concentrate on (Spanish, French, German or Japanese). If the student has writing samples written in English and in the foreign language seeking to concentrate on, both writing samples will be welcome.
  • Digital Portfolio:
    • Students interested in concentrating in Spanish Linguistics, German Linguistics, or Japanese Linguistics must submit a Digital Portfolio (5 minutes max) The digital portfolio includes a language sample in English and in the foreign language they wish to concentrate. The students can talk about who they are, where they come from, research/teaching interests, why they wish to study at Purdue among other topics. The English and foreign language samples can be recorded in the same audio file. Digital portfolio files can be emailed to the program graduate coordinator at the email address below.
  • Deadline for Applications:
    • Fall Entry: December 3

Ph.D. Program

  • Undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average:
    • 3.4 or equivalent required
  • Master's Degree Completion:
    • Not required but must be completed during the doctoral program with a 3.6 GPA or equivalent
  • Writing Sample:
    • Applications for admissions to the Ph.D. program must include a writing sample relevant to Linguistics. This writing sample may be something written specifically for the application, a term paper for a previous course, M.A thesis, or published work.
    • The writing sample at the Ph.D. level should show your general writing ability and also that you have a sufficient understanding of Linguistics to enter at the Ph.D.
    • The writing sample should be written in English. If the student does not have a writing sample in English (e.g., international students from non-English-speaking countries), the student can submit a writing sample in the language she/he is seeking to concentrate on (Spanish, French, German or Japanese). If the student has writing samples written in English and in the foreign language seeking to concentrate on, both writing samples will be welcome.
  • Digital Portfolio:
    • Students interested in concentrating in Spanish Linguistics, German Linguistics, or Japanese Linguistics must submit a Digital Portfolio (5 minutes max) The digital portfolio includes a language sample in English and in the foreign language they wish to concentrate. The students can talk about who they are, where they come from, research/teaching interests, why they wish to study at Purdue among other topics. The English and foreign language samples can be recorded in the same audio file. Digital portfolio files can be emailed to the program graduate coordinator at the email address below.
  • Deadline for Applications:
    • Fall Entry: December 3