MA Program

2.1 MA requirements and timing

2.2 Academic advising and supervision

2.3 The MA thesis

2.4 Fast tracking to the PhD

 


 

2.1 MA requirements and timeline 

The MA is a thesis degree which requires three terms of course work, consisting of 7 approved 3-credit courses at the 500, 600 or 700 level, 2 graduate research seminars (6 credits) and the MA thesis (18 credits). (Total = 45 credits)

The official up-to-date requirements of the MA program are posted on McGill’s website under Programs, Courses and University Regulations (They can be found at https://www.mcgill.ca/study/2022-2023/faculties/arts/graduate/programs/master-arts-ma-linguistics-thesis). In the following, we outline the requirements with information about when to take which course.

 

Research Project (18 credits)

Course

Course name

Typically taken:

LING 690

M.A. Thesis Submission (18 credits)

Winter Year 2

The thesis submission course involves research, writing and submission of the M.A. thesis on an approved subject under the supervision of the thesis committee.

 

Required Courses (6 Credits)

Course

Course name

Typically taken:

LING 601*

Graduate Seminar 1 (3 credits)

Fall Year 2

LING 602*

Graduate Seminar 2 (3 credits)

Winter Year 2

*Graduate Seminar 1 & 2 offer an opportunity to present on on-going research on the M.A. Thesis, and also involve units with relevant professional training.

 

Complementary Courses (21 Credits)

6-12 credits from:

LING 630

Phonetics 3 (3 credits)

Year 1

LING 631

Phonology 3 (3 credits)

Year 1

LING 660

Semantics 3 (3 credits)

Year 1

LING 671

Syntax 3 (3 credits)

Year 1

6-15 credits in Linguistics at the 500, 600, or 700 level.

0-3 credits in a related field at the 500, 600, or 700 level, chosen in consultation with the supervisor and the graduate program director.

Note: The  4-level courses (Ling 635 Phonetics & Phonology 4, Ling 665 Semantics 4, and Ling 675 Syntax 4) are seminars and can be retaken under a different course number for additional credit, since their content varies from year to year (Ling 735, Ling 765, Ling 775, respectively).

 

Timeline and deadlines

In Year 1, students take at least three 3-credit linguistics courses in the Fall and the Winter term, for a minimum course load of 18 credits for Year 1. Course registration for Year 1 is decided before the Fall term and must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Any deviations from the expected Year 1 course load and/or course selection, as well as any later changes in course registration for the Winter term, require approval by the Graduate Program Director. Course selection in subsequent years must likewise be approved by the Graduate Program Director.

Year 1

3 courses per semester (normally including the 3 required 3-level courses)

May 15:

Constitution of Thesis Committee

August 30:

Submission of Thesis proposal

Year 2

Graduate seminar courses and one additional course

Thesis research and writing

To finish all degree requirements by the end of Winter of MA2, the final version of the MA thesis should be deposited by April 15th. To accomplish this, the initial draft of the MA thesis should be submitted at least 4 weeks earlier to myThesis so that it can be sent to the examiner for evaluation. We strongly encourage candidates to complete the MA within 2 years. Absolute deadline: MA theses must be deposited no later than the end of MA3.

 

2.2 Academic advising and supervision of MA students

On arrival, each MA student is assigned to a designated academic adviser (first year advisor). Assignments will be determined weighing areas of expertise, workload and other factors such as sabbatical schedules. There is no commitment on the part of the student or the adviser for this relationship to continue into the MA Thesis stage.

The designated adviser is responsible for:

  • Guiding the student through the fellowship applications process (where applicable). This includes reading students’ proposals with sufficient lead-time to make comments for revision before submission deadlines.
  • Being accessible to the student for a reasonable amount of time to discuss issues related to academic progress (i.e, outside of those purely administrative areas which fall under the mantle of the Graduate Program Director).

In spring of the first year the MA Thesis Committee should be formed. The student should then fill out the letter of understanding with the MA supervisor or co-supervisors. See section 2.3

 

2.3 The MA Thesis

Content of the Thesis

According to GPS thesis guidelines:

"A thesis for the Master's degree must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate the ability to carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner according to disciplinary norms.

An exhaustive review of work in the particular field of study is not necessarily required. Expectation for the level of original scholarship at the Master’s level varies with the discipline.

The thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain (see section: withholding a thesis from circulation temporarily)."

Selection of Committee and Proposal

The committee should be formed by May 15th of the first year. The committee must consist of at least 2 members which includes the supervisor or co-supervisors and should normally be faculty members of the Linguistics Department. When additional expertise is required, students can request to have a committee member from outside the department. Students should fill out the committee form and submit it to the GPD cc’ing the committee members. It must also be uploaded to myProgress. A thesis proposal should normally be complete by August 30th of the first year. Committee members indicate their approval by signing the proposal. This proposal must be filed with the Graduate Program Director and becomes part of the student’s official record.

2.4 Fast tracking

According to GPS guidelines:

"Upon recommendation by the program and approval by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS), academically promising students registered in Master’s programs may proceed directly to Doctoral studies without completing the full requirements for the Master’s degree.  An applicant for such a transfer from the Master’s program to the Doctoral program in the same academic unit must present both a strong academic record (CGPA of 3.5 or higher) and strong evidence that they are capable of successfully completing appropriate research for the Doctoral level. The applicant must have completed a minimum of 2 full-time terms in the Master's program, up to a maximum of 4 full-time terms, according to the requirements of the academic unit. The student, if approved for fast-tracking, will enter the doctoral program at the PhD2 level."

Requests to fast track are normally made at then end of the Winter term or in the Summer terms of year 1. Students should speak with the Graduate Program Director if they are considering this option to get more details on the process. 

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