Graduate Programs in Linguistics

The Department of Linguistics at the Stony Brook University provides instruction to undergraduate and graduate students in theoretical and applied linguistics and offers courses of study leading to the Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. The research of the department focuses on principles of linguistic organization within the components of grammars, and on the social and structural consequences of contact between grammars, such as code-mixing, creolization, multilingualism, and second language acquisition.

The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students for advanced research in linguistic theory as well as its applications in language teaching, speech synthesis and recognition, and natural language processing. Students receive a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of grammatical theory through courses in syntax, semantics, phonology, phonetics, and morphology, Courses in the applications of linguistic theory that address computational, societal, and pedagogical concerns complete the curriculum. Students may receive an M.A. in Linguistics on the way to the Ph.D.

The M.A. in TESOL is a degree in language teaching with a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. The M.A. TESOL program is composed almost wholly of coursework in the applied curriculum of the department. The undergraduate major in Linguistics will provide its graduates with the skills to analyze the most important features of language: sounds, words, sentences, and conversations, using both formal and experimental methods. Students will also learn what linguists know about the languages of the world, their history and structure, and how language interacts with many facts of human culture.

In addition, New York State certification in TESOL for teaching English to speakers of other languages in the public schools is available at the B.A. and M.A. levels.