This page contains some important notes on the process of applying for graduate study in Linguistics at Maryland, and answers to some frequently asked questions about graduate applications. For general information on applying for graduate study at Maryland, you may also consult the Graduate School's step-by-step admissions instructions.
Dates
Application Deadline. Application materials for the Ph.D. Program in Linguistics for Fall 2009 should be received by January 5th 2009. Although the Admissions Committee is able to consider materials received after this date, applicants whose materials are received later than early January may have fewer opportunities for financial aid. [If you have been assuming the inaccurate Graduate School target date of February 1st, and discover this after January 5th, please contact the Graduate Admissions Director by email.]
In principle, the University accepts applications for graduate admission for the Fall semester as late as August 15th. However, potential applicants are advised that financial aid is typically awarded to students who apply by the early January target date. For international students, application by early January is particularly important, in light of recent changes to US Immigration policies, which have increased the time that it takes to process and obtain a valid US student visa (e.g., F1, J1 visas).
Timely submission of on-line application. Applicants are encouraged to submit the initial on-line application in advance of the application deadline, preferably at least one week before the target date . This form requires minimal information, but is important for enabling the rest of the application process. After the intial application has been submitted, an applicant may submit additional information and upload files via the Application Supplemental Form (ASF). The ASF is also used to submit names of recommenders, who are then invited to submit electronic letters of recommendation.
Electronic Letters of Recommendation. Letters of recommendation may, in principle, be submitted either electronically or via mail. However, the department has a strong preference to receive electronic letters, as all files are reviewed electronically. Letters submitted by mail should be submitted at least 2 weeks before the target date, in order to ensure that they are processed by the Graduate School in time for the early January target date. If the ASF is submitted shortly before the target date then recommenders will have little time to submit their letters - applicants are responsible for keeping their referees informed about the application timetable and for providing advance notice of when letters will be required.
Admissions Timetable. Initial offers of admission and financial aid for the fall semester are normally made in late February-March. Times vary depending on the confirmation of the department's budget. The Department will hold an Open House for invited prospective students, in late February or early March 2009. (Participation in the Open House is recommended, although it is neither necessary for admission or a guarantee of admission.) Further offers of admission and financial aid are sometimes made at a later date, if additional funds become available. In recent years, 5-10 new students have started the Ph.D. program each year. Students who receive financial aid offers are required to accept or decline the offer by April 15th.
Note that the Graduate School's web site allows applicants to check on the status of their application automatically. Applicants should not rely on this status check for reliable information. Applications are often marke as incomplete when they are, in fact, complete, because some electronically transmitted files are not reflected in the status check. The department has access to more accurate records on what materials are missing, and contacts applicants when critical materials fail to arrive. The only time to contact the department with a concern is if no ASF invitation is received. Note also that admitted candidates are contacted by the department long before this is reflect in the on-line status check, so there is little value in regularly checking the on-line application status.
An applicant who is considering a late application and who considers himself/herself to be a strong candidate for admission should contact Prof. Jeffrey Lidz (jlidz-at-umd-dot-edu) to inquire about whether financial aid is likely to become available. Students with external sources of funding (e.g. government fellowships) are also encouraged to apply early.
Start Date. The Department of Linguistics only accepts students for Fall Semester admission. The department does not accept students for January admission, due to course scheduling constraints.
Requirements for Admission
On-line application. The Department of Linguistics strongly encourages all applicants to submit an online application. It is now possible to submit most application documents online, including writing samples and letters of recommendation. All application materials are distributed and reviewed electronically, including documents submitted as hard copies, which are scanned. The admissions committee will not directly access hard copy documents.
Format of electronic documents (important!). Wherever possible all uploaded files (writing samples, personal statements, CVs, etc.) should be submitted in PDF format. This allows for more reliable distribution of materials to reviewers, and saves many hours of work for the Graduate Admissions Director. Free tools for converting word processor files to PDF format are available for most operating systems. Also, please use transparent file names that begin with the applicant's last name. For example, Mary Smith's personal statement, CV, and writing samples would be called smith_statement.pdf, smith_cv.pdf, smith_sample1.pdf, and smith_sample2.pdf. Use of PDF format and consistent naming is extremely useful for reviewers, who must consult hundreds of files.
A complete graduate application includes:
- Application Form. The Graduate School strongly prefers that this form be submitted online. The Linguistics Department encourages applicants to submit this form at least one week before the target date, in order to make it easier to submit other files electronically.
- Application Fee. See the Graduate School web site for information on current fees. The fee may be submitted online.
- Transcripts: One complete set of official transcripts for completed and in-progress undergraduate and graduate degrees is required. Unofficial transcripts may be submitted for purposes of review, but the Graduate School cannot complete official admission without official transcripts. Transcripts should be submitted in hard-copy form and sent to the Enrollment Services Office at the following address: University of Maryland College Park, ESO - Application for Graduate Admission, 0130 Mitchell Building, College Park MD 20742, USA.
- Letters of Recommendation. Applicants should solicit letters of recommendation from at least three people who are familiar with the applicant's work and who can offer a detailed, honest assessment of the applicant's abilities, experience, and suitability for an advanced degree in linguistics. These letters should be confidential. Non-confidential letters generally carry much less weight. These letters may be submitted online by the recommender following submission of the initial online application form and receipt of the ASF (see below). Alternatively, hard copies may be mailed directly to the Enrollment Services Office (address listed above). However, hard copies are dispreferred, and may lead to a delay in the processing of an application. Letters that are submitted on-line are immediately accessible to the admissions committee, whereas letters that are submitted in hard copy are often delayed by 2 weeks or longer.
- Statement of Goals, Experiences, and Research Interests. This should provide a clear explanation of the applicant's objectives are in pursuing an advanced degree in Linguistics, and at Maryland in particular. Specific interests or relevant experience should be mentioned where applicable. The Statement of Goals is not a literary contest or an invitation to flatter the department or its faculty, and there is no 'recipe' for a strong statement . The statement allows the department to better understand an applicant's goals, interests, and how well the applicant will be served by the departments strengths and emphases. The statement should be submitted online via the ASF. Note that the department does not have a length limit for the statement (contrary to statements on the Graduate School site).
- Writing Sample(s). Applicants should submit one or more pieces
of written work with their application. This should preferably represent
work done in linguistics, but work in other fields showing evidence of careful
analysis and independent thought is also acceptable. The writing sample
may be mailed directly to the Department of Linguistics, but it is strongly
preferred that applicants submit writing samples online as part of the ASF.
Any hard copy documents will be scanned and reviewed in electronic form.
Any bound hard copy documents may be ignored, since they are very difficult
to scan.
Applicants who submit writing samples online should bear in mind that the file(s) will be made available to multiple readers who may use different computer platforms. Files should be kept to a reasonable size (< 1Mb wherever possible), and care should be taken to ensure that any embedded graphical objects are no larger than necessary. Please send PDF format files, following the naming conventions above. - CV/Resume. An up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV, or resume) is preferred. This may be submitted as part of the ASF.
- GRE General Test. Although this test is not absolutely required for admission, high GRE scores help the department to secure financial aid for graduate students. All applicants are strongly advised to take the GRE general test. Students with strong academic records and relevant experience should not be discouraged from submitting an application based on low GRE scores. Some highly successful Ph.D. students entered the program with GRE scores that did not reflect their true abilities. Nevertheless, prospective applicants are encouraged to obtain GRE scores that are as high as possible. It is possible to combine scores from individual components of the test taken at different times.
- TOEFL Test (or CTOEFL) for international students. The TOEFL test is a requirement of the university, not the department. Questions about the test should be directed to the International Education Services (IES) office. Students are normally expected to achieve a score of at least 575 on the TOEFL or 232 on the CTOEFL. International students who have a degree from a university in an English-speaking country are not required to submit a TOEFL score. Applicants from francophone Canada who have questions about this requirement should contact the graduate admissions director.
- Application Supplemental Form (ASF). The on-line application involves a two-step process. In the initial on-line application students are asked to provide basic personal and academic information. After the initial on-line application has been processed applicants are invited to submit additional information and electronic documents via the Application Supplemental Form (ASF). At this stage students may submit a personal statement, writing samples, CV, and contact information for individuals who can submit online letters of recommendation. Electronic documents (in PDF format) are strongly preferred.
Financial Support Information Form (International Students)
The University of Maryland Graduate School application forms seek information about an applicant's ability to pay for graduate studies. This is a requirement for securing a US student visa. Please do not be alarmed by these questions. Almost all Ph.D. students in the Department of Linguistics receive full financial aid for 5 years, covering tuition and stipend, from one or more of the following: (i) Teaching Assistantships, (ii) Research Assistantships, (iii) University Fellowships, (iv) external fellowships (e.g. Rotary, Fulbright, NSF, SHHRC, etc.).
The Department of Linguistics encourages students to seek external fellowships, but does not expect students to fund their Ph.D. from personal funds. For this reason, it is not necessary for applicants to provide a detailed justification for why financial aid is needed. It is sufficient to write: "Personal funds are insufficient; financial aid is required". Applicants who are supported in full or in part for their studies should explain this in the personal statement.
International Students who receive a form requesting information about sources of financial support may enter in the table row labeled "University of Maryland Assistantship" $36,000 for the first year, with the increases specified in the form for subsequent years. If funding is provided by a full or partial fellowship from external sources, then the University of Maryland total may be reduced accordingly, and the amount of the external fellowship should be entered in the relevant row of the form.
Sources of Financial Aid
Financial aid (tuition + stipend) is available on a competitive basis. The Department funds PhD students for up to 5 years, provided that the student makes satisfactory academic progress. Graduate funding comes from a number of sources, including:
- Graduate Assistantships (GAs): these typically involve teaching service in undergraduate linguistics courses such as LING 200 and LING 240, or teaching more advanced undergraduate courses and seminars.
- Research Assistantships (RAs): these typically involve research associated with a grant-supported faculty research project.
- University Fellowships: the University offers a number of these fellowships to outstanding applicants, releasing the student from GA or RA responsibilities for up to 2 years of study.
- Other sources of funding are occasionally available through the department or university, including dissertation fellowships.
- A number of graduate students in the department are supported in whole or in part by fellowships from external organizations.
For More Information
The Department's web site (www.ling.umd.edu) contains much information on the program. For general questions about submitting material to the Department of Linguistics, please contact Ms. Kathi Faulkingham at (301) 405-7002 or email kathif-at-umd-dot-edu. Further questions about Graduate Study in the Department may be directed to Prof. Jeffrey Lidz (jlidz-at-umd-dot-edu) or to an individual faculty member whose research is particularly relevant to the student's area(s) of interest.
Each year the department receives many email inquiries from applicants that are transparently 'form letters' sent to many different programs, listing very general questions that are already answered in this document. Such inquiries are rarely an effective route to admission to the Ph.D. program! Also, please do not send an email inquiry that says "I am interested in your graduate program - please send me more information". Such inquiries do not convey the impression that the prospective applicant has done his/her homework.
The Department fax number is (301) 405-7104. For specific inquiries about the status of an application, please contact Prof. Jeffrey Lidz. It is the applicant's responsibility to make sure that all necessary documents are submitted in a timely fashion.