The Master of Science in Human Language Technology is designed specifically to prepare students to enter a competitive, scientific workforce. During the two-year course of study, students will gain a strong understanding of both linguistics and language technology. This knowledge will equip them with flexible... Show Full Description

The Master of Science in Human Language Technology is designed specifically to prepare students to enter a competitive, scientific workforce. During the two-year course of study, students will gain a strong understanding of both linguistics and language technology. This knowledge will equip them with flexible skills in language technology, such as the ability to build and refine search engines or to work on machine translation and speech recognition software. Students will be required to complete an HLT internship under the direction of one of the program's industry affiliates, as well as write a Master's thesis including an actual working implementation. The minimum number of credit hours for the HLT Master of Science degree is 36. Students are required to take the following courses: LING 438/538 Computational Linguistics; LING 403/503 Syntax; LING 544 Linguistic Typology; LING 515 Phonetics; LING 439/539 Statistical NLP; LING 696g Advanced Computational Linguistics Seminar; LING 578 Speech Technology and HLT Business/Technology Transfer Course. In addition, students are required to take 3-9 elective credit hours selected from the following courses: LING 501 Formal Foundations of Linguistics; LING 504 Advanced Syntactical Theory; LING 505 Theories of Grammar; LING 510 Foundations of Phonological Theory; LING 522 Lexical Semantics and CS 620 Advanced Topics in Natural Language Processing.

The Department of Linguistics also offers a program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Further,an MA concentration in descriptive linguistics of Native American Languages is also available. The department, together with the Department of Anthropology, offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Anthropology and Linguistics (ANLI) http://grad.arizona.edu/prog_desc/anli.php and participates in the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT). For the doctorate, specializations are available in such areas as: syntax, phonology, phonetics, semantics, morphology, Native American linguistics, Celtic linguistics, English linguistics, Persian linguistics, East Asian Linguistics, cognitive science, language acquisition and development, and language processing.

Any PhD student with a major in Linguistics may apply for the M.S. in Human Language Technology if they prefer instead of the M.A. in Linguistics. If a Ph.D. student chooses the M.S. instead of the M.A. the student must fulfill all M.S. in Human Language Technology requirements. Any student in the M.S. Human Language Technology program can proceed on to the Ph.D. in Linguistics if they apply to and are admitted to the Ph.D. program.

Applicants for admission to all Linguistic degree programs must apply to both the Graduate College (http://grad.arizona.edu/Prospective_Students/Apply_Now/) and the Linguistics Department. Forward to the Linguistics department official transcripts from ALL colleges and Universities attended, scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Linguistics Department application form which can be downloaded: http://linguistics.arizona.edu/prospective/, statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation from previous instructors or academic advisors, sample work and resume. International students who are not native speakers of English must take the TOEFL Test and gain a minimum score of 550 (or a computer-based score of 213).

Master of Arts concentration in Native American Linguistics: This program is designed to train members of Native American Communities to do descriptive research on their languages, and to prepare for careers teaching these languages and related fields. This degree does not automatically lead into the Ph.D. program. A total of 26 units of course work is required along with a 6 unit thesis. Courses include LING 500, 597a, 545a, 545b, LRC 510, and electives. Some course work is taken during the summer months at the American Indian Languages Development Institute (AILDI).

All students pursuing a PhD in Linguistics, regardless of their intended specialization or degree objective (except students in the Native American Linguistics and HLT program) are expected to complete the following courses: 501, 503, 504 or 505, 510, 514, 595a (two semesters), and two of the following: 532, 535, 564. These courses cover the foundations and major current developments in the phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of natural languages. Master of Arts in Linguistics: Students normally receive their MA in the second year as they proceed towards the Ph.D. program in Linguistics. Students interested in this program should apply directly to the Doctoral Program. A total of 30 units of course work is required, including all of the courses listed above. Doctor of Philosophy: In addition to the courses listed above, students must complete 697a, two seminars, and a dissertation. Additional courses and seminars are required depending on the student's area of specialization and minor field. A minor taken within the department consists of 12 units. The written comprehensive examination consists of the submission to the faculty of a research paper of the scope of a journal article, normally at the end of the fifth semester and oral comprehensive examination is required within 6 months of passing the written exam. A dissertation proposal must then be approved by the student's dissertation director within a subsequent 6 months. Students enrolled in the joint program in Anthropology and Linguistics have additional course requirements in the Anthropology Department. Further information about the graduate program is provided in the Handbook of Policy for the Graduate Program in Linguistics, which is available upon request from the department, and accessible through the department's home page.