REQUIREMENTS AND CHECKLISTS FOR
THE M.A. IN LINGUISTICS
Name: ___________________________
Semester of earliest course: _____________
Committee:
Admission Status: ____________________
Chair: ________________________
Minor/Cognate (if any):
________________________
___________________________________
________________________
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This checklist combines information from the current University of North Dakota Academic Catalog,
the Master’s Degree Handbook (<http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduatestudents/current/handbooks-and-guides.cfm>), and current Linguistics Program policies. Nevertheless,
keep in mind that the Catalog contains the official regulations and policies. Each student is
responsible for familiarity with those general regulations. Most Graduate School forms for the
Master’s Program are available at <http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduatestudents/current/forms.cfm>.
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1. Deficiencies in Prerequisites
These courses, if any, are noted on the Graduate School admission form and should be
made up by the end of the first summer of classes unless you have permission from the
Director of Graduate Studies to fulfill them in some other way.
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a. Courses in linguistics (10 credits), including
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b. LING 452 or equivalent
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c. Additional courses in linguistics or related disciplines (10 credits)
2. File Advisor or Committee Appointment Request (New) - from
<http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduate-students/current/forms.cfm>
This committee consists of three members, at least two of whom are Graduate Faculty
members of the Linguistics Program and one of whom represents the minor if one is
taken. It is responsible for your program, your thesis, and evaluating your progress. The
chair of the committee serves as advisor for your thesis. It is your responsibility to
consult the Director of Graduate Studies on the appointment of the chair, and to work
with the chair to choose the other members of the committee. A list of the Graduate
Faculty and their areas of interest is available at <arts-sciences.und.edu/summer-instituteof-linguistics/faculty.cfm>. You should form a committee no later than the semester in
which you complete 15 credits of coursework. You need a committee (and Program of
Study) before taking Directed Studies or Research courses, before doing research with
human subjects, or before transferring courses from another university.
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3. File Program of Study – Masters – from <http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduatestudents/current/forms.cfm>
Work out the Program of Study in consultation with your advisory committee. The
Program of Study should be filed as soon as possible after forming your committee. As
indicated in point 2, you need an approved Program of Study before you can take
Directed Studies or Research courses. The program of study includes 32 credits of
graduate work, which must satisfy these guidelines:
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a. 3 credits in phonology or phonetics
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b. 3 credits in syntax or semantics
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c. 3 credits in applied linguistics
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d. 1 credit of Academic Writing
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e. at least 15 total credits in courses offered by the Linguistics Program
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f. no more than 4 credits of Directed Study or Research without special
permission
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g. 4 credits for the thesis
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h. at least 22 credits in courses numbered 500 or above
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i. up to 8 graduate credits can be transferred from another regionally accredited
North American institution with committee approval
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j. no more than 9 credits from UND taken as a non-degree graduate student
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k. an optional minor (at least 9 cr.) or cognate (at least 6 cr.)
If you make changes to the Program of Study, you need to file the form Change to
Program of Study available at <http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduatestudents/current/forms.cfm>.
____ 4a. File Topic Proposal Form – from <http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduatestudents/current/forms.cfm>
This proposal is worked out with your chair, subject to approval by the other committee
members. It should be filed with the Graduate School no later than the end of the
semester preceding the semester in which the degree is to be granted. Once this proposal
has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School, you are Advanced to Candidacy.
If you make minor changes to the Topic Proposal, there is no need to fill out a new
proposal. However, if you make major changes to the proposal, you should work out a
new proposal with your chair, have it approved by the other committee members, and file
it with the Director of Graduate Studies for Linguistics (not with the Graduate School).
____ 4b. Research Proposal
If your research involves human subjects, you will need clearance from the IRB
(Institutional Review Board) at UND (forms at
<www.und.nodak.edu/dept/rdc/regucomm/IRB/Forms.htm>; training at
<www.citiprogram.org/default.asp>). Your research proposal needs to be approved by
your advisor (that is, your committee chair).
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5. Writing the Thesis
During the initial drafting of the thesis, you should expect to work primarily with your
chair. Once your chair feels it is ready, you will send copies to the other committee
members for their input.
Your thesis must ultimately follow both the Linguistics UND Linguistics Thesis Template
(available from the Director of Graduate Studies) and the Graduate School Style and
Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations (from
Requirements and Checklists for the MA in Linguistics (June 2012)
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<http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduate-students/current/handbooks-and-guides.cfm> :
Thesis/Dissertation Style Guide), so it’s generally easiest to follow these early in the
drafting process. Where the two conflict, the departmental template takes precedence
over the Graduate School manual.
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6. File Application for Degree (at <http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduatestudents/current/forms.cfm>)
Early in the semester in which the degree is expected, you must file an application for the
degree. The date by which this needs to be filed is listed in the Academic Calendar at the
Graduate School web site. The application is completed on line. Any courses which will
be over seven years old at the time of graduation must be revalidated. (Form for
revalidation is at <http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduate-students/current/forms.cfm>.)
Transferred courses cannot be revalidated.
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7. File Preliminary Approval of Thesis – from
<www.und.edu/dept/grad/html/mastersforms.htm>
The advisory committee’s Preliminary Approval of the thesis must be filed with the
Graduate School by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. The Preliminary
Approval indicates that no major changes will be required in the thesis. The student
should allow the committee fair and reasonable time to read the thesis; generally this
should be at least two weeks.
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8. File Notice of Master’s Thesis Defense from <http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduatestudents/current/forms.cfm>
This can be filed with the Graduate School with the Preliminary Approval form. It should
be filed at least one week before the actual defense. The Graduate School expects you
and all members of your committee to be present at the defense, to be held on the UND
campus. If this is not possible, the chair needs to write to the Dean of the Graduate
School at least one week before the defense, explaining why it is not possible, and why
the absent member should not be replaced and/or why the defense should take place off
campus. This memo must be signed by all committee members.
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9. Final Defense of Thesis
Copies of the final form of the thesis, one for each member of the committee, must be
made available to the committee no later than the day before the examination to give the
members of the committee ample opportunity to examine it. You should bring a copy of
the Permission page of the thesis (on thesis paper, see point 11) and the Final Report (see
point 14) to the defense for signing.
____ 10. Format and Style Check
It is common during the defense for committee members to suggest changes that should
be incorporated into the final draft. You will work with your advisor after the defense to
ensure these suggestions are adequately incorporated. Once these changes have been
made, you need to submit a hard copy of your thesis to the Graduate School for a format
and style check. It must be printed single-sided. The cheapest and easiest way to submit
this copy will be by sending a .pdf file to Duplicating Services, directing them to send the
hard copy to the Graduate School. You also need to submit the Checklist to the Graduate
School (<http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduate-students/current/checklistsubmission.pdf>). Make sure the Graduate School has your correct email address so they
can send comments to you.
Requirements and Checklists for the MA in Linguistics (June 2012)
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____ 11. Submit Permission Page and Signature Page to the Graduate School
Both the Permission Page and the Signature Page need to be printed on 20#, 25% cotton
pure white bond paper with a visible watermark. Duplicating Services can do this for you,
or you can get the proper paper from the Graduate Advisor. Submit both signed pages to
the Graduate School.
____ 12. Submit a Final Copy of Your Thesis to ProQuest
After you have received approval from your committee and the Graduate School, submit
a pdf copy of the thesis to ProQuest. Instructions for submission can be found at <
http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduate-students/current/electronic-submission.cfm>. You
will need to pay the ProQuest fee by credit card. The final copy must be received by
ProQuest by the date printed in the Academic Calendar.
____ 13. Submit Final Copies to the Department and Committee Members
You need to submit both a bound hard copy and electronic copies of your thesis to the
department. The hard copy can be printed back-to-back on regular paper. The electronic
copies must include the pdf file submitted to ProQuest; we would also like the editable
document from which the pdf file was made (with all necessary fonts) as well. Our
normal practice is to post the pdf copy on the UND-SIL website. You should also offer
each committee member a copy of your thesis in hard or electronic form. If you are not
on campus, contact the Director for Graduate Studies for suggestions on the best way to
distribute hard copies.
____ 14. File Final Report on Candidate – Thesis, Dissertation and MFA Professional Exhibition
from <http://graduateschool.und.edu/graduate-students/current/forms.cfm>
This will actually be submitted by your advisor, but it is your responsibility to be sure it
is done. It needs to be signed by all the members of your committee. If you registered for
thesis credit in a previous semester, your advisor will also need to submit a change of
grade form for LING 998 Thesis.
Requirements and Checklists for the MA in Linguistics (June 2012)
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