Linguistics Career Info Session for Undergraduate Students

1
Linguistics Career Info Session for
Undergraduate Students

• SLALS, Carleton University
• April 4, 2008

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Schedule

• Welcome!
• Introducing faculty
• 3. Info session
• Postgraduate options
• Preparing for graduate school
• Graduate studies at Carleton
• M.A. in Applied Language Studies CTESL
• Ph.D. (M.A.) in Cognitive Science
• 4. Question period

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• Welcome to
• the First Linguistics
• Career Info Session!!

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Welcome

• Your career your future are important!
• Today we will focus on the preparation for
  applying to graduate school in Linguistics or
  related areas.
• But note that what well show you applies to many
  other cases.
• Remember you need to be professional, look
  professional, and act professionally!!

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Schedule

• Welcome!
• Introducing faculty
• 3. Info session
• Postgraduate options
• Preparing for graduate school
• Graduate studies at Carleton
• M.A. in Applied Language Studies CTESL
• Ph.D. (M.A.) in Cognitive Science
• 4. Question period

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Ash Asudeh
BA CogSci (Linguistics), Carleton MA CogSci,
Edinburgh, UK PhD Linguistics, Stanford Taught at
Univ. of Canterbury, New Zealand, Summer School
in Europe and Linguistic Society of America
Syntax, Semantics, Computational Linguistics
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Lev Blumenfeld
BA Linguistics Classics, Univ.of Wisconsin PhD
Linguistics, Stanford Taught at Univ. of
California Santa Cruz Phonology, Historical
Linguistics, Greek Latin Linguistics
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Mako Hirotani
BA Linguistics Lang Teaching, Sophia
Univ. (Japan) MA Theoretical Ling, Univ.of Tokyo
PhD Linguistics CogSci, Univ.of
Massachusetts Postdoctoral Education
Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human
Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Germany Taught in
Japan and at UMass. Worked for Psychology Dept.
9
Kumiko Murasugi
BA Japanese Language, Univ.of Toronto
Linguistics, Carleton MA Linguistics, Univ. of
Ottawa PhD Linguistics, MIT Taught at Memorial
Univ., Univ. of Toronto, Univ. of Ottawa Syntax,
Inuktitut
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Ida Toivonen
BA Linguistics, Brandeis Univ. PhD Linguistics,
Stanford Taught at Univ. of Canterbury, New
Zealand and Univ. of Rochester, and Linguistic
Society of America Syntax, Lexical Semantics,
Morphosyntax, Finno-Ugric Scandinavian
languages
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• Special Guest!!
• CTESL
• Applied Language Studies

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David Wood
BA Education, Prince Edward Island MA Education,
Univ.of Ottawa PhD Education, Univ.of
Ottawa Taught at Univ. of Victoria, Univ. of
Ottawa, Naruto Univ. of Education (Japan) English
as Second Language CTESL Program
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Schedule

• Welcome!
• Introducing faculty
• 3. Info session
• Postgraduate options
• Preparing for graduate school
• Graduate studies at Carleton
• M.A. in Applied Language Studies CTESL
• Ph.D. (M.A.) in Cognitive Science
• 4. Question period

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Postgraduate options

• Job related to field
• Career Development (Carleton) http//carleton.ca/c
  dce/career/
• The Linguist List
• http//linguistlist.org/jobs/index.html
• Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
• http//www.lsadc.org/info/ling-faqs-whymajor.cfm

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Postgraduate options

• Study/Teach abroad
• JET (Japanese Exchange and Teaching)
• Fulbright Scholarship (US)
• Humboldt Fellowship (Germany)
• MEXT Fellowship (Japan)

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Postgraduate options

• Graduate school linguistics, speech and language
  pathology, education

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Preparing for graduate school

• Is it for me?
• Choosing a program do your research
• Applying to a program plan ahead

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Is graduate school for me?

• Undergraduate vs. graduate studies
• Degree of specialization
• Importance of research (ideas, initiative)
• Interaction with faculty
• http//www.und.edu/dept/linguistics/textbooks/GS4m
  e.pdf

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Is graduate school for me?

• M.A. vs. Ph.D.
• Program length
• Requirements (coursework, generals papers or
  comprehensive exams, thesis)
• Canada vs. US

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Choosing a program

• Depth vs. breadth
• Some programs are narrower, more focused, and
  more coherent than others
• Many programs focus on particular theories or
  frameworks
• Structured sequence of courses vs. independence

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Choosing a program

• Examples (phonology)
• UMass very strong on Optimality Theory, a few
  other areas (prosody, phonetics)
• UCLA very strong experimentally, strong
  phonetics, committed to integrating phonetics
  phonology
• UC Berkeley a bit of OT (in much less depth than
  UMass), typology, very strong fieldwork
  descriptive, historical, phonetics, experimental

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Choosing a program

• Subdisciplines beyond core theoretical ling
  (primary or secondary area)
• computational linguistics
• fieldwork, descriptive linguistics
• historical/comparative linguistics, philology
• psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics
• Each one of you has different interests and a
  different background

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Choosing a program

• Questions to ask
• Who teaches there? What are their areas of
  specialization?
• Is the faculty committed to student education (or
  only interested in their own research?)
• Does the program have a good reputation?
• What are the requirements besides coursework?
• What are the requirements for admission?
• Is financial aid available?

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Choosing a program

• Information sources
• Internet
• Linguistics graduate programs in Canada
• http//programs.gradschools.com/canada/linguistic
  s.html
• Directory of linguistics programs in Canada US
• http//www.lsadc.org/info/pubs-dirs-programs.cfm
• Ranking of linguistics programs in the US
• http//graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/linguist
  ics/rank?w20w31w12w72w33-1is330oc331
  rm33nonew325w122w221w171w18-1

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Choosing a program

• Information sources (contd)
• ask your linguistics professors
• talk to former students

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Applying to a program

• Plan ahead
• Inform your professors
• Build a CV

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Application requirements

• Application form
• Statement of interest/research
• Writing sample
• Reference letters
• Transcripts
• GRE
• Other

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Application requirements

• Application form
• e.g., Memorial University of Nfld
• A Personal information
• B Referee and document information

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Application requirements

• Statement of interest
• a.k.a. statement of purpose/research, letter of
  intent
• Include concrete professional and research goals
• Can expand on previous work
• Match with university is important
• 1 page
• example

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Application requirements

• Writing sample
• Importance varies by school (US vs Canada)
• Should demonstrate ability to do research, your
  most important activity in grad school
• Choice of topic flexible
• Can be work in progress (e.g. honours thesis)

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Application requirements

• Writing sample (contd)
• Not necessarily ground-breaking
• But should be your own independent work
• Not necessarily extremely technical
• But should show your ability to make a
  theoretical argument
• Not necessarily long
• But should be well-written and packed with good
  ideas

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Application requirements

• Writing sample (contd)
• Good courses to write a sample-worthy paper (but
  may need revision)
• 4000-level linguistics courses (Phonology II,
  Syntax II, Semantics II, LgBrain II, Topics)
• Think of research questions that interest you and
  how they relate to the material of the course

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Application requirements

• Writing sample (contd)
• Try something out in a 3000-level class, keep
  working on the same set of issues in advanced
  classes
• A research project sustained over more than one
  term gives you a chance to produce a better
  sample
• Ask your professors for advice
• And as always get more than one opinion!

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Application requirements

• Reference letters
• 2-3 letters ask early!
• FIPPA (release of information) consent form
• Evaluating prior academic performance, future
  potential
• Ask professors who know you, whose courses you
  did well in
• Provide them early with all required information
  what, when, where ex.

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Application requirements

• Transcripts
• Strive for excellent grades!
• GPA conversion chart

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Application requirements

• GRE
• Graduate Record Examinations (General)
• Standardized test
• Verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning,
  critical thinking, analytical writing skills
• Offered year-round at computer-based test centres
• Not usually required in Canadian univ.

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Application requirements

• Other important information
• Application fee (50-100)
• Financial statement for visa sponsorship
  (international students)
• Financial aid (tuition waiver, scholarships,
  research/teaching assistantships)
• see SSHRC
• http//www.sshrc.ca/web/apply/students_e.asp

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Timeline

• Deadlines Nov-Feb
• Apply early competitive, funding limited

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Timeline

• 3rd year (incl. summer)
• Take courses that could result in a writing
  sample
• Inform professors about intent to pursue graduate
  studies
• Research graduate programs
• Work on writing sample
• Take GREs (if required)

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Timeline

• Fall of 4th year
• Complete the application package (form,
  statement, writing sample, transcripts)
• Request reference letters
• (Re)take GREs
• Winter of 4th year
• Wait for responses!

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Graduate studies at Carleton

• Ph.D. in Cognitive Science
• Also new MCOG (masters) degree
• CTESL M.A. in Applied Language Studies

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PhD in Cognitive Science

• Approximately 5 students admitted per year
• Required Honours BA or higher (e.g. masters) in
  a cognitive discipline
• Application deadline March 1st
• Applications received by the deadline are
  automatically considered for funding
  (15000/year)

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Master of Cognitive Science (MCOG)

• New masters degree subject to approvals
• May take first students as early as Fall, 2008
• Four term masters degree 2 terms course work,
  2 terms supervised project/research work
• 2-year degree or accelerated 16 month degree
• Features flexible design course-work-intensive
  research-intensive
• Note no course-work-only option!
• Successful MCOG applicants will receive funding

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CTESL

• Certificate in the Teaching of English as a
  Second Language
• 5 credits post-degree
• 3 credits concurrent with honours BA
• Taken in 3rd/4th years of degree
• Meets TESL Ontario (professional association)
  certification requirements

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M.A. in Applied Language Studies

• Provides similar qualification to CTESL
• 3 paths
• 5 credits all courses
• 4 credits plus research paper
• 3 credits plus thesis
• Three focus areas
• Second language education
• Discourse studies
• Writing and literacy