Apply for Graduate Studies
Applications to UNM graduate programs are fully online. This system will allow you to upload all necessary documents including copies of your transcripts. Within the application, make sure to click the Application Instructions to see Linguistics-specific requirements.
If you have questions, contact: lingasst@unm.edu
Students who have completed the baccalaureate degree in Linguistics with an average of B+ or better and have completed a research paper of publishable quality demonstrating ability to carry out independent research may apply to the Ph.D program without a Master's degree. It is recommended that students who have not met these requirements apply to the Master's program. Students who apply to the Ph.D program who have not met the recommended requirements may be admitted to the Master's program instead. If you are uncertain which program to apply to, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies in Linguistics or the general email above.
Deadlines
For the PhD program, admission is available for the fall only. The deadline for best consideration is December 15. If you wish to be considered for financial aid, we must receive your application by December 15. Late applications will not be considered for aid, but may be considered for admission on a space-available basis. Applications that are not complete by March 31 will not be considered for admission for the following fall semester.
For the M.A. Program, admission is available for fall or spring.
- For consideration for financial aid, the deadline is December 15 for all applicants.
- For admission without aid, to begin study in the Fall semester, the deadline for best consideration is March 31.
- For admission without aid, to begin study in the Spring semester, the deadline for best consideration is October 31 (October 1 for international applicants).
- Although the deadlines for "best consideration" are the same for both domestic and international applicants, international applicants should follow the timeline and steps set by International Admissions.
There are no summer admissions, nor are there typically any graduate courses offered in the summer semester.
FAQs
Applicants may upload unofficial transcripts from all attended institutions along with their application for the Linguistics Department to review. However, applicants must submit official transcripts to UNM in order for their application to be complete. Applicants may receive an admission offer from the department without having submitted official transcripts, but cannot receive an admission offer from UNM until all official transcripts are received. All academic transcripts and secondary school completion certificates submitted to UNM must be original, official documents, or copies certified by the school or official issuing institution/agency (in the case of boards or examinations offices). Official transcripts must have the original stamps, seals, and signatures of the issuing institution's designated official(s). Transcripts must be sent directly to The University of New Mexico, either by your previous school's Registrar or a third-party transcript service such as Parchment. Paper transcripts are mailed to The UNM Office of Admissions, PO Box 4895, Albuquerque, NM 87196-4895. Electronic transcripts are sent to apply@unm.edu.
Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (B). For more details, see here.
Yes. The minimum scores are: TOEFL 79, IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 105. More details can be found here.
Citizen of countries where English is an official language are exempted of the English Proficiency Test requirements.
GRE scores are not required by the Department of Linguistics.
Unfortunately, no. We suggest that you inquire with your home country's government for any available funding for students who wish to study abroad. Additionally, EducationUSA Centers offer a great number of resources regarding financial aid.
No. We encourage prospective students to get in contact with our faculty to make general inquiries. However, acceptance to our graduate programs is determined by the entire department faculty, after we have evaluated your application materials.
No. However, if you were to be admitted and planned to attend with either an F-1 or J-1 visa, you would be responsible for showing available funding for one full year's cost of attendance. The International Admissions Office will handle all the paperwork regarding the necessary funding to issue visa related documents.
We offer one Fellowship that provides funding for doctoral studies. There are also some funding packages that are some combination of teaching and/or research assistantships. Fellowship/assistantship awards are made strictly on the basis of academic merit. More details are available here.
There are some opportunities for students admitted into the program of getting assistantship across campus, but of course the department cannot guarantee that at the moment of admission. A list of current assistantship opportunities in other departments can be found here.
If you are an undergraduate student at UNM, you could possible apply to the Shared Credit Program to start the MA program before completing all four of these courses, but we recommend completing two as an absolute minimum before applying. You can take the missing pre-requisite courses after admission to graduate status, but they do not count towards the required hours for the MA degree.
Juniors or seniors majoring or minoring in Linguistics at UNM may seek admission to the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Linguistics under the Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degree Program.
We encourage you to enroll at UNM as a non-degree student and take the prerequisite courses before applying.
The letter of intent should outline your background in linguistics, research interests and research experience specifically enough so that we can evaluate whether you would be a good fit for our programs. That will also make it possible for us to determine whether you would be best advised by any of our faculty members. Additional information can be found here.
We do not offer an MA/PhD in the area of TESOL/English/applied linguistics. Programs at the University of New Mexico that relate to applied linguistics include the PhD in Educational Linguistics and Language, Literacy & Sociocultural Studies.
Re-applying might be worthwhile only if there are significant changes in your application, such as additional qualifications or a substantial change in your area of interest.
*International applicants can find answers to many other questions in this site: https://international.unm.edu/faq-info/faq.html*
