PhD in Linguistics
The Department of Linguistics invites applications from students interested in pursuing a fully-funded joint PhD program in linguistics focusing on cross-disciplinary training and collaboration. Students will have a primary focus in linguistics, with secondary focus in another department in Arts, Sciences & Engineering.
The faculty in the Department of Linguistics are grounded in the traditional fields of formal linguistics, employing empirical methodologies to examine data and topics in experimental syntax, semantics, pragmatics, phonetics, laboratory phonology, and morphology in collaboration with researchers in allied fields. Our work incorporates contemporary issues and practices in language documentation, corpus linguistics, dialect variation and psycholinguistics.
Linguistics is a core member of Rochester's Center for Language Sciences, which also includes researchers in computer science, philosophy, and related departments, such as biomedical engineering, brain and cognitive sciences, as well as departments at the Eastman School of Music. At Rochester, cross disciplinary collaborative work is the norm.
Allied fields and requirements
Our PhD students often pursue cross-disciplinary research and degrees. Doctoral students may have a primary appointment and focus in linguistics, with a secondary affiliation in an allied department chosen at the time of acceptance into the program. If a student chooses an allied field, they are required to meet requirements in both departments, according to the requirements of linguistics and the allied departments in discussion with linguistics. For further information on allied fields, see the applying page. If you still have questions, please contact the director of graduate studies listed on our primary faculty directory page.
Please see our apply page for more information on our application process. Applications received by December 1 will receive fullest consideration. For further information, please contact linguistics@rochester.edu.
The PhD Handbook in Linguistics
A description of the PhD program, the requirements for the program, a list of the graduate courses and course descriptions, a timeline, and two sample schedules are found in the downloadable PhD Handbook. If you have trouble downloading this document or have any further questions, please contact ash.asudeh@rochester.edu.
For information about linguistics faculty and their research, visit their web pages: