Ph.D. Degree Requirements | M.A. Degree Requirements

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Applications for admission are available from the University's Office of Graduate Studies (phone number 302-831-2129). Electronic applications are strongly encouraged and are available at http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice/applicants/. Applicants should arrange to have three letters of reference sent directly to: University of Delaware, Office of Graduate Studies, Hullihen Hall, Newark, DE 19716.

The application deadline for consideration for financial aid for Fall admission is February 1. It is in the interest of candidates to apply early. Applicants who are not seeking funding must apply by May 1. The deadline for Spring admission is November 1. Because the Ph.D. program requires a progression of courses from Fall to Spring, Spring admission is not recommended for applicants to the Ph.D. program and is rarely granted.

Students with a B.A./B.S. or M.A./M.S. in linguistics or in an appropriate related field may apply (related fields include, but are not limited to, English, Modern Languages, Psychology, Education, Cognitive Science, Philosophy, Mathematics, and Computer Science). Students without a degree in linguistics proper may be asked to take additional courses to meet minimum training in linguistics.

Applicants to the M.A and Ph.D programs are required to submit the following:

• A completed application form;
• Official transcripts from all previous universities or colleges;
• GRE scores (a minimum of 1050 on verbal and quantitative sections combined is required; the analytical score is also considered);
• Three letters of recommendation;
• A personal statement describing interests and objectives;
• A writing sample.
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Foreign students whose language of education is not English must also arrange to have original TOEFL scores submitted; a minimum score of 100 on the IBT (600 on the paper-based test, or an equivalent IELTS score of 7.0) is required for admission. Foreign students who hold a university degree from an institution in an English-speaking country are not required to submit TOEFL scores. Foreign students whose native language is not English and who are awarded a teaching assistantship must meet the Graduate School requirement for performance on either the Speak Test or the Test of Spoken English (TSE). See below for more on this requirement.

Admission to the graduate program is competitive. Those who meet the stated requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet all of those requirements necessarily precluded from admisssion if they offer other appropriate strengths.