Master of Arts Program

Linguistics

The Graduate Linguistics Department was founded in 1989, in collaboration between Payap University and the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). Today over one hundred graduates from Asia, the Pacific Rim, the Americas, and Europe belong to the Linguistics Department alumni.

Southeast Asia hosts many languages belonging to five entirely different language families: Tai-Kadai, Tibeto-Burman, Hmong Mien, Austroasiatic, and Austronesian. Relatively little is known about the number, classification, and affiliation of individual languages in the region, and many of them are endangered. Only appropriately trained linguists can investigate these languages, guide the many communities who aspire to document, preserve and cultivate their cultural heritage, and skillfully translate or train to translate materials into their language. To meet this need, the Linguistics Department offers a strong field-linguistics-focused degree right in the center of where these languages are spoken.

Linguistics Department

Program Learning Outcomes by the end of the M.A. program, students should be able to:

  • Summarize the intellectual and ethical problems in a variety of linguistic domains and propose solutions.
  • Synthesize relevant literature and explain how it relates to their work.
  • Use appropriate analytical methods to solve a language problem.
  • Design and carry out a research project that accords with theoretical principles.

Applicant Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

  • Undergraduate GPA no lower than 3.00 on a 4.00-point scale.
  • Applicants with an undergraduate GPA between 2.50 and 3.00 may be granted probationary admission, subject to the condition that they earn no grade lower than a 3.00 during their first nine (9) credits of graduate study.
  • Minimum nine (9) credits of university-level courses in Articulatory Phonetics, Grammar, and Introductory Linguistics, subject to approval by the Administrative Committee. A GPA of 3.00 or higher must have been obtained in each of these courses.
  • Applicants lacking the required credits in Linguistics may be granted admission with the condition that they complete the prerequisite certificate courses in Foundational Linguistics offered by the Linguistics Department of Payap University with a grade equivalent to 3.00 or higher in each of the courses. The Foundational Linguistics courses are taught yearly from late May through the end of July.

Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in at least two languages, one of which must be English. This requirement may be fulfilled by having completed one of the following options:

1. Native speakers of English must have, within the last five years:

    • Taken undergraduate or graduate courses in a foreign language totaling not less than twelve (12) credits and received a GPA of not less than 3.00, or
    • Passed the P6 Thai examination of the Ministry of Education of Thailand, or
    • Passed a foreign language examination with a score equivalent to a 2+ on the ILR scale, or alternatively
    • Present documentation proving that they have been educated (secondary or post-secondary) in a language other than English.

2. Non-native speakers of English must have, within the last two years:

    • Passed the TOEFL with a score of 73 or greater on the Internet-based test, 211 or greater on the computer-based test, 550 or greater on the paper-based test, or
    • Passed the IELT with a score of 6.0 or greater on the reading and listening sections, or
    • Passed the OOPT at the level of C1 or higher, or
    • Received an equivalent score on a similar test approved by the Administrative Committee.
    • Documentation proving education (secondary or post-secondary) with English as the language of instruction.

The Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT) is available at the Language Enhancement Center (LEC), Payap University

Applicants whose knowledge of English is judged to be insufficient may be granted probationary admission status.

***Contact the Language Enhancement Center (LEC) located at the Mae Khao Campus 2nd Floor Library Building.
Telephone: (+66) 53 241 255 ext. 7450

Core courses

  • AL603 Phonological Analysis [3 credits]. Study the principles and methods of analyzing linguistic sound systems.
  • AL605 Grammatical Analysis [3 credits]. Study the principles and methods of analyzing grammatical structures.
  • AL608 Sociolinguistics [3 credits]. Study the structure and use of language in its social and cultural contexts with a focus on multilingual situations.
  • Research Methods Course Each student must take at least one course with a research methods component that is approved by the student’s Program Advisor.

 

Study Plan

Plan A2: Coursework and Thesis

Year 1
Semester 1
Semester 2
AL 603 PHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
3 (3-0-9)
AL 704 FIELD METHODS IN
4 (2-4-10)
AL 605 GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS
3 (3-0-9)
AL 706 LINGUISTIC DATA MANAGEMENT
2 (1-2-5)
AL 608 SOCIOLINGUISTICS
3 (3-0-9)
ELECTIVES
3
Total
9
Total
9
Year 2
Semester 1
Semester 2
TWO ELECTIVE COURSES
6
AL 799 THESIS (RESEARCH PROPOSAL & ETHICS WRITING LITERATURE REVIEW DATA COLLECTION)
12 (0-0-36)
Total
6
Total
12
Year 3
Semester 1
Semester 2
AL 799 THESIS (ANALYZING DATA WRITING DATA ANALYSIS WRITING ARTICLE FOR PUBLICATION)
Continuing
AL 799 THESIS (WRITING INTRODUCTION & CONCLUSION THESIS DEFENSE PREPARATION FORMATTING & PUBLISHING)
Continuing
Total
0
Total
0

Plan B: Coursework and Independent Study

Year 1
Semester 1
Semester 2
AL 603 PHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
3 (3-0-9)
AL 704 FIELD METHODS IN LINGUISTICS
4 (2-4-10)
AL 605 GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS
3 (3-0-9)
AL 706 LINGUISTIC DATA MANAGEMENT
2 (1-2-5)
AL 608 SOCIOLINGUISTICS
3 (3-0-9)
ELECTIVES
3
Total
9
Total
9
Year 2
Semester 1
Semester 2
AL 608 SOCIOLINGUISTICS
3 (3-0-9)
AL 797 INDEPENDENT STUDY (RESEARCH PROPOSAL & ETHICS* WRITING LITERATURE REVIEW*)
6 (0-0-18)
ELECTIVES
6
ELECTIVE
3
Total
9
Total
9
Year 3
Semester 1
Semester 2
Al 797 INDEPENDENT STUDY (DATA COLLECTION DATA ANALYSIS WRITING DATA ANALYSIS)
Continuing
Al 797 INDEPENDENT STUDY (WRITING INTRODUCTION & CONCLUSION IS PROJECT DEFENSE PREPARATION FORMATTING & PUBLISHING)
Continuing
ELECTIVE
3
(ORAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION**)
Total
3
Total
0