HANDBOOK FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN LINGUISTICS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW II. ADMISSION TO GRADUATE STUDY IN LINGUISTICS Admission Requirements To the M.A. Program To the Ph.D. Program Admission Procedure Last Day for Completion of Applications III. FINANCIAL SUPPORT New Students Continuing Students Selection Time Limit Other Financial Resources Travel Support IV. ADVISING FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS New Students All Students Advising The Annual Review Guidance Committee Electronic Mail V. MASTER OF ARTS IN LINGUISTICS Requirements for the Master of Arts The MA Guidance Committee Master's Thesis (Plan A)	Thesis Proposal Thesis Thesis Credits Oral Examination Guidelines for Preparation of Thesis Proposals Master's Examination (Plan B) VI. PH.D. IN LINGUISTICS Requirements for the Ph.D. in Linguistics The Ph.D. Guidance Committee The Comprehensive Examination Guidelines for Preparation of Dissertation Proposals VII. ANNUAL REVIEW OF STUDENT PROGRESS Procedures Standards VIII. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND SAFETY Program policies concerning academic integrity Research involving human subjects IX. STUDENT CONDUCT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION X. WORK RELATED POLICIES Guidelines for Supervision of Teaching Assistants XI. UNIVERSITY RESOURCES Useful websites Linguists in Other Programs and Departments
Linguistics Faculty Alan Beretta Mutsuko Endo Hudson John Hale Grover Hudson Yen-Hwei Lin Marcin Morzycki Alan Munn Deo Ngonyani Cristina Schmitt Denise Troutman Suzanne Evans Wagner	For more information David K. Prestel, Chairperson Dept. of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages A-614 Wells Hall Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-1027 Telephone: (517) 353-0740 Fax: (517) 432-2736 e-mail: lingrad@msu.edu

The Handbook was approved by the linguistics faculty Spring Semester 1997, and last revised September 2007.

I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The mission of the Linguistics Program of the Department of LGSAAL is to increase understanding of the nature of human language. The Program focuses on linguistics as a branch of cognitive science. From this perspective, grammar is part of a system that represents, acquires, and uses knowledge of language.

The Program carries out its mission using the theoretical and methodological approaches of the natural sciences to investigate language. In addition to research, teaching, and other scholarly work on the core areas of sound, word, and sentence structure, as well as meaning, members of the Linguistics Program consider the mathematical character, biological basis, and social contexts of linguistic phenomena. The faculty of the Linguistics Program at MSU strive to help graduate students develop their full potential as teachers and scholars of linguistics, as well as become contributing members of the academic and nonacademic communities to which they belong.

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II. ADMISSION TO GRADUATE STUDY IN LINGUISTICS

Admission Requirements

1. TO THE MA PROGRAM: Applicants should have at least a 3.2 grade-point average in courses taken in the last two years of undergraduate study. Those whose average for these years is below 3.2 may be considered for provisional admission. Applicants should have completed at least two years of foreign language study at the college level and an introductory survey course in linguistics. Students may be admitted without these requirements but must enroll in LIN 401 in the first term in residence and, if possible, in an appropriate language course. Language enrollment must continue until deficiencies are made up. Credits received in meeting the language requirement and for LIN 401 cannot count toward the MA.
2. TO THE Ph.D. PROGRAM: Applicants must hold a bachelor's or master's degree in linguistics or related field. Applicants must also submit to the department a master's thesis or other sample of written work as evidence of their ability to conduct doctoral-level research. A 3.5 (A-) grade-point average in all previous graduate work is required for regular admission, but those whose average is below 3.5 may be considered for provisional admission. When students are accepted into the program, their previous work is reviewed and any necessary additional coursework is recommended.

Admission Schedule

All graduate students normally begin their course of studies in the Fall Semester and enroll for LIN 424 (Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology) and LIN 434 (Introduction to Syntax). Students may begin studies in the Spring Semester only if their previous coursework includes equivalents to LIN 424 and 434 or if they are making up admissions deficiencies in foreign language study and/or introductory linguistics.

Admission Procedure

1. Submit the application form and fee to the Department.
   Application forms are available on line from the Graduate School at: www.msu.edu/user/gradschl/apply.htm.
2. Have three persons well acquainted with your qualifications for graduate study in linguistics send letters of recommendation to the Department.
3. Have the registrar of each College or University you have attended send two official transcripts to the Department.
4. Submit to the Department a statement of purpose and summary of your academic background, mentioning previous study and other experience in linguistics and specific area(s) of linguistics which you are interested in studying. These statements should be 500-700 words (MA) or 700-1,000 words (Ph.D.).
5. Take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test and have your score sent to the Department.
6. If you are an international student and not a native-speaker of English, take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and have your score sent to the Department.
7. Applicants to the Ph.D. program should submit an MA thesis or research paper in linguistics, in English.

Last Day for Completion of Applications:

December 15 for the following Fall Semester
September 15 for the following Spring Semester

To be eligible for University and College Fellowship review, applications must be submitted and complete by November 30, for the following Fall Semester.

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III. FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Teaching Assistantships

Students who would like to be considered for teaching assistantships in the Department must follow the application procedures specified on the Department TA web page (http://www.msu.edu/~linglang/ta.htm) and submit the application materials to the Graduate Secretary. For teaching assistantships outside the Department in the College of Arts and Letters, follow the application procedures specified on the College of Arts and Letters graduate funding web page (http://www.cal.msu.edu/portals/AcadUnitGAs.htm). Teaching assistants at MSU are represented by the Graduate Employees Union (GEU): http://www.geuatmsu.org/

New Students

A few highly competitive fellowships, scholarships, and assistantships are available, including teaching assistantships in Asian and African languages. Candidates should indicate in their applications if they wish to be considered for such appointments. All applicants who express a need for assistance are considered for all appropriate University support. However, applicants are encouraged to seek outside funding for their graduate studies since the amount of local support available is highly competitive.

Continuing Students

1. TIME LIMIT: Departmental assistantships are awarded for a maximum of five years, with a maximum of two years at the MA level.  Assistantships offered by Department faculty and other units of the University, and other financial support to the student's study and research, such as grants and fellowships, are counted toward the time limits.
2. FUNDING ELIGIBILITY: AS a general requirement, students must be making satisfactory progress in the program with respect to GPA, course load, and number of DF grades (see Selection and Standards, below). Funding eligibility is also linked to the milestones in program completion given in section VII of this Handbook. Funding eligibility is determined for each year of enrolment in the program. Although the limits on total years of funding are fixed, students may be eligible for funding in their 3rd year (MA program) or 6th year (Ph.D. program).

   MA STUDENTS

   • To be eligible for funding in their second year, an MA student must have formed a guidance committee.
   • To be eligible for funding in the third year, an MA student must have an accepted MA Thesis proposal (Plan A) or an MA Exam reading list. (Plan B).
   • MA students beyond the third year are ineligible for funding.

   Ph.D. STUDENTS

   • To be eligible for funding in their third year, a Ph.D. student must have formed a guidance committee and filed the report of the committee paperwork.
   • To be eligible for funding in their fourth year, a Ph.D. student must have successfully completed at least one of the two comprehensive papers.
   • To be eligible for funding in their fifth year, a Ph.D. student must have completed both comprehensive papers.
   • To be eligible for funding in the sixth year, a Ph.D. student must be actively working on their dissertation, having completed both comprehensive papers and their dissertation proposal.
   • Ph.D. students beyond the sixth year are not eligible for funding.
3. SELECTION & STANDARDS: In addition to the criteria described above, which determine basic eligibility for funding, students must have maintained a satisfactory course load; have a GPA of at least 3.5 in LIN courses, exclusive of LIN 490 and LIN 890; and have a grade of at least 3.0 in all required courses. If at the end of a semester a graduate assistant fails to meet these standards, the graduate assistant will receive a warning and be allowed to hold the graduate assistantship for one additional semester. If at the end of the additional semester the graduate assistant has failed to meet the standards, the graduate assistantship will be withdrawn. To be eligible for teaching assistantships for LIN and IAH courses, students must have completed appropriate coursework. Those who achieve the highest standards in the faculty's annual review of students are favored for departmental financial support (primarily through teaching assistantships). However, other factors are taken into consideration, such as teaching experience and other evidence of teaching effectiveness. A student’s prior evaluation as a GA as reflected by the mid-semester and end of semester GA evaluation forms (and SIRS forms, in the case of TAs) will also be used to determine whether a student merits further funding. Students should not depend on departmental financial support. Changes in the Department's budget and reductions in enrollments may result in discontinuation of teaching assistant positions from term to term. Students seeking continuing departmental support who have applied for other sources of funding will receive positive consideration for having done so.
4. OTHER FINANCIAL RESOURCES: Teaching assistantships in other Departments may be available to linguistics graduate students, although these appointments may require coursework which will not contribute to progress towards a linguistics degree. There are also a number of research awards (e.g., dissertation research or completion) available outside the Department, some locally sponsored. It is each student’s responsibility to investigate these opportunities thoroughly. Departmental staff in charge of graduate studies can direct students to sources of such funding. Chairs of Guidance Committees and other faculty should also be consulted about such opportunities.
5. TRAVEL SUPPORT: Students who present papers at academic conferences or who need to travel in connection with their research may apply for financial assistance. The Department has a very limited amount of such funds available, often depleted early in the academic year. The Department will, however, assist students in requesting such financial support from other offices of the University (e.g., the College and the Graduate School), although it will usually not be possible to finance numerous trips or even single trips completely. The recommendation of the chair of the student’s Guidance Committee is usually the first step in such requests.

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IV. ADVISING FOR LINGUISTICS GRADUATE STUDENTS

The advising process in the linguistics program is designed to assist graduate students in designing and pursuing their course of graduate study. 'It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of and understand University regulations as published.' (See MSU 'Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities,' http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/default.pdf, sec. 2.3.3.) The advising process is also intended to assist students in meeting this responsibility.

New Students

The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) serves as the academic advisor for all new students, until they form their graduate committees. The DGS will normally schedule extra office hours before and during registration. When students meet with the DGS they will have the opportunity to ask questions about the requirements of the Linguistics Program. New students holding teaching assistantships who need to determine their academic schedules before registration may schedule an earlier appointment with the DGS.

All Students

1. ADVISING: All students are encouraged to see the DGS during scheduled office hours or by appointment prior to early enrollment, early registration, or registration for each academic term until they have formed a Guidance Committee. Thereafter, the student and the Guidance Committee Chair will agree upon the necessity of term-by-term advisement.
2. ANNUAL REVIEW: Annually before March 1 the linguistics faculty conducts a review of student progress. See Section VII 'Annual Review of Student Progress', below. For each student, a report of the annual review becomes a part of departmental records and a copy is provided to the student.
3. GUIDANCE COMMITTEE: All graduate students are responsible for the timely formation of a Guidance Committee. See 'The Ph.D. Guidance Committee' and 'The MA Guidance Committee' for specific requirements. Students should consult with the DGS about the procedures for forming a Guidance Committee. Once a Guidance Committee is appointed, the Guidance Committee Chair serves as your academic advisor.
4. MAIL: TA's have mailboxes in the mailroom; all other graduate students have mail file folders; students are expected to check their mail frequently. All students are given an MSU e-mail account, which they can activate by going to mail.msu.edu. Students do not need a computer of their own to send and receive mail; there are many campus locations for this purpose, including the CELSR Lab for linguistics students in A-704 Wells. The faculty will use this medium for regular contact with all students as part of the regular advising and instructional process. Additionally, through e-mail students will regularly receive announcements of interest.
5. FACULTY RETURN OF STUDENT WORK: In general, students submitting bibliographies, proposals, comprehensive papers or exams, or MA theses, for evaluation by faculty during the regular school-year should allow two weeks for response.
6. STUDENT FILES: Students may see their files. Disputes regarding contents of these shall be mediated and resolved consistent with sec. IX.
7. EXTERNAL FUNDED FELLOWSHIPS:  Receipt of externally funded fellowships by students who have written their own grant applications and worth at least $20,000 (direct costs) now makes the students eligible for in-state tuition rate. The in-state tuition rate applies only to the semesters during which the student is supported by the fellowship. This policy applies only to grants funded through a competitive process by a US institution/agency/foundation. Funds obtained through non-competitive processes (e.g., need-based fellowships) or from international sources do not qualify the students for in-state tuition rates. For more information contact Melissa Del Rio (mdelrio@msu.edu) in 110 Linton Hall.

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V. MASTER OF ARTS IN LINGUISTICS

Requirements for the Master of Arts in Linguistics

1. Fulfillment of all requirements of the University and College of Arts and Letters for the MA degree.
2. Completion of at least 30 credits in linguistics courses, including:

   LIN 424	Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology	3
   LIN 434	Introduction to Syntax	3
   LIN 824	Phonological Theory I	3
   LIN 834	Syntactic Theory I	3

   At least sixteen of the credits earned for the MA degree must be in courses numbered 800; LIN 401 may not be taken for graduate credit.
3. Thesis and oral examination (see below, Plan A) or a written examination in a chosen area of applied or theoretical linguistics (see below, Plan B).
4. ACADEMIC STANDARDS: Those enrolled in the Master's program must maintain a 3.2 grade-point average and not receive a grade below 3.0 in more than two courses. They must receive a minimum grade of 3.0 in the four courses listed under (2.) above. Students whose grade and/or grade-point average falls below the standards at the end of a semester will be allowed to stay in the program for the next semester, excluding summer, to make up the deficiencies. Students will be dismissed from the program if their academic performance falls below the standards for two semesters.

The MA Guidance Committee

1. By the fifth week of the third semester of enrollment in the program, the student should select a Guidance Committee. After obtaining the agreement of the prospective committee members, the student submits their names to the graduate secretary for approval and appointment by the Department Chair.
2. The Guidance Committee will consist of at least three faculty members, the majority of whom, including the Chair, must be members of the Linguistics Program as listed in the Graduate Handbook.
3. The responsibilities of the Guidance Committee are to:
   
   a. advise the student about general program requirements, and provide counsel and recommendations regarding coursework;
   
   b. for a student preparing a thesis, guide the preparation of and approve the thesis proposal, direct the preparation of and approve the thesis, and conduct and evaluate the oral examination;
   
   c. for a student taking an examination, guide the preparation of and approve the reading list for the examination and prepare, administer, and evaluate the written examination.
   
4. In most cases the student will work most directly with the chair of the committee, who is the student's principal academic advisor and professional mentor. The amount of participation of other members depends upon the nature and content of the student's program. Students may seek advice on Department, College, and University requirements from any member of the linguistics faculty.
5. Changes in the membership of the Guidance Committee are approved by the Department Chair upon consultation with faculty members involved and may be initiated by the student at any time.

Master's Thesis (Plan A)

1. THESIS PROPOSAL: In consultation with the Guidance Committee the student prepares a thesis proposal. Normally the proposal should be submitted not later than the term in which the student is to complete course requirements. (See 'Guidelines for the Preparation of MA Thesis Proposals.')
2. THESIS: Upon approval of the proposal by the Guidance Committee, the student will prepare a thesis. The thesis is a formal research paper normally at least 50 pages in length. It may be an expansion of a research paper prepared by the student for a course. The thesis should not emphasize topics which only peripherally demonstrate the student's linguistic abilities, or topics that involve mechanical skills such as segmentation or classification. The thesis should demonstrate the student's knowledge of linguistic theory and ability to deal with problems that arise in the application of linguistic theory. Previous linguistics MA theses of the Department are available in the office of the Department Chair for students to look at. Students must present a bound copy of the completed thesis to the Department.
3. THESIS CREDITS: A student presenting a thesis must enroll for 4 credits of LIN 899. (Credit will not be given for enrollment in more than 4 hours of LIN 899.)
4. ORAL EXAMINATION: The student will defend the thesis in an oral examination of at most two hours. The examination may include topics from the general area of linguistics of the thesis. The defense may be open to the public, upon agreement between the student and the Guidance Committee.

Guidelines for Preparation of MA Thesis Proposals

1. A student seeking the MA in linguistics under Plan A must submit a thesis proposal for approval by the Guidance Committee. The proposal assures the student and the committee that the contemplated thesis is a sound and feasible project.
2. The proposal should be addressed to readers with a general, rather than a specific, knowledge of the area of the proposed thesis (such as phonology, syntax, child language acquisition, sociolinguistics). The committee may wish to consult others, inside or outside the Department, in determining the soundness and feasibility of a proposed thesis.
3. The proposal should include:
   
   a. A statement of the topic or problem to be investigated. For example, it may propose to apply a particular linguistic model to some set of relevant data, or it may specify a particular question or questions to be investigated, together with one or more hypotheses to be examined. The proposal should convince readers that the thesis can be expected to be a worthwhile piece of scholarship and that its goals are not too extensive or too vaguely defined to be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time.
   
   b. A summary of relevant previous research and scholarship on the topic, showing that the matter involved has not yet been treated in a completely satisfactory way.
   
   c. A presentation of the theoretical foundations, sources of data, and methods of analysis to be employed.
   
   d. A statement of the nature of expected conclusions and their significance.
   
   e. A bibliography.
   
   f. A proposed title and preliminary outline of the expected organization of the thesis.
   
   
4. The proposal should be typed according to accepted standards of form for work in linguistics (e.g. the LSA Style Sheet). Exclusive of bibliography, the proposal would normally be from eight to twelve pages in length. When a draft has been approved by the Committee Chair, copies will be submitted to the rest of the Guidance Committee members. After the Guidance Committee has had at least two weeks during the regular academic year to read the proposal, the Committee Chair will ascertain whether the Committee (a) finds the proposal sufficiently promising, or (b) rejects it. In the former case the Committee will then meet with the student to discuss the proposed research. Such a discussion can be expected to result in helpful suggestions for the student, and may be an efficient way for the student to gauge the attitude of committee members towards his or her research project.

Master's Examination (Plan B)

1. Each Plan B student must pass a three-hour written examination in a particular area of linguistics. The student, in consultation with the Guidance Committee Chair, selects an area for the examination and prepares a bibliography of works in that area. The Guidance Committee approves the student's selected area and bibliography, and prepares the examination based on the bibliography. The Guidance Committee evaluates the examination on the scale High Pass/Pass/Low Pass/Fail. (Credit will not be given for enrollment in more than 3 hours of LIN 898.) Copies of prior exams are available to look at in the Graduate Secretary's office.
2. Normally the examination will be taken before the end of the term in which the student will complete course requirements. Students who fail the examination may retake it at most once within one additional semester.

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VI. PH.D. IN LINGUISTICS

Requirements for the Ph.D. in Linguistics

1. Candidates must fulfill all requirements of the University and College of Arts and Letters for the Ph.D. degree.
2. COURSEWORK: In preparation for the Comprehensive Examination, candidates typically will complete a minimum of three semesters of coursework in linguistics. The student's Guidance Committee will assist in selecting coursework. Those students lacking equivalents in previous studies must complete the following courses:
   

   LIN 431	Introduction to Morphology	3 cr.
   LIN 437	Semantics and Pragmatics	3 cr.
   LIN 441	Historical Linguistics	3 cr.
   LIN 824	Phonological Theory I	3 cr.
   LIN 825	Phonological Theory II	3 cr.
   LIN 834	Syntactic Theory I	3 cr.
   LIN 835	Syntactic Theory II	3 cr.

3. Ph.D. courses shall include two additional 800-level courses exclusive of LIN 890, at least one of which is designated LIN. Additional courses may be required by the student's Guidance Committee.
4. COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
   
   a. Two research papers of publishable quality in two different areas of linguistics and, for each paper, an oral examination of up to two hours, which may include a brief summary presentation by the student.
   
   b. At least one of the papers must be in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics or pragmatics.
   
   c. Working with the Guidance Committee Chair, the candidate prepares a brief proposal, typically 3-6 pages not including references (but possibly longer or shorter as the chair advises), for each research paper.
   
   d. The Guidance Committee must meet with the candidate to discuss and approve each proposal.
   
   e. If either paper is found unsatisfactory by the committee (i.e. if either paper receives a Fail grade on the evaluation scale of High Pass – Pass – Low Pass – Fail), a new paper may be proposed, submitted and defended at most once. In case the student wants to challenge the outcome of the evaluation, he/she should follow the procedures given below in Section IX Conflict Resolution.
   
   f. Both parts of the Comprehensive Examination must be completed before the submission of the dissertation proposal. It is a University regulation that all parts of the Comprehensive Examination must be completed by the end of the fifth year of enrollment in the Ph.D. program. However, students are expected to have completed their Comprehensive Examination by the end of sixth semester (for full time students).
5. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT: Candidates must (a) satisfy the language requirement for admission to the MA degree and (b) present evidence of structural knowledge of a language outside the Germanic, Romance, and Slavic families by:
   
   i. completing at least the first semester of a first-year course in such a language (students may enroll in 2 credits of LIN 890 (Independent Study) for this purpose), or
   
   ii. completing LIN 881 (The Structure of a Non-European Language), or
   
   iii. presenting a record of study or evidence of knowledge of such a language at least equivalent to that specified in i. or ii. above.
   
   
6. The languages used to satisfy (a) and (b) may be the same. Candidates shall fulfill this requirement before beginning the Comprehensive Exam.
7. Ph.D. DISSERTATION PROPOSAL: A dissertation proposal of approximately 10-15 pages (exclusive of bibliography) is prepared following satisfactory completion of the Comprehensive Examination. See below, “Guidelines for Preparation of Dissertation Proposals”.
8. Ph.D. Dissertation: Upon approval of the proposal by the Guidance Committee, the student will prepare a dissertation. The dissertation is a book-length scholarly work which is based on original research and which makes a significant contribution to knowledge in some area of theoretical and/or applied linguistics. Each student must register for a minimum of 24 credits of doctoral dissertation research (LIN 999). Previous linguistics dissertations of the Department are available in the office of the Department Chair for students to look at. Students must present a bound copy of the completed dissertation to the department.  Students must be enrolled for at least 1 credit during the semester the student is defending his/her dissertation, including the Summer semester.
9. Ph.D. Dissertation Defense: With the approval of the student’s Guidance Committee, a dissertation defense of 3 hours will be scheduled, at which the student will respond to questions from the Committee, as well as one additional faculty member from outside the Linguistics Program if all Guidance Committee members are from the Linguistics Program (see item 3c below under “The PhD Guidance Committee). This defense will be open to the public.
10. ACADEMIC STANDARDS: Those enrolled in the doctoral program must maintain a 3.5 grade-point average and must not receive a grade below 3.0 in more than two courses. They must receive a grade of 3.0 or higher in each of the courses listed in 3 above. Students whose grade and/or grade-point average falls below the standards at the end of a semester will be allowed to stay in the program for the next semester, excluding summer, to make up any deficiency. Students will be dismissed from the program if their academic performance falls below the standards for two semesters.

The Ph.D. Guidance Committee

1. By the fifth week of the third semester of enrollment, the student should select a Guidance Committee. After obtaining the agreement of the prospective committee members, the student submits their names to the graduate secretary for approval and appointment by the Department Chair. When the committee is formed, the committee and the student shall meet and prepare a report stating:
   
   a. the areas for the Comprehensive Examination.
   
   b. coursework required to prepare for the Comprehensive Examination.
   
   c. the tentative subject of the dissertation.
2. The Guidance Committee will consist of at least four faculty members, the majority of whom, including the Chair, must be members of the Linguistics Program listed in the Graduate Handbook.
3. The responsibilities of the Guidance Committee are to:
   
   a. advise the student about general program requirements, and provide counsel and recommendations regarding coursework.
   
   b. supervise and evaluate the Comprehensive Examination by guiding the preparation of and approving the proposals for the papers, directing the preparation of and approving the papers, and conducting and evaluating the oral defenses.
   
   c. guide the preparation of and approve the dissertation proposal, direct the preparation of and approve the dissertation and conduct and evaluate the oral defense. If all Guidance Committee members are in the Linguistics Program, the at least 3 weeks prior to the defense the Guidance Committee Chair will locate a faculty member from outside the Linguistics Program who is willing to read the dissertation, participate in the defense (but not the evaluation), and optionally provide comments to the Department Chair.
4. In most cases the student will work most directly with the Chair of the Committee, who is the student's principal academic advisor and professional mentor. The amount of participation of other members depends upon the nature and content of the student's program. Students may seek advice on Department, College, and University requirements from any member of the linguistics faculty.
5. Changes in the membership of the Guidance Committee are approved by the Department Chair upon consultation with faculty members involved and may be initiated by the student at any time.

Guidelines for Preparation of Dissertation Proposals

1. The dissertation proposal is prepared following satisfactory completion of the Comprehensive Examination. The purpose of the proposal is to assure the candidate and the Guidance Committee that the proposed dissertation is a sound and feasible project.
2. The proposal should be addressed to readers with a general rather than specific knowledge of the field of the dissertation (such as semantics, phonology, language acquisition), comparable to an application for a fellowship or research grant by a mature scholar. The committee may wish to consult others, inside or outside the Department, in determining the soundness and feasibility of a proposed dissertation.
3. The proposal should include:
   
   a. A statement of the problem or problems to be investigated and a hypothesis or set of hypotheses to be tested. The proposal should convince readers that the dissertation may be expected to make a significant contribution to scholarship, and that the goals of the dissertation are not too extensive or too vaguely defined to be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time.
   
   b. A summary of relevant previous research and scholarship on the topic, showing that the matter involved has not yet been treated in a completely satisfactory way.
   
   c. A presentation of the theoretical foundations, sources of data, and methods of analysis to be employed.
   
   d. A statement of the nature of expected conclusions and their significance.
   
   e. A bibliography.
   
   f. A proposed title and a preliminary outline of the expected organization of the dissertation.
4. The proposal should be typed according to accepted standards of form for work in linguistics (e.g. the LSA Style Sheet). Exclusive of bibliography, the proposal would normally be from ten to fifteen pages in length. When a draft has been approved by the Committee Chair, copies will be submitted to the rest of the Committee members. After the committee has had at least two weeks during the regular academic year to read the proposal, the Committee Chair will ascertain whether the Committee (a) finds the proposal sufficiently promising, or (b) rejects it with advice for resubmission. Students shall have one opportunity to resubmit. In the former case the Committee will then meet with the student to discuss the proposed research. Such a discussion can be expected to result in helpful suggestions for the student, and may be an efficient way for the student to gauge the attitude of Committee members towards his or her research project.

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VII. ANNUAL REVIEW OF STUDENTS IN GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN LINGUISTICS

For the purposes of providing information to students on their academic progress and professional potential, and to the faculty for consideration in their decisions on awarding financial aid and in evaluating programs, the faculty review annually the progress of all graduate students in linguistics. (See MSU 'Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities,' http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/default.pdf, article 2.2)

Procedures

1. The review takes place annually before March 1.
2. The review is based on factors and standards described below.
3. Departmental staff responsible for graduate student records prepare a report for all graduate students, reflecting performance on each of the factors listed below.
4. The DGS for linguistics examines the initial reports, consults with Chairs of Guidance Committees paying particular attention to the unsatisfactory reviews, and meets with the entire faculty to complete the review.
5. For each student, a report of the annual review becomes part of the departmental records and a copy is provided to the student. Students may challenge the results of the annual review consistent with the procedure on conflict revision in sec. IX.

Standards

Five factors of student progress are considered: (1) grade-point average, (2) number of deferred grades, (3) program completion progress, (4) course-load, and (5) achievement in the field of linguistics. Standards for each of these are described below. In their decisions, the faculty give due consideration to special circumstances of individuals, such as illness or family responsibilities. Students should make sure their advisors know about any special circumstances and/or achievements in the field of linguistics

1. Grade Point Average: Courses counted for the GPA are those recognized by the Department and the University as applicable to the graduate degree. A GPA of 3.5 is satisfactory and 3.8 highly satisfactory.
2. Deferred Grades: Grades should not be deferred without the strong justification of factors such as extended illness of student or instructor. More than two deferred grades received in the previous 12 months.  The required work must be completed and a grade reported within 6 months with the option of a single six-month extension.  If the required work is not completed within the time limit, the DF will become U-Unfinished and will be changed to  DF/U under the numerical and Pass-No Grade (P-N) grading systems, and to DF/NC under the Credit-No Credit (CR-NC) system.  This rule does not apply to graduate thesis or dissertation work.
3. Program Completion Progress: The following schedule shows time limits for satisfactory progress, in number of semesters of enrollment in the program (excluding summers).

   Students	Requirements	Number of Semesters
   a. All	Guidance Committee	3
   b. MA	Thesis Proposal	4
   c. MA	Thesis/exam Complete Requirements	6
   d. Ph.D.	Coursework and 1st Comprehensive paper	6
   e. Ph.D.	2nd Comprehensive paper	8
   f. Ph.D.	Dissertation Proposal	9
   g. Ph.D.	Dissertation Defense	10

   Time limits are appropriately extended for those who are necessarily part-time students for reasons other than holding a quarter or half-time assistantship.
4. Course-Load: Except during the first term of residence, students enrolled for only 400-level courses should enroll for more than the minimum satisfactory number of credits per term. Satisfactory course load for full-time students:
   
   a. Full-time MA 9 credits
   
   b. Full-time PH.D. 6 credits*
   
   c. Quarter-time GA 6 credits
   
   d. Half-time GA 6 credits
   
   e. Three quarter-time GA 3 credits
   
   
   *Full time status for doctoral students is defined as a minimum of 1 credit for those students who:
   i. Have successfully completed all comprehensive examinations and are actively engaged in dissertation research, or
   ii. Are doing department-approved off-campus fieldwork related to preparation of their dissertation.
   
   Highly satisfactory is at least one term of enrollment in the preceding year for more than the satisfactory number of credits.
5. Achievement in the Field of Linguistics: Highly satisfactory achievements are professional accomplishments beyond course and program requirements, such as publications, presentations at linguistics conferences, grant submissions to national funding agencies, teaching awards, etc.

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VIII. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH

1. Students and faculty are expected to be familiar with and to abide by the Guidelines for Integrity in Research and Creative Activities. (http://grad.msu.edu/all/ris04activities.pdf).
2. Generally, in linguistics the two most serious kinds of violations of academic integrity are falsification of data and plagiarism. Falsification of data is changing or making up data and presenting these data as though they were the result of an experiment, questionnaire, or fieldwork collection project. Plagiarism is the use of another's work, ideas, or writings (including things found on the internet) without proper attribution. If you are in doubt as to when you need to cite a source, and the form your citation should take, you can ask your advisor, or check the Harvard guide Writing with sources, www.fas.harvard.edu/~expos/index.cgi?section=resources.
3. Program policies concerning academic integrity.
   
   a. Any violation of academic integrity by a student will be handled according to University regulations (http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/RegsOrdsPolicies.html), and may be considered grounds for the award of a penalty grade of failure for the course in which it occurred; such award of a penalty grade involves also a report to the student's academic dean, in writing, of the relevant circumstances.
   
   b. Any suspected instance of a violation of academic integrity by a graduate student in linguistics will be reported to the DGS, before any other action is taken.
   
   c. If it is established that a violation has in fact occurred, and if it is the first violation for that student, the student will be given a warning, in writing, that any subsequent occurrence may result in dismissal from the program.
   
   d. The DGS will keep a permanent record of all occurrences of violations of academic integrity by graduate students in linguistics.
4. Research involving human subjects.
   
   Graduate students who carry out research involving human subjects, and who might at any future time publish any part of the results of such research, must comply with the policies and procedures of the University Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). Prior approval of the relevant IRB is required for such research. The regulations may be found at the Human Research website: http://www.humanresearch.msu.edu/. Note that MA theses and doctoral dissertations are considered publications.

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IX. CONFLICT RESOLUTION

1. for Graduate Studies, who may meet with one or both of the individuals involved. Following that the Department Chair should be consulted, if necessary. Conflicts which cannot be resolved at the Department level should be reported to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. At the request of the student the case can go before the Department Grievance Board (see Dept. bylaws section 5.5 and article 5 of Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities: Adjudication of Cases Involving Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities, in particular 5.3 Redress of Grievances following the procedures outlined in 5.4 Juridical Procedures). Students may also file a formal grievance at the College level following the "Arts and Letters Procedures for College Graduate Hearing Board" available at http://www.cal.msu.edu/portals/Graduate.htm. The Graduate School offers workshops and useful information on Conflict Resolution (http://grad.msu.edu/conflict.htm). Students may also contact the University Ombudsman (http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/www.html) for help in resolving conflicts.
2. The Graduate School offers workshops and useful information on Conflict Resolution. See http://grad.msu.edu/conflict.htm
3. Changes in the membership of the Guidance Committee are approved by the Department Chair upon consultation with faculty members involved and may be initiated by the student at any time.

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X. WORK RELATED POLICIES

1. See section III above - "Financial Support" - for program policies and procedures regarding the award of TAships.
2. Other policies and procedures may be found in the MSU/Graduate Employees Union (GEU) contract, available at: http://grad.msu.edu/geu/agree.pdf
3. Guidelines for supervision of graduate assistants.
   
   a. Graduate assistants (both TAs and RAs) meet with their supervising faculty members before the beginning of the semester to assure that they fully understand and accept their responsibilities. For TAs, this includes adhering to the University's Code of Teaching Responsibility. Responsibilities of half-time and quarter-time graduate assistants should require an average of 20 and 10 hours per week, respectively, for the 18 weeks of the appointment.
   
   b. Graduate assistants will be provided, by their supervising faculty, with the materials and information needed to perform their duties. For TAs, this will include textbooks; for all graduate assistants, this will include any needed technology access, or other project-related supplies.
   
   c. At the mid-point and end of each semester, the graduate assistant will receive a written evaluation of the work performance to date. These reports will be copied to the DGS. Faculty supervisors and graduate assistants will discuss and attempt to correct problems that are reported in these evaluations.

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XI. UNIVERSITY RESOURCES

Useful Websites

1. Academic Programs
   http://www.reg.msu.edu/ucc/ucc.asp
2. Graduate Students Rights and Responsibilities (GSRR)
   http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/default.pdf
3. MSU/GEU Contract
   http://grad.msu.edu/geu/agree.pdf
4. Guidelines for Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Relationships
   http://www.msu.edu/user/gradschl/all/ris04relations.pdf
5. Guidelines for Integrity in Research and Creative Activities
   http://grad.msu.edu/all/ris04activities.pdf
6. University Institutional Review Boards
   http://www.humanresearch.msu.edu/
7. Prep program for graduate students' professional development
   http://grad.msu.edu/cpd.htm
8. If you will be traveling abroad for research, please contact the following offices.
   1. Check with the MSU Travel Clinic.  They will let you know of any health risks or immunizations.  http://www.travelclinic.msu.edu/
   2. Check the International Studies and Programs website for issues related to safety around the world.   http://keywords.msu.edu/viewpathfinder.asp?id=31
   3. Apply for assistance with travel funding via the Graduate School.  If the Graduate School provides funding, they will also provide a MEDEX emergency card.
9. The new publishing agreement for thesis/dissertations with ProQuest now provides an “Open Access Publishing Option” as an alternative to the traditional publishing option. A student selecting the Open Access option will not be eligible to receive royalties. For more information visit: http://proquest.com/products_umi/dissertations/epoa.shtml

Linguistics Adjunct Faculty

José R. Benkí: Speech perception; word recognition; Spanish and Mandarin phonetics; sociophonetics
Carol Myer-Scotton: Sociolinguistics (especially socio-pragmatics) and language contact, with special reference to the Bantu languages of Eastern and Southern Africa

Linguists in Other Programs and Departments

Linguists and professors in related fields who teach in other Programs and Departments of the University offer courses relevant to linguistics graduate study and often serve as members of Guidance Committees of linguistics graduate students.

Communication
Mary Bresnahan: Language attitudes, Southeast Asian languages

Communicative Sciences and Disorders
Michael Casby: Child language development and disorders
John Eulenberg: Afro-Asiatic languages, Germanic linguistics, computational linguistics, voice synthesis, augmentative communication
Brad Rakerd: Instrumental and acoustic phonetics
Ida Stockman: Normal and deviant speech-language development

Computer Science and Engineering
Joyce Chai: Natural language processing, multimodal conversational systems

English
Lister Matheson: History of English
Dennis Preston: Sociolinguistics, dialectology, language variation and second language acquisition
Geneva Smitherman: Sociolinguistics, Ebonics
James Stalker: English linguistics and dialect studies

French
Anne Violin-Wigent: French linguistics, SLA

German
Thomas Lovik: German linguistics and language teaching

Second Language Studies
Rebecca Foote: Spanish linguistics, SLA, psycholinguistics
Debra Friedman: TESOL, language socialization
Susan Gass: TESOL, SLA
Senta Göertler: SLA, German languages and literatures
Shawn Loewen: TESOL, SLA, L2 classroom interaction
Debra M. Hardison: TESOL, SLA, spoken language processing and production, applications of technology
Charlene Polio: TESOL, SLA, L2 writing
Diana Pulido: SLA, psycholinguistics
Patti Spinner: SLA
Paula Winke: TESOL, SLA, language assessment

Spanish
Gabriela Alfaraz: Sociolinguistics
Patricia Lunn: Spanish linguistics, Catalan
Eve Zyzyk: Spanish linguistics, SLA

Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures
Denise Troutman: African American English, language and society, discourse analysis

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