| NOTE FROM THE GRADUATE SCHOOL ABOUT ADMISSION TO THE PHD PROGRAM: |
| The PhD program is not accepting applications for the 2025-2026 academic year. Please contact the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at grsphd@bu.edu with any questions. |
Applications for our MA and PhD programs open each year in September or October for admission into the following academic year. The deadline for PhD applications is January 6. We begin reviewing MA applications on January 15, but will continue to accept applications until March 15. We make recruitment decisions as a department, but you will still be asked to identify specific faculty members of interest in the admissions form. Each year, we anticipate being able to admit about five PhD students and five MA students. All admitted PhD students will receive full coverage of tuition costs plus a fellowship for five years. MA students can apply for financial aid opportunities from GRS and occasionally, we are able to provide partial tuition support as well. See the links below for more information about funding.
You will be asked for a personal statement, a writing sample, your transcripts, and three letters of recommendation in your application. We will also ask you to list any linguistics courses that you have or will take prior to beginning our program. We encourage you to use your personal statement to discuss your research plans and how you believe that your experience and our resources here at BU can help you achieve those goals.
Applications for our Graduate Certificate programs are accepted on a rolling basis. Current BU PhD students looking to apply for a GRS Graduate Certificate in Linguistics can contact the Director of Graduate Studies. Students seeking the MET Graduate Certificate in Linguistics (appropriate for those with a bachelor’s degree but without a linguistics background) can apply through the MET school below.
The links below provide more information about the application process.
Applications
