Hello!
I am in my fourth (and last) year now at a Bachelor’s program called “Linguistics. The Theory and Practice of Sign Language Interpreting and Intercultural Communication”, but it features mostly practical courses in sign language and English, although we also have Introduction to Linguistics, Theoretical Grammar, Phonetics, Stylistics and other linguistic subjects.
I would like to do a PhD in Linguistics in the USA. As far as I know, it is possible to do that without having done an MA, but I am not sure what my chances are. I am currently doing research for my thesis (in Russian Sign Language linguistics) but I think it’s not good enough, because we haven’t been taught to do research properly (in my opinion), and the researchers at my university don’t work with sign languages (that’s why I want to study somewhere else).
My grades are pretty good (it will be 4.7 or 4.8 out of 5.0 by the end of the year), our group went to University College London twice for a month to study BSL and Linguistics there, so my English should be fine, I worked as an interpreter for a year, but I am not sure about my research potential.
My family can pay for an MA, even $40 000 a year, but I would like to make it easier for my family and try to get into a PhD program, or find a cheaper MA program. Do you have some advice for me? Where should I look?
P.S. My parents want me to study in a big city, like L.A. or New York, a place they know something about or where they know someone.
Look for a fully funded position - far more positions for Ph.D. students than masters. A Ph.D. will be cheaper than a masters for most people. You will usually get a teaching assistant or research position as part of your package. Many universities offer them, including ones in large cities like NYU. I’d do some research to see what area of linguistics you are interested in and then find a matching university based on rankings.
Thank you!
I have already done that, and it seems like the best options for me would be SDSU, UCSD, UCLA, NYU, University of Rochester, University of Pennsylvania, UChicago, University of Connecticut and Purdue University. But it’s a long list, and I know that some of them, like UCLA, are very difficult to get into.