M.A. in Language & Communication
M.A. in Language & Communication

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to frequently asked questions about our program. For information about applying, please visit Joining the MLC: How, Who and When? or navigate to our Apply page.

This M.A. program is uniquely designed to find professional applications for the study of language and communication. It features an individualized curriculum to develop skills in linguistics, focusing on sociolinguistics and its applications. MLC students have the opportunity to sub-specialize in an additional area of Linguistics, or to draw broadly from many approaches to shape their program of study. 

Additionally, MLC students participate in professional socialization events and career education activities targeted for linguists, designed to enable them to better articulate how their skills and training are of particular value in workplace settings, institutions, and professions which depend largely upon language to accomplish their goals.

Georgetown Linguistics is one of the oldest, largest, and most diverse Linguistics departments in the discipline and is ranked #3 among departments in the Georgetown College of Arts & Sciences. Since 1949, we have been committed to the broad and deep study of language in all its forms. Our world-class faculty specializes in all areas of linguistics, including Sociolinguistics (with an especially strong expertise in qualitative Discourse Analysis), Applied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics, Phonetics, Phonology, Syntax, and Semantics. Research opportunities are available for students, both within and outside of the classroom context, and faculty are committed to mentoring students at both the Master’s and PhD levels. Finally, Georgetown offers the most comprehensive career training and professional development curricular and co-curricular opportunities for linguistics graduate students in the United States.

The MLC program is a shorter (and therefore less costly) Master’s program of 10 courses total, in which you take 2 fewer courses in formal linguistic theory than the MS in sociolinguistics (12 courses total). The MLC program does not have a language requirement, nor a Thesis requirement. Should you choose to write a Master’s Thesis, you will forgo 2 additional courses, bringing your paid tuition down to 8 courses. Both programs prepare graduates for PhD programs, should that be desired, and both send students on to rigorous doctoral programs. The MLC also has >90% post-graduate employment placement rate after 6 months.

Your 3 required “core courses” in sociolinguistics are taught by the sociolinguistics faculty. Our required courses in foundational linguistic theory (which you select from Sound (phonology), Form (syntax) or Meaning (semantics and pragmatics) are taught by our faculty in theoretical linguistics. Your required Graduate Proseminar in “Career Management for Linguists” is taught by Dr. Alexandra Johnston, Master’s Programs Director and sociolinguist. Faculty from other Georgetown programs, departments and schools, and local experts from the Washington D.C. community also teach and participate actively in our curriculum. Visit the Georgetown Linguistics Faculty page for more information about our faculty.

Professional socialization, advising, and coursework are three pillars of the MLC.

  • Events. Throughout the year, MLC students participate in professional socialization and career education events tailored for linguists. The Linguistics Career Talk Series brings 3-4 speakers every semester to talk about how they use their linguistic training in their career in business, government, nonprofit or tech organizations. The Annual Linguistics Career Mixer introduces students to linguists working in business, government, nonprofit and tech organization to learn about job opportunities for linguists.
  • Advising. The MLC Director holds regular individual student meetings every semester which involve tailored academic and career development and mentoring. 
  • Coursework. The Graduate Proseminar in “Career Management for Linguists”, a required course for MLC students, is designed to help you better realize your professional goals. You’ll develop tailored materials articulating how your skills and training are of particular value in a variety of workplace settings (for example, resumes, cover letters, STAR stories, pitches, and a method for holding informational interviews). You’ll learn how to research and apply to jobs by actually doing so using career management methods that will support you for your entire career.