Mission

The M.A. in Language and Communication is a professionally-oriented program that equips graduates with the skills and experience necessary for applying linguistics to real world problems. As part of the Linguistics Department at Georgetown University, MLC faculty, staff and students are committed to the Department’s vision of unique pluralism.

The MLC provides all the rigor of advanced sociolinguistic coursework with the flexibility to tailor classes and specializations to every student’s academic and professional interests. The program provides coursework, co-curricular professional development training and networking opportunities that prepare graduates to manage their careers and to be competitive for jobs in business, government, nonprofit and technology organizations.

Department of Linguistics Mission Statement

The Linguistics Department at Georgetown is committed to analyzing a diversity of linguistic phenomena through different modes of inquiry. Our view of language as a cultural, social, and psychological phenomenon leads us to examine the dialectic between what is universal and what is particular and unique across languages. We do so through analyses of the structure of language, the acquisition of language, the use of language in context, and computational models of language.

Our course curriculum, departmental areas of research, and individual research interests allow us to incorporate a wide range of modes of inquiry, including those drawn from the Humanities, Social Sciences, Logic and Mathematics, and Natural Sciences. By valuing the legitimacy and relevance of research at every level of analysis, and acknowledging that no one model of language can provide all the answers (or even address all the pertinent questions), we provide a foundation for linguistic study in a department that is built upon a tradition of unique pluralism.

For more information about the Linguistics Department, visit our department website.