About PhD Program,
The Ph.D. program provides comprehensive professional training for careers in research and teaching.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
All students in the Ph.D. program are required to complete a minimum of 33 credit hours of course and seminar work at the University of Hawai`i (exclusive of LING 800) beyond those counted toward their MA degrees (or, for students not holding an MA, beyond the core courses LING 410, 420, 421, 422, and 645). Courses in phonology (LING 621), grammar (LING 622), and methods are required of all Ph.D. students. Methods courses include: LING 630 (field methods), LING 632 (laboratory research), LING 750F (phonetic fieldwork on endangered languages), and LING 750Q (methods in language acquisition). Students interested in experimental research are strongly advised to take one or more courses in statistical analysis as well (e.g., EDEP 429, ESL 490 or 671).
Ph.D. students are required to demonstrate competence in one language other that their native language. They are also required to prepare two clearly and professionally written ‘publication-quality’ papers and pass a comprehensive examination, dissertation proposal defense, and final oral examination in defense of their dissertation.
PhD Funding Coverage,
All PhD students are financially supported for up to five years (10 semesters), provided they are making satisfactory progress in their degree program. Support is provided in the form of either (i) a Graduate Assistantship which includes a stipend and a full tuition waiver; or (ii) a Bilinski Dissertation Fellowship. (awarded to eligible students on a competitive basis once they have advanced to candidacy). Departmental support beyond five years is at the discretion of the faculty.
Application Requirement,
- Application form and appropriate fee;
- One official transcript from each post-secondary institution attended, including any study abroad or exchange programs, summer programs, and non-degree work and extension programs sent directly from the institution to the Graduate Division;
- Official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score report is required (for international applicants, as well as some immigrant and US applicants). Our program requires a minimum TOEFL score of 94 (internet-based test), with subtest scores of 25 for listening and 25 for speaking for admissibility and for waiver of English Language Institute (ELI) placement tests. We also accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of seven in place of the minimum TOEFL scores. TOEFL or IELTS scores cannot be more than two years old.
- Note: University of Hawaii Graduate Division is no longer accepting the Duolingo English Test.
- Verification of financial status (for international applicants).
- Submit supplemental materials specific to the Department of Linguistics
- Use the Graduate Division Websiteto submit the following supporting documentation that is specific to the Department of Linguistics. Be sure to submit everything as a .PDF file.
- Department of Linguistics Application Form (PDF)
- Three (3) Letters of Recommendation:
- We recommend using the Graduate Division Website to request letters of recommendation. Graduate Division will send the request to your letter writers and provide them a link for submitting their letters.
- If any of your letter writers have trouble loading their letter of recommendation onto the Supplemental Documents Website, another option is to Download the Department of Linguistics Letter of Recommendation Form [PDF].After signing the waiver, you may send it to the appropriate letter writers. Upon completion, they can email it to the lingadm@hawaii.edu address. Some letter writers may prefer not to use the form and will instead provide their letter of recommendation on their company’s letterhead. This option also works.
- A sample of your academic writing, such as a seminar paper. This must be written in English or ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.
- Statement of Objectives form [PDF]. You may prepare your statement as a separate file and include it as a (PDF) attachment along with this form.
Do not submit GRE scores; we do not accept the GRE as part of the admission packet.
Application Deadline,
August 15, 2025
Application Fee,
Application fee is $100 for all applicants. Application fees are NON-REFUNDABLE and may not be used for an application submitted at a later date. Applicants must pay by credit card.
