The Department of Languages and Linguistics is in charge of all language instruction at the university, so M.A. students have many opportunities for practical experience in teaching, as well as for research on second language acquisition. Teaching and research opportunities are also readily available in the surrounding community, where many people are in the process of acquiring English or Spanish. The degree requires 36 semester hours and has both thesis and non-thesis options. A comprehensive examination is required, in which students demonstrate competence in a range of areas within linguistics. Students specializing in Hispanic Linguistics may take up to 6 hours in Hispanic Literature.
Software is also available to assist in learning the basics of linguistic analysis.
El Paso's international metropolitan area contains over 2 million residents, and together with the surrounding areas offers an ideal location for the study of several aspects of linguistics, including language acquisition, linguistic variation, bilingualism, linguistic change, and language teaching. Native speaker informants for research work on a wide variety of languages are readily available. Teaching assistantships and scholarships are available on a competitive basis. Students choosing to focus on Hispanic Linguistics should be competent in both Spanish and English, and those focusing on Applied Linguistics should have had an undergraduate course in statistics. Interested students without the required undergraduate background are still strongly encouraged to apply.