Graduates of this advanced program will be qualified to serve in such roles as literacy specialist, sociolinguist, language surveyor, Scripture engagement specialist or anthropologist (depending on the concentration selected).

Degree Requirements
To complete a Master of Arts degree with major in Language Development (LD), every student is expected to complete

1. General Core Requirements
2. Requirements specific to his or her chosen concentration. Concentrations include:

• Ethnology
• Language Survey
• Literacy
• Scripture Use
• Sociolinguistics
• Student-Crafted

All LD students are expected to complete the general core. Each concentration has a set of "common courses," specific to that concentration, that are expected of all students working on a  degree in that concentration. In addition, all of the concentrations provide for sutdent to select either a thesis track or a non-thesis track (comprehensive exam) for completing their degree.

General Core Requirements

Master of Arts in Language Development:
Ethnology Concentration

Graduates of this degree program will be qualified to serve in specialist cross-cultural roles. In particular, SIL International will recognize graduates with this concentration as having completed the minimum academic training requirements to serve with that organization in the specialist role of anthropologist. [Note: SIL International may also require field experience, or impose other criteria, before confirming fitness for service in any specialist role.]

This page identifies requirements for the Ethnology Concentration with a thesis or non-thesis option. There are other program requirements for the degree.

Ethnology Course Requirements

Master of Arts in Language Development:
Language Survey Concentration

Graduates of this degree program will be qualified to serve in specialist cross-cultural roles. In particular, SIL International will recognize graduates with this concentration as having completed the minimum academic training requirements to serve with that organization in the specialist role of language surveyer.
[Note: SIL International may also require field experience, or impose other criteria, before confirming fitness for service in any specialist role.]

This page identifies requirements for the Language Survey Concentration with a thesis or non-thesis option. There are other program requirements for the degree.

Language Survey Course Requirements

Master of Arts in Language Development:
Literacy Concentration

Graduates of this degree program will be qualified to serve in specialist cross-cultural roles. In particular, SIL International will recognize graduates with this concentration as having completed the minimum academic training requirements to serve with that organization in the specialist role of Literacy Specialist.
[Note: SIL International may also require field experience, or impose other criteria, before confirming fitness for service in any specialist role.]

This page identifies requirements for the Literacy Concentration with a thesis or non-thesis option. There are other program requirements for the degree.

Literacy Course Requirements

Master of Arts in Language Development:
Scripture Use Concentration

Graduates of this degree program will be qualified to serve in specialist cross-cultural roles. In particular, SIL International will recognize graduates with this concentration as having completed the minimum academic training requirements to serve with that organization in the specialist role of Scripture Use specialist.
[Note: SIL International may also require field experience, or impose other criteria, before confirming fitness for service in any specialist role.]

This page identifies requirements for the Scripture Use Concentration with a thesis or non-thesis option. There are other program requirements for the degree.

Scripture Use Course Requirements

Master of Arts in Language Development:
Sociolinguistics Concentration

Graduates of this degree program will be qualified to serve in specialist cross-cultural roles. In particular, SIL International will recognize graduates of this concentration as having completed the minimum academic training requirements to serve with that organization in the specialist role of Sociolinguistics Consultant.
[Note: SIL International may also require field experience, or impose other criteria, before confirming fitness for service in any specialist role.]

This page identifies requirements for the Sociolinguistics Concentration with a thesis or non-thesis option. There are other program requirements for the degree.

Sociolinguistics Course Requirements

Master of Arts in Language Development:
Student-Crafted Concentration

Students may elect to seek the Master of Arts degree with major in Language Development without pursuing one of the pre-approved concentrations. The student must meet the general core requirements for the Language Development major, then may generally select from any course offered by GIAL to satisfy the concentration-specific requirements for the degree. In order to select this option, the student should
discuss it with a graduate advisor and meet at least the following requirements regarding courses selected:

1. The course may be included in a degree program of GIAL
2. The course has not already been specified as a general core requirement for the Master of Arts degree with a major in Language Development
3. All courses chosen have been approved by the student’s graduate advisor
4. A minimum of 50% of the courses incorporated into the concentration will be from the Language Development Department

Prerequisites for Unconditional Admission

1. Graduate Admission status
2. Satisfactory completion of undergraduate courses required for the Certificate in Applied Linguistics (or their equivalent), defined as an average GPA of at least 3.0 for these courses. [Note: Students who have taken equivalent courses at another university may petition, with proper documentation, to waive specific certificate courses as prerequisites for graduate studies at GIAL.]