Accelerated Pathway
The Accelerated Pathway is a flexible and individualized plan of graduate study for undergraduate students in their final year of a Carleton BA Honours degree. It allows fourth-year students with demonstrated academic excellence and aptitude for research to take up to 1.0 credit at the 5000-level while completing their BA Honours degree. Upon admission to the MA in Linguistics or the MA in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, students in the accelerated pathway will receive advanced standing for coursework completed at the 5000-level, which can reduce time to completion.
Students in their third-year of study in the BA Honours degree should consult with both the Undergraduate Advisor and the Graduate Supervisor to determine if the accelerated pathway is appropriate for them and to discuss their selection of courses for their final year of undergraduate studies.
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How to Apply for the Accelerated Pathway
- Verify that you meet the minimal overall CGPA of B+ (9.0);
- Meet with the undergraduate advisor to ensure that the graduate courses you are considering will also count toward your BA degree requirements;
- Email the graduate supervisor (a) a brief statement (of up to 500 words) of interest in the Accelerated Pathway, explaining your motivation and declaring your intent to apply for the MA program; (b) the list of courses at the 5000-level that you would like to take in the fourth year of undergraduate study (for the M.A. in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, please note that ALDS 5001 and ALDS 5002 are excluded); and (c) your student number;
- Once you have spoken with the undergraduate advisor and the graduate supervisor, please complete and submit the online form below.
Contact Information for the Undergraduate Advisor and Graduate Supervisors
Angel Arias
- Assistant Professor and Graduate Supervisor (Applied Linguistics & Discourse Studies); Director (Language Assessment and Testing Research Unit)
- Angel.Arias@carleton.ca
Karen Jesney
- Assistant Professor (Linguistics); Undergraduate Advisor (ALDS and LING)
- karen.jesney@carleton.ca
Tamara Sorenson Duncan
- Associate Professor and Graduate Supervisor (Linguistics)
- tamara.sorensonduncan@carleton.ca
Accelerated Pathway Form
Additional Information
- For more information about the accelerated pathway and admissions to the the MA in Linguistics, visit the Accelerated Pathway Requirements page of the Graduate Calendar.
- For more information about the accelerated pathway and admissions to the the MA in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, visit the Accelerated Pathway Requirements page of the Graduate Calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have compiled a few commonly asked questions. If you have any additional questions, please get in touch with the contacts listed above.
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The spring of your third year is an ideal time to apply, but applications later in the summer or even in the fall of your fourth year will also be considered.
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Typically, the Accelerated Pathway to the MA (ALDS and LING) is intended for undergraduate students in the ALDS or LING BA Honours and Combined Honours, as well as in the Linguistics and Discourse Studies BA Combined Honours. However, students in related majors can apply as well, especially if they have taken a number of courses in ALDS or LING as part of a minor or a concurrent Certificate in the Teaching of English as a Second Language.
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Yes, to be considered for admission into our MA program, you will still need to follow the standard graduate application procedure as described on the Graduate Admissions website.