The Accelerated Pathway (for third or fourth-year Carleton University students) is a flexible and individualized plan of graduate study for undergraduate students in their final year of a Carleton B.A. 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 B.A. Honours degree. Upon admission to the MA in Linguistics, you will receive advanced standing for coursework completed at the 5000-level, which can reduce your time to completion and help you save money.

For complete information, please visit the Accelerated Pathway Requirements page of the Graduate Calendar.

How to apply

The procedure to apply for the Accelerated Pathway is as follows:

  1. Verify that you meet the minimal overall CGPA of B+ (9.0)
  2. Meet with your undergraduate advisor to ensure that the graduate courses you consider taking will also count toward your BA degree requirements
  3. Email the LING 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 LING MA program; (b) the list of LING courses at the 5000 level that you would like to take in the fourth year of undergraduate study; and (c) a pdf of your audit.

The Graduate Supervisor will let you know when a decision has been reached.

When is the best time to apply?

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.

I am not majoring in Linguistics. Can I still apply?

Normally, the Accelerated Pathway to the MA program in LING is intended for undergraduate students in the LING BA Honours and Combined Honours, as well as in the Linguistics and Discourse Studies B.A. Combined Honours. However, students in related majors can apply as well, especially if they have taken a number of courses in LING as part of a minor in LING or a concurrent Certificate in the Teaching of English as a Second Language.

If I’m admitted into the Accelerated Pathway, do I still need to apply for the MA program?

Yes, to be considered for admission into our MA program, you will still need to follow the normal graduate application procedure as described here.