linguistics phd jobs

Doctoral Program

The Ph.D. program emphasizes rigorous theoretical work that has at its base a firm empirical foundation in language data.

Students are provided with a broad-based background in linguistics, teaching experience in the classroom and other forums, and opportunities for original and high-quality research. Our Ph.D. students write dissertations on a wide range of topics spanning and bridging many subareas of the field. See our Ph.D. Alumni page for dissertation titles and job placement information.

Overview of the Program

Through the completion of advanced coursework and strong methodological and analytical training, the Ph.D. program prepares students to make original contributions to knowledge in linguistics, to articulate the results of their work, and to demonstrate its significance to linguistics and related fields. At every stage in the program, students are encouraged to present and publish their research and to develop active professional profiles.

Students generally complete the program in five years

Coursework in core areas of linguistics, chosen by each student in consultation with faculty advisors to build the foundation that best suits their interests and goals.
Fall Quarter: Includes seminar to introduce students to the research of faculty in the department
Winter Quarter: Includes participation in small research groups or in one-on-one apprenticeships
Spring Quarter: Includes beginning to work on the first of 2 qualifying research papers

Years 2 and 3

Balance shifts from coursework to development of research skills
Students complete two qualifying papers and then selects a principal advisor and committee for their dissertation by the end of year 3.

Years 4 and 5

Devoted to dissertation and advanced research

Teaching Experience

As they move through the Ph.D. program, students also gain teaching experience by serving as teaching assistants in their second, third, and fourth year of graduate study. They also have access to the many programs provided by Stanford's Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning , including the varied resources of the Teaching Commons .

Offers of admission to the Linguistics P.h.D program include funding for the full five years of doctoral study, including tuition and stipend, regardless of citizenship.

We also encourage our applicants to apply for as many external fellowships and scholarships as they are eligible for; a compilation of funding opportunities for Linguistics graduate students can be found on our Fellowship and Funding Information page . Applicants should note that the deadlines for these fellowships are typically in the fall of the year prior to admission.

In addition, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program is designed to build a multidisciplinary community of Stanford graduate students dedicated to finding creative solutions to the world's greatest challenges. The program awards up to 100 high-achieving students every year with full funding to pursue a graduate education at Stanford, including the Ph.D. degree in Linguistics.

Additional information is available about the student budget , Stanford graduate fellowships , and other support programs .

Outside the classroom, there are many opportunities, both formal and informal, for the discussion of linguistic issues and ongoing research, including colloquia, workshops, and reading groups.

Partnership Opportunities

Although not part of the formal doctoral program, there are numerous opportunities for research and development work at the Center for the Study of Language and Information and off-campus at local companies.

Admissions Information

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Lecturer African Linguistics 1

Vacancy number 14871Job type Academic staffHours (in fte) 0,5External/ internal Internal, ExternalLocation LeidenPlaced on 14 May 2024Closing date 7 June 2024 22 more days to applyThe Faculty of Humanities, is looking for aLecturer African Linguis...

Researcher (Predoc/Postdoc) for qualitative research project (family sociology)

Offer DescriptionThe Centre for Demographic Research of UCLouvain (Belgium – www.uclouvain.be/demo) recruits a researcher (Predoc/Postdoc) for a qualitative research project on social norms of motherhoodProject DescriptionWhat does it take to be a...

English proficiency teaching assistant

The teaching assistant teaches within the English curriculum of the combined Languages BA programme. He/she formally resorts under the department of Linguistics. Responsibilities You work together ...

Junior Professorship | Professorship – English Language and Business Communication — Department Business & Management

Join the Entrepreneurial School® MCI mentors the motivated. Meanwhile, 3,500 students, 1,000 faculty, 300 partner universities as well as thousands of alumni and employers worldwide have come to ap...

Humanities and Social Sciences Program Director Position

Wenzhou-Kean UniversityWenzhou-Kean University (WKU), located in Wenzhou, China, one of three Sino-American universities along with NYU Shanghai and Duke Kunshan University, is approved by the Ministry of Education of China. Launched in 2012, WKU ...

PhD Candidate: The Interplay of Experience and Concreteness in Smell and Flavour Languages

Employment 1.0 FTEGross monthly salary € 2,770 - € 3,539Required background Research University DegreeOrganizational unit Faculty of ArtsApplication deadline 14 June 2024Are you passionate about the nuances of sensory experiences and how we commun...

Doctoral fellow - Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication

Last application date Jul 15, 2024 00:00Department LW22 - Department of Translation, Interpreting and CommunicationContract Limited durationDegree You hold (or will obtain during the application period) a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence...

PhD Student on the topic "Audiovisual scene analysis and cognitive performance for speech perception in multi-person scenarios in eXtended Reality (XR)" (f/m/d)

In the Audiovisual Technology Group, Ilmenau Interactive Immersive Technologies Center (https://www.tu-ilmenau.de/i3tc) at the Technische Universität Ilmenau (Germany) is a vacancy for aPhD Student on the topic "Audiovisual scene analysis and cogn...

Research professor - open to all scientific fields (Open BOFZAP)

The KU Leuven announces the vacancy of full-time academic positions as 'research professor' that are open to all research profiles from the various scientific fields. These positions are intended f...

PhD Student - Department of Literary Studies

Last application date Jul 15, 2024 00:00Department LW07 - Department of Literary StudiesContract Limited durationDegree Master’s degree in Classics (with a focus on Greek), Byzantine Studies, or a diploma in the same fieldOccupancy rate 100%Vacanc...

Postdoctoral fellow - Department of Literary Studies

Last application date Jul 15, 2024 00:00Department LW07 - Department of Literary StudiesContract Limited durationDegree doctoral degree in Classics or Byzantine Studies, with a focus on GreekOccupancy rate 100%Vacancy type Research staffJob descri...

ELA Instructor - Accepting Applications

Why the American University of Iraq—Baghdad?The new American University of Iraq – Baghdad (AUIB) opened in Spring of 2021 and is now hiring for ELA Instructors for its English Language Academy. AUIB began as a dream of influential individuals in ...

Professor/ Associate Professor - Linguistic studies, Modern literature, Literary criticism

The University of Nizwa announces the availability of academic positionsCollege of Arts and Sciences About University of Nizwa The University of Nizwa is the second top universities in the Sultanate of Oman and the first among the private universi...

Academic positions - English Education, Teacher Education, Applied Linguistics, TESOL, TESL

The University of Nizwa announces the availability of academic positionsFoundation InstituteAbout University of Nizwa The University of Nizwa is the second top universities in the Sultanate of Oman and the first among the private universities in r...

Doctoral fellow - Department of Languages and Cultures

Last application date Apr 30, 2024 00:00Department LW21 - Department of Languages and CulturesContract Limited durationDegree Master's degreeOccupancy rate 100%Vacancy type Research staffJob descriptionApplications are invited for one full-time Ph...

Post-doctoral fellowship - Project ANR SHERBET : Stemmatology for the HEbRew BiblE Transmission - Artificial Intelligence to understand the transmission of the Hebrew Bible

DescriptionBefore the appearance of the printing press, the only way of reproducing and spreading a text in written form was manual copying. During this process, accidents, errors and intentional modifications occurred, progressively modifying the...

Research Assistant - Historical and general inguistics (Prof. Vietti)

CallRector's Decree n. 848/2024 of 24.05.2024Call (PDF)Online application (LINK)ProjectDID - New Perspectives on Diphthong DynamicsDeadline for sending applications and publications27.06.2024 at 12:00 PM (noon)Number applications0

PhD Candidate: Civic Fictions Project

Employment 0.8 - 1.0 FTEGross monthly salary € 2,770 - € 3,539Required background Research University DegreeOrganizational unit Faculty of ArtsApplication deadline 13 June 2024Do you want to contribute as a PhD candidate to a groundbreaking Vici p...

CDI: English Language Instructor

Situated within the dynamic Mohammed VI Green City in Benguerir, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is a pioneering institution committed to global excellence in higher education. With a strong focus on sustainability and innovation, UM6P i...

CDI: French Language Instructor

Cdi: senior lecturer in french language, research assistant - german language, translation and linguistics (prof. abel).

CallRector's Decree n. 804/2024 of 21.05.2024Call (PDF)Online application (LINK)ProjectTEXTBILD: Vergleichende Analyse und Bewertung von Textqualität in Bildungskontexten im deutschen SprachraumDeadline for sending applications and publications05....

PhD Student - Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication

Last application date Jun 30, 2024 00:00Department LW22 - Department of Translation, Interpreting and CommunicationContract Limited durationDegree a (European) master's degree relevant for the research project (e.g. languages, literature, translat...

Education and outreach specialist (27273)

→ Apply before 20/06/2024 (DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time)→ Department: LW21 - Talen en Culturen→ Occupancy rate: 100%→ Number of positions: 1→ Type of employment: Contract of limited duration→ Term of assignment: Maximum period of 6 month...

PhD student: Exploring Moral Emotions through Conversational Interaction

Position PhD-studentIrène Curie Fellowship NoDepartment(s) Industrial DesignFTE 1,0Date off 15/06/2024Reference number V51.7442Job descriptionWe invite applications for a fully-funded 4-year doctoral position on exploring moral emotions through co...

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What kinds of jobs can a linguist get?

One of the most common questions I get asked as a linguistics professor is ‘What kind of jobs can I get as a Linguist?’. What you can do depends on what you enjoy doing, and how advanced a degree you want to (and can) get. I’ve given some of my thoughts below, in a post originally to my blog, but now adapted as a more formal part of my site, and last updated it in January of 2022 .

In this article I’ll discuss…

What sort of jobs are available with a BA/BS in Linguistics?
What good does a Master’s Degree in linguistics do?
Should I get a Ph.D in linguistics?
How do I choose and apply for Ph.D programs?
What kind of industry jobs are available for Linguistics Ph.Ds?
What does the academic job market look like in linguistics?
How does one find a faculty/professor job in linguistics, and how easy are those jobs to get?

Resources for Linguistics Job seekers

First, I want to point you to an amazing resource. The Linguistics Career Launch folks, who are an offshoot of the Linguistic Society of America, have done absolutely amazing work in collecting resources for linguists going into Academia. Check out the Linguistics Career Launch YouTube Channel for lots of videos, panels, and other bits of information which are incredibly helpful for bootstrapping a career with your degree.

“I have a Bachelors in Linguistics!”

If you want to start working after you get the BA, there are some possibilities for linguistics-specific sort of work. Lots of industries are using linguists for market research, especially doing things like data annotation and analysis on content and whatnot. You probably won’t be making many decisions at first, and you’re more likely to find jobs which just pay you hour-by-hour to do annotation. There is also the military/intelligence route, if that’s your style, so the CIA/NSA/FBI might be worth seeking out and applying for.

Mind you, with just the BA, linguistics-specific jobs will be relatively scarce, you’ll be at a lower pay grade than an MA or Ph.D student, and the point of entry is going to be a bit lower on the totem pole. If you’re going this route, I’d recommend trying to do an Honors Thesis, so you have an example of some research you’ve done in the field of Linguistics, and so you can show having some degree of specialization in the field.

The other thing to remember is that very few folks know they want linguists! A big part of your work may be convincing employers with language problems, that they want a linguist. So, don’t limit yourself to jobs where they’re asking for a linguist, instead, keep an open mind, and go where your skills are needed.

But, keep in mind that if you’re looking to progress within linguistics, a BA is really only scratching the surface, and you’re going to probably want to proceed to get the Ph.D.

“I got my MA too!”

If you’re able to get into an MA program and graduate, you’ve got a few more options beyond the ones discussed above, but honestly, not too many.

There are some industry jobs out there for Linguistics MAs, especially if you’ve got a speech or computational bent. Google and big tech companies always want Natural Language Processing people, and places like Rosetta Stone are often hiring linguists for speech analysis, language analysis, and data collection. And every speech recognition place in the world wants more linguists and phoneticians. Dedicated Masters’ programs in computational linguistics (like CLASIC at CU Boulder (my Alma Mater) , among others) are a nice idea, and can help provide you with additional skills to get a leg up in applications.

The main disadvantage to industry jobs is that you end up having to deal with lawyers, NDAs, and non-compete clauses. Some companies are very draconian, preventing you from publishing on languages you’ve worked with while working for them, and some of them even claim as proprietary any insights you might have about the grammar or functioning of natural languages. As such, you may end up working for a company that actually claims as proprietary parts of the grammar of the language you’re working with. By going industry, you’re often going to have to sacrifice the openness and dedication to spreading knowledge that’s omnipresent in Academia, and you certainly won’t be able to take as much credit for your research. Instead, you’ll be studying language to improve your company’s profitability and product, with much of what you actually do and discover hidden behind the veils of corporate secrecy, under penalty of lawyer. All that said, the pay will be better than in academia, and I strongly suspect that not all industry players are as draconian and litigious as some of the subjects of the horror stories I’ve heard from friends in industry.

Some places, usually private language schools or companies, will hire Linguistics MA students to teach English as a second language, especially outside of English speaker countries. If you enjoy living abroad, that’s a very good option, as some of those places are willing to pay handsomely for your expertise. So, definitely keep that option in mind.

It’s worth noting that some schools will also hire MA-level research assistants for the long term, who have specialized in a given area and participate in projects where they’re necessary. Here, you have some job security, and the possibility of being paid well, but without having to go through the Ph.D process.

Unfortunately, though, an MA won’t get you far in Academia, and a faculty position, even as an adjunct is simply not an option without the Ph.D in most American universities.

Realize, though, that an MA isn’t really a terminal degree in Linguistics for most areas of the field . There are jobs where the MA will suffice, particularly in the tech world and teaching English as a second langauge, but you’ll want to seriously consider whether you’d be better off doing the full Ph.D, and if not that, whether doing an MA makes financial sense. For exactly this reason, unless you’re doing computational linguistics or TESOL, I don’t recommend you spend money for a Linguistics MA, and many departments don’t even offer an MA in Linguistics, reflecting this view.

“Maybe I should get a Ph.D in Linguistics!”

Honestly, no, you probably shouldn’t.

I say that not because a Ph.D in Linguistics is a bad thing, or an awful process. I say it even though Linguistics is a great field and a worthy pursuit. I say that, still feeling happy with my choices, and from the comfort of a Tenure track type job. In fact, it pains me to say it at all. But it’s pretty true, and it’s a big problem for the field.

The simple fact is that American Academia’s not a great place for Linguistics Ph.Ds right now. Tenure track jobs are few and far between, and the competition grows every year, as departments around the world continue to produce new tenure track hopefuls more quickly than university administrators produce new tenure track jobs. And short-term academic jobs off of the tenure track are not a way to make a life or a living, even though university administrators are increasingly relying on them. I’ll discuss this issue more later in this article, but simply put, the odds of you successfully landing the kind of job that your linguistics professors have right now are not good, and the process is generally long, involved, and emotionally draining.

It’s also the case that even in industry, a Linguistics Ph.D is a very specialized tool that many folks aren’t looking for. Think of the number of people who, when you explain that you study Linguistics, look at you blankly. Those same people are often hiring for corporate jobs, and unless it’s a speech-focused company, people with language problems often don’t even know they need a linguist, let alone where to find one. Computational Linguists and Speech Scientists have a better chance in industry, but even still, if you’re after gainful employment, there are surer bets (even in Ph.D’s). If you know you want to go into industry, a Ph.D is a much more reasonable plan, but it’s still a bet, and you need to be prepared for some uncertainty.

It’s also the case that the costs of the Ph.D are growing increasingly large. Even putting aside the money (discussed below), this is 4-7 years of your life where you cannot put down roots (as your next job will likely not be where your Ph.D program is), you’re paid barely enough to stay afloat (if you’re lucky), and you’re going to put in long hours between learning and teaching and writing, leaving little left elsewhere. Grad school was a pleasant time in my life, and I remember much of it fondly, but comparing my life to that of friends and family who chose a more conventional route, I realize now that nearly 7 years of financial stasis (at best) immediately after college has left me behind the curve fiscally, as well as in terms of a stable career and a reasonable adult life. Even in a well-funded Ph.D program, where you can leave the program in roughly the financial shape you started off, the opportunity costs of getting a Ph.D (in anything!) are huge.

So, getting a Ph.D in today’s educational and academic climate is a bit of a gamble, and doing so in a field which is producing Ph.Ds at much-higher-than-replacement rates is even more so.

So, you should strongly consider whether other fields, other paths, and other careers would also allow you to be happy and healthy, with a much higher probability of material success. And you might also consider approaching your interests in language from another field where jobs are more plentiful, for instance, a Natural Language Processing focused degree in Computer Science, or working in Speech Pathology or Audiology.

But there’s going to be a subset of you who are like me, and for whom everything I just said will be no deterrent. For whom a burning passion for Language, for answering questions, and for better understanding this thing that we do with letters and sounds to express our thoughts to others will override all practical concerns. So, if you can think of nothing else you’d rather do with your life, like me, then read on.

“Ph.D, here I come!”

If you’re applying to Ph.D programs, look at a wide variety of programs. List the researchers who are doing work that’s interesting to you, and figure out where they are and whether they might take on students. Or, if no one advisor emerges, find departments with clusters of folks who do things you’re interested in. Choose among the programs where you’re enthusiastic enough write specific applications which explain who you are, why you’re a great fit for them, and why they’re a great fit for you, and apply to a reasonable number of programs (maybe 3-6).

Once you have an offer (or offers), choose among programs which offer you full support, either as a fellowship/stipend, or via teaching/research assistant jobs. As my advisor told me during the Ph.D application process, “there are lots of places willing to support you if you fit well, so you should never use your own money to get a Ph.D”, and this is more true than ever. Ph.D programs are very expensive, and given the job market, taking out loans to fund your own Ph.D in Linguistics is crazy . If you don’t get a funding offer, do not even consider paying for your own Ph.D . Try other schools, or improve your application and try again next year. If nobody else is willing to pay for your schooling, you’ll be better off looking at other options than going deep into debt on what is already a bit of a gamble.

You should also remember that stipends mean different things in different places. Don’t hesitate to ask other grad students about local cost-of-living, and remember that a higher offer may still mean less in your pocket if local cost-of-living is out of control. Money shouldn’t be the main factor driving your applications, but the best program in the world means little if you can’t afford to finish.

But once you’re accepted into a Ph.D program, more doors open. In many places, people admitted into a Ph.D program with support will automatically be given a job as a teaching assistant or a research assistant. This is wonderful because you get that experience, and you can earn enough to keep yourself afloat, at a part time basis, while you’re getting the degree. You won’t be making great money as a TA or research assistant, but it’ll usually be enough, if you make smart choices.

Also, there are lots of companies in industry that are happy to snatch Ph.D students away from academia, even if they’ve not finished the degree, and a few of my friends have taken this route. For them, they get many of the the benefits of somebody with Ph.D level education, but without having to pay the salary of somebody with a full on Doctoral degree. Mind you, once you’re out of academia and a Ph.D program, it’s always tougher to get back in, and if the job you left for leaves you, especially if some time has passed, you risk being left holding the bag. So, unless you need the extra money right away, or you’re offered your dream job with great security, I’d highly recommend you work for the company as much as you can while still working on your Ph.D and dissertation. They’ll pay you more when you graduate, and once you’ve got that magical piece of paper, everything may be just a bit easier in case you end up changing jobs down the road.

“That’s Doctor Linguist to you!”

Finally, if you push through and get the Ph.D, nearly all of the opportunities mentioned above will be open to you, and a few new doors will open besides.

Industry is often interested in Ph.Ds, especially if you’ve got the right specialization for their programs. You’ll also be paid more than MA and Ph.D student candidates, and will likely come in higher on the totem pole. You’ll be more likely to be able to guide projects, rather than analyzing data or working on other people’s problems. If you know you’re interested in industry jobs, it’s a good idea to talk to people in your desired field, and ask what kind of experience and specializations they’re looking for. And it’s never too early to start networking, thinking about internships and making friends in the industry you’re working on. Figure out who has the kind of job you want, and talk to them, their colleagues, and their supervisors, to figure out how to get there.

There are also jobs for linguists in other places that aren’t industry, but aren’t quite academia either. For instance, a rare few linguists, many of whom are faculty elsewhere, can become known as being good expert witnesses in trials and lawsuits which deal with matters of language and communication. Some people end up practicing forensic linguistics in law enforcement and intelligence, analyzing language to learn about speakers. Of course, there are also plenty of opportunities in intelligence, defense, and working for the military or military intelligence services. If you’re a US citizen and are willing to move to Northern Virginia and then stop talking about what you do for a living, the FBI/CIA/NSA are always interested in linguists, particularly those with computational or speech emphasis. And no doubt, even if you’re outside the US, there’s an agency in your home country that might be appreciative of your skills.

In academia, you’ll be able to apply for Post Doctoral Fellowships, doing research or teaching at a school for a few years before putting yourself on the market as a professor or researcher. This can be as part of a grant or a project, as an invited guest academic, given time and support to work on their own questions, or simply acting as a member of a department who needs some help for a little while. In Linguistics, doing a Post-Doc or two is not uncommon, given the glut of over-qualified Linguistics Ph.Ds on the job market, but it’s also a pretty good setup, if you can land one. It’s usually 1-2 years of reasonable financial support, where you can get some publications, get some new experience, and learn about a new department, and buy more time to apply to faculty positions. Many people have multiple Post Docs as a result, some jumping around the world.

You can also take a lecturer or adjunct faculty position, where you’re not on track for tenure. At most universities, you’ll no job security at all , which is ugly and should change, but it’s a job, and you’ll be at the helm of classes and getting (under)paid for a few years. This is an option if other factors in your life are preventing you from committing to a longer term stay in a given place, if you need some experience teaching, or if no Post-Docs are available in your field. But realize that adjuncting pays very little, places you at the whim of your department’s teaching schedule, and generally offers no long term path forward, except by moving to another job elsewhere. Practically speaking, in 2022, adjuncting is someplace between “treading water” and “drowning”, and unless you’ve got another stable and plentiful source of income in your family, generally isn’t a sustainable long term plan.

The Linguistics Job Market

Finally, some people look to continue climbing the academic ladder and eventually become tenured professors, and pass on this knowledge in new and interesting ways to new and interesting people. To do this, you’ll likely start as an assistant professor, work your way up, and ideally, eventually win tenure. As a tenured professor, you’ll teach, do some research, publish, and participate in the workings of the university. You’ll be faculty, have the benefits and security of such, and be paid the salary of a professor.

It’s also worth noting that the nature of the jobs can differ. Some are research focused jobs, some are teaching focused jobs (like mine, I’m a Teaching Professor at UCSD , and some may mix both. At some smaller teaching-focused schools, your teaching load may be so high that research is simply not an option, but research won’t be weighed as a part of your advancement. Jobs may also differ in terms of your ability to specialize. In a large linguistics department, you might teach mostly in your speciality and passion, but in a smaller linguistics department, or as the only linguist in (e.g.) an English department or Department of Modern Languages, you might be teaching all the subfields. Regardless, it’s a pretty sweet gig, but it’s also very hard to find.

Open tenure-track jobs are becoming exceedingly rare. In a given year , you might see 1-5 jobs come available at well known schools in a given linguistic speciality (e.g. phonetics or syntax). The job market for linguistics Ph.Ds in academia in the English-speaking world right now is brutal , as few people are retiring and few new positions are being opened up. Many wolves, few steaks, and a small enclosure.

The other factor is that these jobs are really competitive. For example, in one recent (niche) job search, 80+ people applied. Of those, 20-30 were serious candidates (who actually met the qualifications and subfield well enough to consider), four people were invited to interview, and one got the job. In order to get one of these positions, you need to be very good at what you do, you need to be able to show that to the world, and you need to hope that nobody more senior and more qualified than you is searching at the same time.

All of this means you have startlingly little control over your destiny, because you basically don’t get to choose where, geographically, you’ll end up. You’ll apply to anything that’s open, and if the university of the Sixth Circle of Hell offers you a tenure-track position, then pack your foil suit and welder’s mask, because you’re on your way. You need to be sure that you are willing to relocate, and that your partner is able to do whatever they do, wherever you end up. And you need to be prepared, particularly if you have to be picky, to spend a few years post-docking, adjuncting or being otherwise under-employed, as you wait for a position to come along.

If you and a partner are both academics, you’ll be trying to find one school with job openings for both of you, or the ability to create a job for your partner. This is very hard to do, and gives rise to the classic “two body problem”. It can be overcome, particularly if a department really wants one or the other of you and can convince another department to make a job for the other, but this is something to consider, both as you search for jobs, and as you search for partners. I was once sat down and told earnestly, by a senior faculty member, that I should not even consider a relationship with another academic for precisely this reason. Hard advice, and the heart wants what it wants, but if you can follow it, it’s good advice.

Searching for Faculty Positions

Finding a tenure-track job within linguistics is really, really hard , but it’s not hopeless, particularly if you’re in a speciality which is in demand, and if you’re able to distinguish yourself somehow or another (unique research, lots of publications, excellent teaching, etc). Myself, as well as several of my friends and colleagues have found great tenure-track jobs at great schools, and at the end of the day, if your passions are teaching and language, you’re going to make something work. But you need to seriously consider what you’re going to do if you’re unable to find a position in academia, because right now, that’s exceedingly likely.

It’s also worth noting that you improve your chances substantially if you’re able to spend more time on the market while continuing your research. Each year, even if you don’t get the job, more and more of your colleagues will go off the market. If you’re able to do a Post Doctoral Fellowship, find temporary positions, or find some other way to stay active, publishing, and known in the field, your CV will keep getting better, and you’ll be up against more and more junior colleagues. So, although there are no guarantees, there’s certainly an element of ‘get in line’ which means that your first year on the market isn’t your best year on the market. It’s a good idea to be simultaneously networking for possible industry positions during this process, too, but if you can afford to be in stasis on the market for a while, you’ve got a better shot.

One other thing that you’re not told is that the academic job market is, frankly, emotionally brutal. Not intentionally so, but the sum total of it is really difficult. You will fear for your future. You will feel terribly inadequate. Your imposter syndrome will flare up. You will be put in direct competition with friends and colleagues for few positions. You will “apply into the void” much more often than you get any response, and many schools won’t even send out a rejection email, let alone a response explaining why you weren’t hired and where you can improve. And you’ll face sleepless nights, wondering whether you made the right choice, whether you should’ve done X, Y or Z differently, and whether it’s too late to move to Siberia and just raise muskrats. I applied for jobs for four years before I landed a faculty position, and until the phone call came in extending me an offer for what basically amounted to a dream job, the anxiety was real, every single day. I say this not to dissuade you, but to let you know that when it happens, you’re not alone in feeling that way, and that you have my deepest sympathy.

Put more simply: If you’re looking to get a Ph.D in Linguistics with the intent to teach or remain in academia, the odds in 2022 remain strongly against you. You are not guaranteed a job, post-doc, tenure track, or otherwise, and even if you’re able to find an academic position, there’s a very good chance that you’ll be adjuncting or doing Post-Docs for 2-5 years following your graduation. And you will need to out-last many on the market. If you are contemplating getting a Ph.D in Linguistics only so that you can teach in Linguistics in the USA, you are making a very risky choice, and I would advise you strongly consider alternative paths to your own happiness.

So, I’m living proof that it can work out, but think long and hard about whether you will be able to endure this process, whether you want to try your luck here, and whether you’d be happier in industry, or in another field. But if you’re one of us who can’t picture doing anything else with your life, well, we’re all rooting for you.

Mind you, this is just my perspective. I’m just a young faculty member, I have my own particular biases, and there are likely many opportunities that I’ve never been exposed to or even heard of. I’d recommend that you talk to your advisors in the department, talk to other linguists, check out Linguistics Career Launch , and watch sites where linguistics jobs are posted (like LINGUIST list or the Academic Jobs Wiki for the current year).

Most of all, though, think things through, ask the right questions, but follow your passion. If you want to do research, take jobs that offer you that chance. If you want to develop new and interesting products, and make a good deal of money doing it, look into industry jobs. If you’re like me and you just want to teach and do interesting research, well, keep pushing, keep collecting the necessary degrees, and hopefully, you’ll get there.

Linguistics jobs

What kinds of jobs can you get with a linguistics major? What career options are there for linguistics PhDs who don’t want to go into academia?

The linguistics jobs series interviews people who have a linguistics major, linguistics minor, masters in linguistics, or doctorate in linguistics, about what they’re doing with their careers, advice for current linguistics students looking at the job market, what kinds of work experience they had, and what they wish they’d known about trying to get a job with a linguistics degree.

General lingcomm skills: how to explain why your linguistics degree is relevant in a job interview or application

Linguistics + X
LingComm - a series on communicating linguistics to non-linguists
Advice for writing pop linguistics articles
Differences between writing pop linguistics, teaching, and even other pop science
Livetweets and slides from a talk I gave about getting linguistics out of the ivory tower
Advice for linguistics profs looking to support your students in getting jobs beyond academia
Lingthusiasm Bonus #3: How to sell linguistics skills to employers
Notes from a LingComm mini-course that I taught at the 2017 Linguistics Summer Institute: LingComm day 1: Goals , LingComm day 2: Terminology and the explainer structure , LingComm day 3: The Curse of Knowledge and short talks , LingComm day 4: Myth debunking and in-person events , LingComm day 5 & 6: Events, self-promotion, and charades , and LingComm, day 7 & 8: Pitching and final projects .
LingComm.org Resources page
How to write a successful pop linguistics book (which doubles as a guide to how to break into pop linguistics writing)
Practical advice if you want to start a podcast (by superlinguo, which I co-sign as we have a podcast together)

Academic advice

Self-teaching

How to teach yourself linguistics online for free

High school

Linguistics resources for high school teachers
Proto-linguistics: 6 ways to do linguistics in high school
Trying to hack the IB diploma into something vaguely linguistic
How to look for linguistics undergraduate programs
How much jargon do you need to know before starting a linguistics undergrad class? (Spoiler: not much!)
28 tips for doing better in your intro linguistics course
How to find a topic for your linguistics paper
So, your linguistics department has a recruitment challenge (how to increase undergraduate enrollement)
How to find student-friendly academic linguistics conferences near you
What is LaTeX and why do linguists love it for typing linguistics symbols?

Grad school

Should you go to grad school in linguistics? Maybe
Linguistics grad school advice, part 1: how do you know if you want to get a PhD in linguistics?
Linguistics grad school advice, part 2: how do you decide which grad schools to go to or apply to for linguistics?
Do I need to have a linguistics major/undergrad degree to apply for linguistics grad school?
Lingthusiasm Bonus #21: What’s it really like at academic linguistics conferences?
PhD/Postdoc tips from Lauren Gawne
How to become a professor in linguistics
Lingthusiasm Bonus #15: linguistics grad school advice

Weird Internet Careers

A series on making a living making weird stuff on the internet, as of late 2019.

Part I - What is a Weird Internet Career?
Part II - How I Built a Weird Internet Career as an Internet Linguist
Part III - How to start a Weird Internet Career
Part IV - How to make money doing a Weird Internet Career
Part V - What can a Weird Internet Career look like?
Part VI - Is it too late for me to start my Weird Internet Career?
Part VII - How to level up your Weird Internet Career

Long list of possible linguistics jobs

Both common and unexpected jobs that people have gotten with a linguistics degree - click for interviews! Also check the linguistics jobs tag for the most recent interviews, since it updates automatically.

Lexicographer
Scholarly communications librarian
Health writer
Policy analyst
Science fiction writer
Book publicist
ESL Teacher
Literary Agent
Speech Pathologist ( profile , more resources )
Career Linguist
Research Assistant (more on RAships )
Data scientist
Linguistics podcasters - me and Lauren Gawne featured in Babel Magazine’s Meet the Professionals series

These interviews are by Lauren Gawne at Superlinguo (see also her master list of linguistics jobs interviews ):

Internet linguist (it’s me!)
Project manager at a language learning tech company
Language creator
Data analyst
Interpreter
High school teacher
Humanitarian aid worker
Editor & copywriter
Language revitalization program director
Copywriter & fiction author
Tour company director
Computational linguist
Speech pathologist
EFL teacher
Educational development consultant
Apprentice mechanic
Radio digital managing editor
University course coordinator
Think tank researcher
Museum curator
Communications consultant
Communications professionals
Accent coach
Standards engineer
Translator and business owner
Freelance editor and writer
Agency owner and executive editor
PR consultant
Journalist/editor
School linguist
Learning scientist
Communications specialist
Product manager
Software engineer
Marketing content specialist
Community outreach coordinator

Looking for a bit of levity in the linguistics job search? Try this satirical linguistics jobs interview about becoming a wug farmer .

I also post or reblog linguistics jobs related articles and resources when I come across them:

Linguistics and careers in Artificial Intelligence
How a linguist became a zookeeper
Video from professional paths for linguists workshop
Linguists who have become webcomic creators
Linguists in industry panel video
Computational linguistics , machine translation (more machine language )
Linguists in industry panel (primarily tech-focused)
Working in tech: it’s not just for computational linguists (LSA webinar)
Letter to a prospective lexicographer
On naming new products (more on naming )
Forensic linguistics , more forensic linguistics , and still more
Professional conlanger
NASA, user experience testing, and others
Compilations of resources (and another compilation )
The four data science skills I didn’t learn in linguistics grad school (and how to learn them)
A video about speech-language pathology as a linguistics career

General careers resources:

A twitter thread by Tressie McMillan Cottom on getting entry-level jobs from a social sciences degree (and especially how to do informational interviews)
From PhD to Life (blog on non-academic careers after a PhD)
The Professor Is In (blog on academic jobs)
Ask A Manager on resumes and cover letters
Get Bullish (posts on side hustles and starting a business)
The Open Notebook (for science communication and science journalism)
Stacking the Bricks (for internet product businesses and selling on value)
The Bello Collective Podcasting 101 (for podcasts)
Advice on writing a book: for early-stage advice (what kind of publisher should I be aiming for? do I need an agent?), I have found Jane Friedman’s blog helpful; for mid-stage advice (assuming you decided to go with big trade publishers as I did), I’d suggest reading Kate McKean’s Agents and Books newsletter ; and for late-stage advice (when you’ve got a book coming out), I recommend Mary Robinette Kowal’s Debut Author lessons .

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Ohio state navigation bar.

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Careers in Linguistics

What can i do with a degree in linguistics.

The field of linguistics is extremely diverse, intersecting with many areas such as anthropology, computer science, engineering, foreign language study, neurology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and speech & hearing science, among others. As a result, a degree in linguistics can provide the foundation for a wide range of jobs and careers (see below for some examples). Studying linguistics helps you develop many important skills such as analytical and critical thinking, problem solving, argumentation, data collection and analysis, and written and oral expression. As a student of linguistics, you will become familiar with many different languages and cultures and, as a result, also develop cross-cultural skills. Each of these skills are useful in many careers that may not otherwise seem related to linguistics. Below you will find a list of some of the career paths that graduates with a BA in linguistics have followed as well as some references that may prove useful.

Current postings of linguistics jobs are available from the Linguistics Society of America and ZipRecruiter .

Learn about non academic careers in Linguistics .

See what former Linguistics Majors are doing now!

Click on any person below to find out where each is working.

Language teaching

foreign language teaching
teaching English as a second language
teaching English as a foreign language
teaching English as a first language
teaching in literacy programs

Information technology

natural language processing
speech recognition, speech synthesis
language data analyst
editor (for a publishing house, working with government or educational documents)
lexicographer (e.g. working for Merriam-Webster)
technical writer

Language Services Industry

translator/editor
interpreter (in-person or remote)

Professions

speech pathologist/therapist
accent coach
audiologist
college/university professor (combining research, teaching and service)

Miscellaneous

librarian civil service employee
foreign relief worker
computer programmer
writer/editor
marketing specialist
missionary, e.g. working for SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics www.sil.org ), Wycliffe Bible Translators

Some resources:

Jobs for linguists from ZipRecruiter
Careers in linguistics from The Linguistics Society of America
Monster.com : jobs for linguists
Career Planning from the University of New Hampshire.

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Unsettled Identity Negotiations: The Armenian Diaspora in Krasnodar Krai

This chapter, based on ethnographic fieldwork, explores cosmopolitanism through the prism of unifying and dividing processes and their impact on the identity of young Armenians living within the Armenian community in southern Russia's Krasnodar krai. The empirical research presented shows the ways in which cosmopolitan practices allow young Armenians to draw selectively on a variety of discursive cultural meanings, enabling them to combine sameness and difference into their everyday lives. Sameness is understood in terms of belonging to the Armenian diaspora – a discourse of unity that is encouraged by Armenian voluntary organizations and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Conversely, difference is the result of diverse narratives of migration, different places of origin and different dialects of Armenian language which all serve to form a hierarchy of power within the Armenian diaspora in Krasnodar krai.

Related Papers

Vahe Sahakyan

This essay complicates dominant discourse(s) on Armenian diaspora by exploring the concepts of 'ethnic' and 'diasporic' leadership in theoretical and comparative perspectives.

Nationalities Papers

Dmitry Chernobrov

In this paper, we explore the role of the early 20 th century Armenian genocide and the unresolved Karabakh conflict of the 1990s in identity among the new generation of Armenian diaspora-those who grew up after the establishment of the independent Armenian state in 1991. We draw on original interviews with diasporic youth in France, the United Kingdom and Russia-diasporas which were largely built in the aftermath of the genocide and the Karabakh war. Diaspora youth relate to these events through transmitted collective memories, but also reconnect with the distant homeland's past and present in new ways as they engage with new possibilities of transnational digital communication and mobility. Their experiences of identity shed light on how the new generation of diasporic Armenians defines itself in relation to the past; how this past is (re)made present in their interpretations of the Karabakh conflict and in everyday behaviors; and how diasporic youth experience the dilemmas of 'moving on' from traumatic narratives that for a long time have been seen as foundational to their identity.

Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism

Ulrike Ziemer

... awareness of multi-locality amongst diasporic peoples stimulate a constant process of formulating and reformulating diasporic representations. ... Long-Distance Nationalism: Diasporas, Homelands and Identities. ... 'Citizenship and Identity: Living in Diasporas in Post-War Europe?. ...

My dissertation explores the conditions and actions that led to the transformation of a post-genocide Armenian dispersion into a transnational diaspora. Over time, banishment and mistreatment had forced large numbers of Armenians to abandon their ancestral homes in the Ottoman Empire. The most decisive manifestation of such displacement was the deportations and wholesale massacres during WWI, retrospectively defined as genocide, which resulted in large concentrations of survivors in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Using histories of Armenian communities and institutions, the Armenian language periodical press, and the information acquired through in-depth interviews with notable diaspora Armenians in Lebanon, France and the United States, I analyze the formative impact that changing international and host-country specific socio-political conditions have had on the ways in which Armenian elites and institutions defined and redefined their attitudes towards Soviet Armenia; how competing discourses on conceptions of the Armenian homeland, diasporic identities and incompatible ideologies and orientations towards Soviet Armenia clashed and led at once to the emergence of different forms of Armenian identity and to a transnational schism in the Armenian diaspora. I suggests that while genocide recognition after the fiftieth anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 1965 introduced a shared ground between the formerly hostile Armenian camps, by the mid-1980s, the prevailing institutional divisions produced homeland-centered and diaspora-centered paradigms of diasporic belongings. Throughout, my research considers the ways in which institutions and leaders aspired to forge and project transnationally coherent, aspirational Armenian identities, to which they worked to rally their constituencies, and juxtaposes these efforts to the actual subjectivity and fluidity of Armenian diasporic identities and self-images of subsequent generations, shaped under different host-country contexts. My study draws on theoretical and methodological principles developed in diaspora studies, transnationalism and globalization. It contributes to social constructivist perspective in diaspora studies by stressing the role of elites and institutions in the formation of the post-genocide Armenian diaspora and diasporic identities, and equally emphasizing the influences of changing international and host-country conditions and the policies of a state, projecting itself as the homeland.

Ethnic and Racial Studies

Tsypylma Darieva

... And, to what extent does an imagined ethnic patriotism create space for generating a new cosmopolitan sensibility and sociability among young people who look for new ways of identifying ... The many faces of cosmo-polis: border thinking and critical cosmopolitanism'. ...

Journal of Eurasian Studies

Nona Shahnazarian

Cultural-Historical Psychology

Maria Bultseva

The article considers whether support for multicultural ideology by the ethnic majority leads to a more inclusive sociocultural context for ethno-cultural minorities. We investigate the role of common superordinate identity in these relations on the example of Soviet identity in Armenia. A socio-psychological survey was conducted among 213 representatives of the ethnic majority of Armenia using the scale of multicultural ideology of J.W. Berry (2020), the scale of Soviet identity by K. Velkova (2020) and the scale of the permeability of social boundaries as adapted by M.R. Ramos et al. (2016). The results show that support for multicultural ideology by Armenians is positively associated with the permeability of social boundaries for Russians only if the Soviet identity is highly important for Armenians. To conclude, recategorization is influential for building inclusive sociocultural context and harmonizing intercultural relations.

Hamazasp Danielyan , Nina Kankanyan , Varak Sisserian

Preserving Armenian identity in Lebanon and in those countries where traditional Armenian diaspora institutions exist has been much easier than in Russia. Given the fact that Russia is hosting the largest number of ethnic Armenians? it is utterly important to understand the root-causes and implications for high degree of assimilation of Armenians in Russia? Naturally many factors weigh in the above-mentioned divergent outcomes of Armenians identity preservation in various countries. A big portion of these factors is predetermined by the realities of particular host country (political system, history and geography and etc), and are beyond the influence of Armenian communities of both Lebanon and Russia. However, the research conducted in these two countries showed, there are also factors that influence identity preservation that are within the scope of influence of Armenians. This research sets to claim that the existence of effective and interconnected web of institutions is one of the key reasons behind the success of Lebanese Armenians in keeping their identity strong and thriving. On the contrary, the lack of such sustainable institutions and the experience of sporadic mobilizations have been the characteristic features of the Russian Armenian communities. Based on the lessons learned from the experience of Lebanese Armenians institutions the research has developed a set of policy recommendations that can hopefully enhance the capacity of Russian Armenian institutions and increase the effectiveness of identity preservation efforts in Russia. Some of those recommendations, naturally, are targeting those institutions that exist in various Armenian communities of Russia. Consolidation of Armenian institutions and synchronization of their activities, as well as experience sharing within and beyond Russian Armenians, will positively affect identity preservation efforts among Armenian communities in Russia. However, taking into account the importance of the matter as well as the existing structures and opportunities, (re)organization and institutionalization of Russian Armenians should attract greater attention of the other actors as well; pan-Armenian institutions such as Armenian Apostolic Church and pan-diasporic organizations should do more to assist the efforts of Armenians residing in Russia. Most importantly the Armenian state should have more proactive role in mediating the existing grievances, mistrust and lack of institutional resources in Russian Armenian communities, especially taking into account the fact that there are a number of state institutions mandated with that task, Ministry of Diaspora being the main one.

In this article, we explore the role of the early 20th-century Armenian genocide and the unresolved Karabakh conflict of the 1990s in identity shaping among the new generation of Armenian diaspora—those who grew up after the establishment of the independent Armenian state in 1991. We draw on original interviews with diasporic youth in France, the United Kingdom, and Russia—diasporas that were largely built in the aftermath of the genocide and the Karabakh war. Diaspora youth relate to these events through transmitted collective memories, but also reconnect with the distant homeland’s past and present in new ways as they engage with new possibilities of transnational digital communication and mobility. Their experiences of identity shed light on how the new generation of diasporic Armenians defines itself in relation to the past; how this past is (re)made present in their interpretations of the Karabakh conflict and in everyday behaviors; and how diasporic youth experience the dilemm...

EVN Report Magazine, 6 (Spyurk/Diaspora)

The article foregrounds the complexities of diasporas, and the Armenian diaspora in particular, by briefly examining three conspicuous approaches to diaspora conceptualizations in theoretical and comparative studies of diasporas and the empirical realities of the Armenian diaspora. It is suggested as a conclusion to account both the discrepancies within theoretical and comparative studies of diasporas which complicate the conventional thinking and approaches to diaspora, and also the tensions between homeland-centrism/diaspora-centrism, ethnic/transethnic, Armenian speaking/non-Armenian speaking, religious/secular (and other) which exist within and across segments of the Armenian diaspora.