Applicants to the Ph.D. program are normally required to have a Master's degree, or at least one year of training at the graduate level. In exceptional cases, applicants with only a Bachelor's degree who have very strong grades may be admitted to the Ph.D. program. However, the more common route for applicants without a Master's degree who are interested in pursuing doctoral studies is to apply for a transfer directly into the second year of the Ph.D. program after completing the first year of the M.A. program. The Linguistics Department does not require applicants to do the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). However, if you have done this test, you are encouraged to submit your test scores with your application. Each applicant must submit a short statement of purpose (approximately 300 words) which indicates what he/she hopes to accomplish in the program. Please be as specific as possible in describing your research interests and explaining why you wish to join our department. Applicants should arrange for academic transcripts and letters of recommendation from three referees to be sent directly to the department.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B plus range (76% at UBC)

IELTS - A minimum overall band score of 6.5 is required with a minimum score of 6.0 in each component.
TOEFL IBT - 90 for the internet-based exam with minimum component scores of 22 (reading, listening) and 21 (writing, speaking).