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Current Ph.D. Students

Our graduate students have access to a range of resources, including travel support. Find out more below.

Links, forms and deadlines

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Governance

Department Council

The department is governed by the Department Council. The council has regular meetings called by the chair of the department. All faculty, staff and students may attend these meetings. Minutes are available for public distribution. Students elect up to two representatives who may vote at council meetings. All faculty have a vote. In addition, the department chair is advised by the Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC). Problems may be discussed privately with the graduate director or the chair, or may be put on the agenda for discussion at a Department Council meeting.

The Linguistics Graduate Students Association (LGSA)

All graduate students in the department are members of the LGSA, which is the student representative body to the department council. The LGSA elects two representatives with voting privileges on the Department Council. In addition, the LGSA runs many of the activities that enrich department life. The LGSA recruits members to run the colloquium series (with help from a faculty advisor), organizes and runs the student conference, helps with the Maryland Mayfest and coordinates yearly welcoming activities for new students. The LGSA holds several meetings per year where students can discuss issues of mutual concern.

Travel Support

The department sets aside a small portion of its limited operating budget to support travel by faculty and graduate students to present papers at conferences. Any member of the department can request up to $300 per year for this purpose.

To make a request, fill out a travel request form–located outside the Department Office. The request should be made before the trip and is subject to (a) approval by the department chair, (b) availability of funds and (c) presentation of receipts upon completion of travel. Travel funds may be used only to present a paper; requests to attend conferences will not be granted.

When planning to apply for travel money to present a paper:

  1. Consult with your advisor about whether this particular conference is the most productive use of limited resources.
  2. This discussion should resume an earlier one, with your advisor and/or other relevant faculty members, before submitting the abstract. In that prior discussion, you should have identified potential funding sources and associated deadlines.
  3. Consult with the department head about availability of funds, since the department must provide matching funds for most awards.
  4. Submit to the graduate director, by two weeks before the application deadline, all the material in your application.
  5. Have your advisor submit to the graduate director, by two weeks before the application deadline, a statement giving a brief reason for recommending you. The statement will also need to, in the university's words, “contextualize the conference for their stage of career."

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