Modern Languages and Linguistics Department

Department Chairperson: Laura Vidler, Ph.D.

Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics
Slagle Hall, Room 306
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
Phone: 605-677-5357
www.usd.edu/languages

FACULTY

Professors:

István Gombocz, Ph.D., University of Illinois. Specialization: German Language, Culture, and Literature.
Laura Vidler, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine. Specialization: Performance Studies, Golden Age Theater, Spanish Literature, Spanish Civilization.

Associate Professor:

Angela Helmer, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles. Specialization: Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Phonetics, Colonial Peru.

Assistant Professors:

Kris Knisely, Ph.D., Emory University, Specialization: Applied Linguistics, Second-Language Acquisition, French Linguistics
Armik Mirzayan, Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder. Specialization: Linguistics, Phonetics and Phonology, Lakota, Quechua, American Indian Languages, Language Structures.
Robert Turner III, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University. Specialization: Spanish Literature and Culture, Science Fiction, Golden Age Theater.

CERTIFICATE

Spanish Translation Graduate Certificate

Modern Languages and Linguistics courses support many graduate degree programs.

Courses are available to graduate students in:

French
German
Linguistics
Spanish

Program Description

The Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics develops graduates with language proficiency, cultural competence, and the analytical and communicative skills to succeed in any field. We enable our students to lead effectively in a wide variety of cultural and professional situations.

The study of modern languages, linguistics, and cultures not only improves your ability to communicate with others, but also broadens your world-view. Speakers of more than one language are creative and analytical problem-solvers, work well in teams, and are able to see multiple perspectives of an issue. This ability to analyze, communicate, and navigate other cultures makes language majors especially highly regarded in business, education, medicine, law, government, law enforcement, tourism, and the arts.

Although the Department does not offer graduate degrees, graduate coursework is available in French, German, Spanish, and Linguistics for interested students, and for students whose programs include a modern languages requirement.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Completed Graduate Application form found at: https://apps.usd.edu/academic/gradapp/login.cfm and a non-refundable application fee of $35.
One official transcript verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (in English or with translation) must accompany an application. The USD Graduate School and/or academic departments retain the right to require an Educational Credential Evaluators/World Education Services (ECE/WES) evaluation for a student if such an evaluation is deemed necessary.
Baccalaureate degree must be from an institution with full regional accreditation for that degree. A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.7 on conferred degree and/or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale, on all graduate coursework is required for full admission. Each graduate program may admit students on provisional status per university policy.
Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from a regionally accredited American college or university are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score. For all other applicants, a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) or 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), a minimum IELTS score of 6.0, or a minimum PTE score of 53 is required for graduate admission. Applicants from or who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from these English-speaking countries (UK, Australia, Canada [except Quebec], Ireland, or New Zealand) are not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score if their academic records indicate that English was the classroom language for the majority of their schoolwork.
Applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose or goal statement.

Additional Program Admission Requirements:

6. Two unrelated and original writing samples (not translations) of a minimum of two pages each, one in English and one in Spanish.

7. Language Testing International certificate in Spanish for program entrance (https://www.languagetesting.com/certifications-tests/certifications).

8. Two letters of recommendation.

Programs

Spanish Translation Graduate Certificate