1. Linguistics
  2. Student Resources

Student Resources

A wealth of personal and educational support services and resources are available to Linguistics students at the Graduate Center.

Not sure where to go for help? Download our quick reference guide to GC offices and services.

See the GC brand guide for GC official style, templates for letterhead, presentations, flyers, emails, etc.

Please see our Mentoring Guidelines in the Linguistics Program for questions about the role of mentors and advisors. 

Linguistics Teaching Resources

Teaching students in the Linguistics program looking for assistance with developing materials for their courses can find helpful resources in the Share-Ling Archive. The archive contains materials that have been posted by Linguistics students who have taught a variety of linguistics-based courses across CUNY, either as a teaching fellow or as an adjunct lecturer. Courses cover topics ranging from a basic Introduction to Linguistics, to Semantics, to Bilingualism. Please contact the APO, Nishi Bissoondial, or the EO for a link to the Shared-Ling Archive.

Reading and Study Groups

Reading groups are informal groups organized by program students and faculty. Please contact the group organizers below if you would like to participate.

Professional Development

The Professional Development Series of the M.A. and Ph.D Program in Linguistics focuses on a variety of skills needed to have a successful career in Linguistics. Guest speakers are invited to explore and discuss issues of practical and theoretical matters in linguistics.  Learn more and see our schedule here. 

The Graduate Center offers enrolled doctoral and masters students a range of professional development courses designed to help them in their careers and professional activities. These courses do not carry credit, are ungraded, are “free”, and do not appear on the student's transcript.  Students register for them as they do their academic classes and can find them listed under "Professional Development" in the course schedule. 

Here's a sample of regularly offered courses:

PDEV 79400 Advanced Spoken English: Teaching and Presentation Skills
PDEV 79401 Teaching Strategies
PDEV 79403 Effective Academic Writing for native English speakers
PDEV 79403 Effective Academic Writing for non-native English speakers
PDEV 81690 Colloquium on College Teaching

For further information contact the Office of the Associate Provost's associate director of student research Rachel Sponzo.

Qualtrics - Online Survey tool

Qualtrics is a powerful, web-based platform that allows users to create surveys, collect and store data, collaborate with colleagues, and produce reports from anywhere in the world.
Key Features include:
• Easy to use interface, featuring a wizard to help build surveys
• Collaboration tools to create a survey or share data
• Mail distribution tools (invite tracking, reminder emails)
• Statistical analysis and data visualization tools
• Data export functions (including Excel or SPSS)
• Survey template libraries
• 24/7 online support

You can access Qualtrics directly by clicking on the hyperlink and using your Graduate Center Network ID and Password to authenticate.
For more information on how to use Qualtrics, users can consult the following web site for tips and tutorials:
https://www.qualtrics.com/support/survey-platform/getting-started/survey-platform-overview/
If you have any questions, please email itservices@gc.cuny.edu.

Curricular Practical Training and Optional PraCTICAL TRAINING

The Linguistics program supports Curricular Practical Training (CPT) activities directly benefiting the student’s academic career.  CPT activities include, but are not limited to: teaching, internship, independent research, independent study course, required course of study, thesis supervision course, etc. (Note that the program does not require registration for some academic activities.)

For Optional Practical Training (OPT) purposes, our program has been reclassified as STEM.  Most international students on a student F-1 visa have the option to obtain work experience following the completion of their degree with OPT. Optional Practical Training is a form of training – often paid – that relates to the student's field of study. Students can apply for OPT while still in school (“pre-completion OPT”), or after they earn their degree (“post-completion OPT”). The standard duration for OPT is 12 months, but if a student has completed a STEM-designated program, OPT can be extended by as much as 24 months, resulting in a total of 36 months.

    Financial Assistance for Current Students

    Current students in doctoral and masters programs at The Graduate Center can explore supplementary financial support in the forms of fellowships, grants and awards, which often aim to help cover research, travel, and dissertation expenses.

    Financial Resources

    How to Get Paid on-time (GC Fellowship recipients)

    Doctoral students receiving institutional aid (fellowships and assistantships) must be registered full time (at least seven credits/WIUs) to maintain eligibility.
    Master's students receiving a merit scholarship must be enrolled for at least six credits to maintain eligibility.  
    All other scholarship recipients, must enroll for a minimum of one credit to maintain eligibility.
    Any student receiving federal student aid (Federal Work-Study and Federal Direct Loans) must be registered for six or more credits/WIUs.

    See the Financial Aid Office's website for detailed information.

    In 2003, the Cairns Family Foundation established the Stewart Scott Cairns Linguistic Symposia Fund by redirecting an endowment created in 1998.  At the request of Charles Cairns, Professor Emeritus and former Executive Officer of Linguistics Program, the interest earned on the Stewart Scott Cairns Linguistic Symposia Fund will be placed in a new fund called the Cairns Student Travel Award.

    This award is to assist students in the Ph.D. and M.A. Programs in Linguistics in their professional development by means of participating in academic conferences. The fund is to partially defray expenses for eligible students attending and participating in such conferences.  Awards are distributed twice per academic year: at the end of Spring semester for conferences taking place from January to July, and at the end of Fall semester for conferences taking place from August to December.

    With the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand that students are facing new, unexpected expenses and financial needs. The Graduate Center has established a set of quick-response funds (in amounts of up to $2,000) to support students who are facing short-term financial emergencies.

    Academic Resources

    Links and Downloads

    Important Resources for Linguistics Students at The Graduate Center

    Students in our programs should save and refer to these resources often during the course of their studies.

    A Black man with glasses and a short bead speaking to an attentive group of adults in a well-list classroom

    Student Services

    Office of Career Planning and Professional Development

    The Office of Career Planning & Professional Development supports Graduate Center students in exploring and understanding career paths and achieving their professional goals, through workshops and information sessions on the job search process in the academic, non-profit, government, and for-profit sectors; networking events with alumni and potential employers; and individual counseling with students to identify and apply their transferable skills.

    Get professional development assistance
    Tight focus photo of an asian woman writing with a pen on a sheet of paper on a table, with a library/bookshelves behind her.

    Student Services

    The Writing Center

    The Writing Center assists current and past graduate students in the cultivation of writerly skills and habits through individual consultations, workshops, and other programming. As one of the few writing centers in the country that specifically serves the needs of graduate students, they make it their mission to ask and answer the question of what services a graduate writing center could and should offer. ​

    Improve your writing skills
    Two women in arm chairs in a well-lit room; one woman faces away from the camera, the second faces the first. They appear to be in conversation in a counseling or therapy session.

    Student Services

    The Wellness Center

    The Graduate Center’s Wellness Center offers workshops and supportive Spaces, student counseling services, mental and physical health referrals, and academic support services to all registered students.

    Explore mental and physical health services
    Three students smiling in class

    Other Student Life Resources

    From child care to disability services to student employment and teaching support, the Graduate Center offers numerous resources for our students to support them both professionally and personally throughout their GC career.

    Browse all GC Student Resources