Unrelated undergrad degree but good test scores, will I be accepted anyplace for a Linguistics MA?

[Mars.shay]

I have a B. Tech in physics but I have been working for the past 5+ years in a position that is not related to my major (Astronomy). This has made it near impossible for me to get into any good schools for an Astronomy Masters/PhD.

I only have online certifications as Ling. prerequisites but I am quite eager to try for a masters in Linguistics.
I have good scores in GRE(Verbal:162; Quant: 168; AWA;4.0) and TOEFL (117/120) and my CGPA in my undergrad was 8.4/10.
 Is it a wholly impractical idea?

If not, what can I do to improve my chances of acceptance?

[jaejae88]

I'm going to be brutally honest- you can get into MANY programs with those stats.  BUT TESOL and Applied Linguistics at the graduate level are absolutely useless in the USA.  I graduated from a program in 2012 (very reputable in my area).  My classmates are all struggling and have multiple jobs just to make ends meet trying to teach at the college level and their contracts are not guaranteed to ever be renewed.  They have no job stability and little to no benefits.  Several of them moved back home to their country of origin if they were foreigners.  The major is really hyped up as a gateway to an interesting career but there is no career to be had.  I live in an area with dozens of community colleges and adult education and nothing is honestly out there that is stable.  There are no positions in language documentation left, and you cannot get a tenure track job without a PhD.  PhD's are a dime a dozen so the competition is brutal and your chance of being hired even with a PhD into a tenured track position is less than 1%.  

[sarahma789]

On 9/18/2019 at 5:55 PM, jaejae88 said:

I'm going to be brutally honest- you can get into MANY programs with those stats.  BUT TESOL and Applied Linguistics at the graduate level are absolutely useless in the USA.  I graduated from a program in 2012 (very reputable in my area).  My classmates are all struggling and have multiple jobs just to make ends meet trying to teach at the college level and their contracts are not guaranteed to ever be renewed.  They have no job stability and little to no benefits.  Several of them moved back home to their country of origin if they were foreigners.  The major is really hyped up as a gateway to an interesting career but there is no career to be had.  I live in an area with dozens of community colleges and adult education and nothing is honestly out there that is stable.  There are no positions in language documentation left, and you cannot get a tenure track job without a PhD.  PhD's are a dime a dozen so the competition is brutal and your chance of being hired even with a PhD into a tenured track position is less than 1%.  

This was a good read, I'm in the same boat as OP (BA in Spanish, taught it in middle schools for 4 years) and have been accepted into a few programs for MA after being told I wouldn't have a competitive PhD application without a degree in Linguistics.

I'm very much in this struggle right now because I heard from dept heads that I could go to work with a terminal MA but PhD was an option as well. Without MA funding, I'm not sure what the best course of action would be.

[sm96]

On 9/19/2019 at 1:55 AM, jaejae88 said:

I'm going to be brutally honest- you can get into MANY programs with those stats.  BUT TESOL and Applied Linguistics at the graduate level are absolutely useless in the USA.  I graduated from a program in 2012 (very reputable in my area).  My classmates are all struggling and have multiple jobs just to make ends meet trying to teach at the college level and their contracts are not guaranteed to ever be renewed.  They have no job stability and little to no benefits.  Several of them moved back home to their country of origin if they were foreigners.  The major is really hyped up as a gateway to an interesting career but there is no career to be had.  I live in an area with dozens of community colleges and adult education and nothing is honestly out there that is stable.  There are no positions in language documentation left, and you cannot get a tenure track job without a PhD.  PhD's are a dime a dozen so the competition is brutal and your chance of being hired even with a PhD into a tenured track position is less than 1%.  

what do you mean there are no jobs in lang doc left? why do you specifically say lang doc, i thought basically no jobs in the field in general, do you mean some kind of job outside of academia? 

[kevin0yi0]

Many Linguistics MA programs do admit students who do not have a degree in linguistics or related fields. I've seen students majoring in chemistry and engineering getting in. What matters to your application is that you provide a good writing sample and statement of purpose, which demonstrates your understandings and interests in this field. Given that you have good GPA, TOEFL, and GRE, your chances could be high. But remember, scores are always secondary to your understandings, interests, as well as future plans to enter the academia. 

Hope it helps! Good luck!