See UCLA's minimum requirements for all graduate program applicants.

In addition to the University's minimum requirements and those listed above, all applicants are expected to submit a statement of purpose that includes their background for graduate study in linguistics and immediate and long-range goals in the field, and a copy of a research paper or other piece of writing in linguistics or a closely related field.

While not required for admission, Linguistics 103, 110, 120A, and 120B are prerequisite to graduate courses in the corresponding areas. An admitted applicant is notified by the department which, if any, of the above courses must be taken or audited. Any question of whether courses taken elsewhere are equivalent to the above courses is discussed with the adviser.

Applicants who previously received an M.A. in Linguistics from another department or institution, are expected to fulfill all the requirements expected of a UCLA M.A. candidate, including the course work, which must be fulfilled unless work elsewhere is deemed equivalent and satisfies the course requirements. Then there are two possible procedures: (1) a master's thesis written at another institution or department may be submitted or (2) if a thesis was not written elsewhere, a paper equal in depth and scope to a thesis may be submitted. In either case an evaluation committee is appointed. This committee makes a recommendation to the entire faculty, which then assesses the applicant's qualifications for admission into the Ph.D. program.