Decision Time
Hi all,
I have a few questions for those of you in linguistics. I am currently deciding whether to pursue graduate studies in linguistics. For context, I am in my early thirties and currently teach English literature at a high school in an affluent suburb in the US. I earn a salary equivalent to that of most associate professors and work with many PhDs who want out of the academic rat race. However, I have been interested in transitioning into the field of linguistics for some time now. Because my undergrad is in a different field and I don't have a background in Linguistics, I am currently looking at a Master's first and then a PhD to follow. The current institutions I have been admitted to are 1) Lancaster for an MA in Linguistics, 2) Edinburgh for an MSc in Linguistics, or 3) UVA for an MA in Linguistics.
I specifically want to study discourse analysis and language evolution in conflict areas. I would like to learn how to analyze large datasets in areas like Sudan or Myanmar, predict where conflict is increasing due to rhetoric, develop policy recommendations based on that data, and collect linguistic evidence in post-conflict zones. (Also, as a side project, I'd like to look at the cognitive effect that over-usage of AI has on adolescent language production).
I was hoping to get some advice on whether jobs like what I mentioned above exist. Are there think tanks and organizations that use linguists to comb through large sets of linguistic data to make assessments and policy recommendations for conflict zones? Additionally, would pursuing a PhD after an MA or MSc be helpful/necessary? Lastly, would any of the aforementioned schools help with admission to PhD programs in either Europe or the US?
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