For Students
Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of Linguistics offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language (MATESL), Master of Arts in Linguistics and Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics degrees.
The MATESL program offers two separate curriculum options or tracks. One option, the pedagogical track, is designed for candidates whose principal interests lie in language pedagogy and related research. This track not only prepares students to be effective classroom teachers, it also provides them with the solid theoretical background in second language acquisition and pedagogy essential for work in the areas of teacher supervision, materials development, curriculum design, and testing and evaluation. The second option, the research track, assumes a good grounding in language pedagogy equivalent to that offered in the pedagogical track. This track provides an opportunity for students to focus their efforts more intensively on original research into specific facets of applied English linguistics, second language acquisition, and pedagogy as they relate to the teaching and learning of English as a second or international language. Both tracks provide a strong stepping-stone to doctoral work.
The M.A. in Linguistics program has been designed to provide all candidates a common set of core courses that offers them a well rounded preparation for a professional terminal degree or for subsequent specialization at the doctorate level. The program's aim is to instruct students in the major areas of linguistic theory and the methods of linguistic analysis.
The Ph.D. Program in Linguistics allows a high degree of flexibility and specialization, and is designed to allow students to advance quickly to producing original research. Students may choose any of several standard areas of specialization, or design their own specialization with the help of their faculty advisor. Depending on their research interests, Ph.D. students may combine their degrees with an interdisciplinary professional certificate in Second Language Acquisiton and Teacher Education, or in Language and Speech Processing.