Ph.D. in Second Language Studies

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. program will be based upon evaluation of:

1. Previous academic record
2. Three letters of recommendation
3. Previous exposure to TESOL/Applied Linguistics and related course work
4. Statement of purpose
5. Statement of research interests
6. A single-authored writing sample
7. Curriculum vitae
8. Optional results from Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.

Doctoral Requirements

A total of ninety (90) credit hours are required, with at least 66 credit hours of course work plus up to 24 credit hours of dissertation research.

Required Core Courses

Every student in the program will take six core courses (18 cr. total):

• S511—Second Language Syntax (3 cr.)
• S512—Second Language Phonology (3 cr.)
• S532—Models of Second Language Acquisition (3 cr.)
• S533—Second Language Acquisition Research Design (3 cr.)
• S536—Research in Second Language Pedagogical Contexts (3 cr.)
• S670—Language Typology (3 cr.)
• Seminars (3 cr. each)

All students will complete at least 6 credits in two seminars in Second Language Studies. These courses may be applied to other requirements as well.

Breadth Requirements

A minimum of 42 credit hours of course work are required in addition to the 18 credit hours of the required core courses and the 6 credit hours of the year-long seminar sequence. In order to ensure that all students are broadly prepared for careers in second language studies, these 42 credit hours must include at least 3 credit hours in each of four of the following five areas:

• Historical Linguistics/Language Contact/Language Revitalization
• Morphology/Syntax/Semantics
• Pedagogy/Language Assessment
• Phonetics/Phonology
• Sociolinguistics/Pragmatics/Discourse Analysis

In principle, there is no restriction on the department in which these courses may be completed, and they may be applied to fulfilling any degree requirements other than the core and the year-long seminar sequence. Courses in the Second Language Studies core and the required year-long seminar sequence cannot be applied to this requirement. However, if students elect to enroll in offerings of SLST-S600, SLST-S605, SLST-S632, SLST-S700, or SLST-S711 in addition to the two courses taken to fulfill year-long seminar sequence, such courses can be applied to fulfilling the breadth requirements.

Linguistic Structure Requirement 

Students are required to complete a graduate-level course in the linguistic structure of a language other than a commonly taught Western European language (e.g., English, French, German, or Spanish). Such courses are frequently offered by the Department of Linguistics under the number LING-L590, but comparable courses offered by other departments are also acceptable.

Research Concentration

Students will establish a research concentration in consultation with their committees. A research concentration may be established by enrolling in five courses in the area of specialty, by working in an appropriate research laboratory or research group, by undertaking appropriate field work or training, by conducting approved independent research and publication, or by a combination of these. Students who satisfy their research concentrations through participation in a research lab or research group or through independent research and publication may count the equivalent of up to three courses (9 credits) of S690 (Directed Readings) toward the 66 credits required for the doctorate. The research concentration is represented in the research qualifying examination.

Minor and Language Concentrations

All students will be required to have a minor. The selected minor should be appropriate to the student's choice of subdiscipline within Second Language Studies. Appropriate minors include Anthropology, Cognitive Science, Communication and Culture, foreign languages, Language Education, Linguistics, Psycholinguistics, and Sociology. In all cases the number of hours to be included in the minor will be consistent with the requirements of the unit granting the minor.

Some students may wish to pursue a significant concentration in a particular language area or in English as a Second Language. Students pursuing a language concentration in French, German, or Spanish will ordinarily take at least 21 hours in the Department of French and Italian, the Department of Germanic Studies, or the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, as appropriate. (Additional language concentrations may be added in the future.) Providing a student has completed all the requirements for the minor in the language department, there is no need to complete both a minor and a language concentration. The language concentration will be the student's minor of record.

Graduate Reading Proficiency Requirement

Students are required to demonstrate reading knowledge of one language other than English. We follow the policy of the University Graduate School policy in allowing graduate students whose native language is not English to fulfill this requirement with either English or their native language. For details on fulfilling this requirement, students are referred to the subsections “Fulfilling Foreign Language Requirements” and “Students Whose Native Language is not English” under the section “Foreign Language and Research Skills” in the University Graduate Bulletin.

Qualifying Examinations

All students must pass a set of examinations, consisting of a General Qualifying Examination (GQE) and a Research Qualifying Examination (RQE). These examinations are intended to provide an institutional structure for students as they move from taking courses to writing a dissertation.

General Qualifying Examination (GQE)

The GQE is meant to demonstrate the ability to synthesize material explored in courses and in independent reading. The GQE will consist of two cloistered examinations, each three hours in duration. Students will elect two of the following five areas, corresponding to the breadth requirements:

1. Historical Linguistics/Language Contact/Language Revitalization
2. Second Language Morphology/Syntax/Semantics
3. Second and Foreign Language Pedagogy/Language Assessment
4. Second Language Phonetics/Phonology
5. Second Language Sociolinguistics/Pragmatics/Discourse Analysis

Most students will take the GQE the semester after coursework is completed. In general, the two cloistered exams will be offered on two consecutive days in October and in February. The GQE schedule will be posted by the end of each semester by the committee, each student will inform the Director of Graduate Studies of his or her two areas no later than one month in advance of the scheduled exam. Appropriate faculty members will submit potential questions to the Director of Graduate Studies, who in turn will select and edit questions and coordinate grading.

On any given cloistered exam, the student will have the opportunity to de-select at least one question; the student will be required to answer two of three questions. All students selecting a given area in a given semester will receive the same questions. All responses to any given exam question will be graded by the same two faculty members. The grades are Pass and Fail. To pass any given cloistered exam, at least three of the four grades assigned must be Pass. If a student fails to pass one or both sections, s/he may take it a second time when the GQE is offered in the next semester. After consultation with his or her advisory committee, such a student may also select a different exam area.

Research Qualifying Examination (RQE)

The RQE is designed to demonstrate that students have developed sufficient depth in their understanding of a particular constellation of research questions and that their academic writing skills are sufficiently well honed that they are able to begin meaningful work on their dissertations. In contrast to the GQE, the research exams will be scheduled individually. We recommend that the research exam be completed in the semester following the successful completion of the GQE. Nevertheless, students are required to have demonstrated preparation in a research focus to the satisfaction of their advisory committees before they will be permitted to proceed with the RQE. In contrast to the GQE, the advisory committee administers the RQE and reports successful completion of the examination to the Director of Graduate Studies.

The RQE may take one of two forms:

1. A publishable research paper which pilots the student's dissertation research, or
2. A research essay which will be completed by the student over the course of one full week

For option 1, the student must complete, to the advisory committee's satisfaction, an original sole-authored research paper in the student's intended area of dissertation research, which in the committee's judgment, is ready for submission to one of the following journals: Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Second Language Research, Language Learning, TESOL Quarterly, or Applied Linguistics. Research papers are 8,000-10,000 words in length including text, references, tables, figures, and appendices.

For option 2, the advisory committee will assign a single question arising from extensive consultation with the student reflecting the individual student's research focus, as defined through a series of courses, approved independent research, participation in research groups or labs, outside publications, or a combination of these. The student is to complete the essay within exactly one week, but is free to employ data collected and analyzed ahead of time.

Dissertation Proposal

The proposal for the dissertation must be approved by the student's research committee. Proposals should include pilot studies. The research committee may have the same membership as the advisory committee or the student may choose different members. The advisor for the dissertation will be a faculty member in the Department of Second Language Studies and a member of the Graduate Faculty. One of the three other members of the committee will be based in a the minor department or in the department of the student's language concentration. The student will defend the proposal at a public colloquium.

Dissertation (up to 24 cr.)

Students are required to complete a dissertation that constitutes an original and significant contribution to the field of Second Language Studies. The dissertation must be successfully presented to the research committee in an oral defense as described in the University Graduate School Academic Bulletin.

Milestones toward completion of a PhD in the Department of Second Language Studies

1. Apply for admission to the PhD program. The deadline for international applications is December 1; the deadline for domestic applications (including IU-internal and SLS-internal applications) is January 15.
2. Once you have entered the SLS Department, you should make an appointment with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) during the registration period each semester. The DGS will temporarily serve as your advisor immediately upon your admission to the SLS Department, but his/her primary responsibility is to help you stay on track for timely completion of your degree.
3. Once you have determined the SLS faculty member whose research interests most closely correspond to your own, you should consult with this faculty member about becoming his/her advisee. Ideally, you should have your Advisor in place no later than the fourth week of your second semester. You should realize that it is entirely appropriate to change your Advisor, if your research interests change during your semesters of course work.
4. As soon as possible, you should establish an Advisory Committee. Your Advisory Committee should consist of your Advisor, (at least) one additional SLS faculty member, and (at least) one faculty member from another department, typically the department in which you plan to obtain your PhD minor. Absolutely no later than one year after entering the PhD program (and preferably sooner), you should file a form with the Graduate School formalizing your Advisory Committee. Once your Advisory Committee is in place, you should turn primarily to your Advisor and other members of your Advisory Committee for substantive advising on your academic program. You should also continue to meet with the DGS every semester during the registration period. (NOTE: The Graduate School imposes certain restrictions on the composition of Advisory Committees relating to whether faculty members are members of the "Graduate Faculty." See DGS for details.)
5. Complete all of the course work required for the PhD as well as your Minor and fulfill the language requirements. (You should ensure that the relevant Minor Dept. and language departments provide the SLS Dept. Secretary with written documentation).
6. In the semester immediately following the completion of all course work for the PhD, you should take the General Qualifying Examination (GQE). This requires consultation with the DGS, who administers the GQE in consultation with relevant SLS Dept faculty members.
7. By the end of the semester following successful completion of the GQE (and preferably sooner), you should take the Research Qualifying Examination (RQE). Your Advisory Committee administers the RQE.
8. As soon as you have passed the RQE, you should initiate a Nomination to Candidacy Edoc to the Graduate School.
9. Once the Nomination to Candidacy edoc has been approved and upon your advisor's approval, you should now establish a Research Committee as soon as possible, but in any case before the beginning of the semester immediately following successful completion of your RQE. Your Research Committee will consist of the director of your dissertation, (at least) two additional SLS Dept. faculty members, and (at least) one faculty member from another department, typically the department in which you obtained your PhD minor. Here is how to proceed: Taking into consideration your Advisory Committee's feedback on your RQE, you should draft a brief prospectus of your planned dissertation research. This should be one to two pages in length. You should discuss this draft prospectus with faculty members you feel would be appropriate members of your Research Committee. Once the requisite faculty members have agreed to serve as members of your Research Committee, you should file a form with the Graduate School formalizing your Research Committee. You should then submit a revised version of your prospectus to the Graduate School. (NOTE: The Graduate School imposes certain restrictions on the composition of Research Committees relating to whether faculty members are members of the "Graduate Faculty." See the DGS for details.)
10. Once you have entered candidacy and established your Research Committee, you are expected to submit a written progress report to your Research Committee no later than the end of Week 10 of each Fall and Spring Semester until you complete your Ph.D. Drafts of your dissertation proposal or chapters of your dissertation may be attached to the written progress report. Your semi-annual written progress report is the basis for determining whether you are making satisfactory progress toward timely completion of your Ph.D.
11. You should now prepare a dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal should be on the order of fifty (50) pages and should include a pilot study of your dissertation research. The dissertation proposal must be approved by your Research Committee, after you have defended it in a public colloquium.
12. Complete the remaining research and writing of your dissertation, in consultation with the director of your dissertation and other Research Committee members. You cannot expect your Research Committee to approve a draft of your dissertation on short notice. When you believe that your dissertation is ready, you should submit it to all members of your Research Committee, who will have thirty (30) days to read and evaluate it. Research Committee members may conclude that the dissertation is ready to defend as is, that it would be ready to defend with only minor changes, or that it should be substantially revised and submitted again for their consideration.
13. When the Research Committee arrives at a consensus that your dissertation is ready to be defended, the date of a defense should be scheduled. The dissertation defense cannot be scheduled on short notice. At least forty five (45) days before the scheduled defense, you must submit an announcement of the defense (including a summary of the dissertation) to the Graduate School. You will need to be currently enrolled at the date of your dissertation.
14. Once the dissertation has been successfully defended and the final draft of the dissertation has been approved by the Research Committee, you must submit the dissertation to the Graduate School following guidelines in the Graduate School Bulletin.

Ph.D. Minor in Second Language Studies

The minor consists of a minimum of four courses (12 credit hours) in Second Language Studies. Courses should be at the 500 level or above. A grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better must be achieved in these courses. All SLS minors must include S532. The prerequisite for S532 is a graduate level course in morphosyntax; if taken in SLS this prerequisite will count toward the minor. A specific program for satisfying the minor requirement must be developed in consultation with the student's minor advisor.

M.A. in Second Language Studies

Admission Requirements

Admission to the M.A. program will be based on evaluations of:

1. Undergraduate grade record
2. Three letters of recommendation
3. Undergraduate exposure to linguistics and related course work
4. Statement of purpose
5. A single-authored writing sample
6. Curriculum vitae
7. Optional results from Graduate Record Examination General Test

Students not satisfying requirement (4) may be admitted, but may be required to do course work prerequisite to introductory graduate courses.

Required Core Courses

All students will complete a total of 30 credits. These will include five courses of the M.A. core plus at least two additional Second Language Studies graduate courses. All students will additionally complete one of three tracks. The M.A. core includes five of the six core courses for the Ph.D. in Second Language Studies:

• S511 Second Language Syntax (3 cr.)
• S512 Second Language Phonology (3 cr.)
• S532 Models of Second Language Acquisition (3 cr.)
• S533 Second Language Acquisition Research Design (3 cr.)
• S536 Research in Second Language Pedagogical Contexts (3 cr.)

Core Electives

Students will complete two additional elective courses in Second Language Studies that will be chosen in consultation with their advisors. Students planning to go on to the doctoral program will want to take elective courses in the master's program that will satisfy requirements for the doctorate.

Tracks

Each student will select one of the following three tracks: (i) a Second Language Studies track consisting of at least 9 additional credits in the Second Language Studies Department, (ii) a Linguistics track consisting of at least 9 credits in courses in the Linguistics Department, and (iii) a foreign language track consisting of at least 9 credits in a foreign language department.

Language Requirement

Reading knowledge of one foreign language approved by the department.

Thesis

Optional, maximum of 4 credit hours.

Final Examination

None!

Subsequent Admission to the Ph.D. in Second Language Studies program

Students who have completed the M.A. in Second Language Studies at IUB must at that point be approved for admission to the Second Language Studies Ph.D. program.

M.A. in Tesol and Applied Linguistics

The M.A. in TESOL and Applied Linguistics prepares teachers to work with adult learners of English in a wide range of ESL and EFL settings. The program is rooted in the intimate connection between research and practice in language learning and teaching. It melds linguistic, pedagogical, and contextual dimensions of classroom language learning, and emphasizes informed professionalism in the teacher's work. The program aims to produce highly competent language teachers who know how language classrooms work and who understand the complex interrelationships among classroom teaching, second language acquisition, curriculum and program design, materials development, assessment, and teacher development. All students will complete a total of 30 credits.

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At Indiana University you will have the opportunity to study and work with TESOL leaders and professionals. Our faculty share their teaching innovations and research findings at the annual international TESOL conference, TESOL affiliate meetings, and other professional conferences in such areas as pragmatics, international teaching assistants (ITAs), conventional expressions, second language writing, language teacher education, corrective feedback, and language testing. You will also have the opportunity to gain hands-on teaching experience by teaching ESL in our community outreach program “English in the Evening” (TESOL Practicum), and qualified applicants may also teach in our Intensive English Program and the English Language Improvement Program .

Our graduates have gone on to successful careers teaching in IEPs and other ESL/EFL programs in the US and abroad and include Dudley Reynolds, Past-President of TESOL (MA/PhD) and Ahmar Mahboob, current co-editor of TESOL Quarterly (PhD)!

Admission Requirements

Admission to the M.A. program will be based on evaluations of:

1. Undergraduate grade record
2. Three letters of recommendation
3. Undergraduate exposure to linguistics and related course work
4. Statement of purpose
5. A single-authored writing sample
6. Curriculum vitae
7. Optional Results from the Graduate Record Examination General Test

Students not satisfying requirement (4) may be admitted, but may be required to do course work prerequisite to introductory graduate courses.

Foreign Language Requirements

Reading knowledge of one foreign language approved by the department.

Thesis

Optional; maximum of 4 credit hours.

Final Examination

None.

View Typical M.A. TESOL/Applied Linguistics Program Schedules here.

Courses

Core Courses

• T510: Modern English Grammar
• S511: Second Language Syntax
• T514: English Phonology for Language Learning and Teaching
• S532: Models of Second Language Acquisition
• T534: Methods in Teaching ESL/EFL to Adults (TESOL)
• T535: TESOL Practicum
• T550: Language Testing

Three Elective Courses

We suggest one in each of the areas of language and culture, pedagogy, and language analysis. We encourage students to take one course at the 600 level. Electives are chosen in consultation with the advisor.

TESOL Courses

• T510: Modern English Grammar
• S511: Second Language Syntax
• T514: English Phonology for Language Learning and Teaching
• T522: Survey of Applied Linguistics
• S532: Models of Second Language Acquisition
• T534: Methods in Teaching ESL/EFL to Adults (TESOL)
• T535: TESOL Practicum
• T538: L2 Reading and Writing
• T539: Pragmatics and Second Language Learning
• T550: Language Testing
• T556: Language Learning Technology
• T560: American Culture

Second Language Studies Courses

• S511: Second Language Syntax
• S512: Second Language Phonology
• S532: Models of Second Language Acquisition
• S533: Second Language Acquisition Research Design
• S536: Research in Second Language Pedagogy
• S605: Second Language Processing
• S622: World Englishes
• *T600: Topics in TESOL and Applied Linguistics
• T632 Current Research in SLA
• T640: Discourse Analysis
• T660: Contrastive Discourse
• T690: Advanced Readings in TESOL and Applied Linguistics
• T695: M.A. Thesis Research in TESOL and Applied Linguistics
• *T700: Seminar on Current issues in TESOL and Applied Linguistics
• *T711: Seminar on Applied Linguistics (Second Language Studies)

Certificate in TESOL and Applied Linguistics

The Certificate in TESOL and Applied Linguistics is a practical two-semester program designed to enable students to work as successful teachers of the English language to adult speakers of other languages. The Certificate requires twenty (20) credit hours of course work and a level of English language proficiency commensurate with effective teaching of English.

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At Indiana University you will have the opportunity to study and work with TESOL leaders and professionals. Our faculty share their teaching innovations and research findings at the annual international TESOL conference, TESOL affiliate meetings, and other professional conferences in such areas as pragmatics, international teaching assistants (ITAs), conventional expressions, second language writing, language teacher education, corrective feedback, and language testing. You will also have the opportunity to gain hands-on teaching experience by teaching ESL in our community outreach program “English in the Evening” (TESOL Practicum), and qualified applicants may also teach in our Intensive English Program and the English Language Instructional Program .

Our graduates have gone on to successful careers teaching in IEPs and other ESL/EFL programs in the US and abroad and include Dudley Reynolds, Past-President of TESOL (MA/PhD) and Ahmar Mahboob, current co-editor of TESOL Quarterly (PhD)!

In the Fall semester, students take:

• SLST-T510, Modern English Grammar (3 cr.)
• SLST-T514, English Phonology for Language Learning and Teaching (3 cr.)
• ONE of the following
  • SLST-T502, Communications Skills for International Associate Instructors (3 cr.)¹
  • A 3-credit elective in SLST numbered 500 or higher
• SLST-T5xx, Proseminar in Applied Linguistics (1 cr.)²

In the Spring semester, students take:

• SLST-T550, Language Testing (3 cr.)
• SLST-T534, Methods in Teaching ESL/EFL to Adults (TESOL) (3 cr.)
• SLST-T535, TESOL Practicum (3 cr.)
• SLST-T5xx, TESOL Professionalization Workshop (1 cr.)²

¹ Required for non-native speakers of English who score below Level 2 on the TEPAIC.

² To be piloted in fall 2016 and spring 2017 under SLST-T500.

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