Good Second Language Acquisition PhD Programs

Graduate School
1

Hello!

I majored in Linguistics/Japanese and am graduating this term. I have a job lined up to teach English in Japan, and I think I will be doing that for around 3 years to save up and pay off my undergraduate debt.

After I am done with that, I plan on getting a PhD in an area related to language acquisition (applied linguistics, second language acquisition, second language studies, educational linguistics, etc…). I have done some work on the acquisition of English articles, but I am interested in a lot of different things within the field, like language education policies, developing language revitalization coursework, cognition, and sociolinguistic approaches to SLA.

Right now I am looking for good programs. My professors told me that I should focus on finding a program where I can work with people whose work I really like. Right now, I really admire the professors in the Educational Linguistics department at the University of Pennsylvania. I cannot find a lot about the program’s reputation though, and they do not show where their alumni tend to end up. It is also an education PhD, and I wonder if I would be at a disadvantage applying without education coursework (although I imagine my work experience/ linguistics background might mitigate this slightly).

I also like Stanford’s Educational linguistics program for similar reasons.

I have heard good things about the University of Hawai’i at Manoa’s SLS and linguistics programs too. I also like Pittsburgh’s linguistics program, and I am seeing a lot of people coming out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s SLA department. I was also interested in UCLA’s applied linguistics program, but I think that has been swallowed up by the linguistics program as a whole, so I might look there too.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for good programs to look at? I have quite some time before I apply, but I would really appreciate any advice so I can get a jump on it. My preference would be to go straight into the PhD, but I would not be opposed to a really good MA/PhD program. Thank you all for your time (and sorry for writing so much)!

2

You already have a nice overview re: potential SLA programs, and your advisors have given you some good suggestions. I don’t think there’s a weak program on your list so far, but there may be a few to add (unfortunately, I don’t know offhand).

I would recommend trying to maintain a relationship with one or more faculty members from your undergrad, at least through the graduate applications process. They may have further recommendations as you get into the application process. Also perhaps see if you can investigate a couple of the major unis in Japan while there, maybe to estimate what their global perspective on strong U.S. programs are, as well as their native language programs. Fortunately, in the internet age you can continue your graduate program research while you teach abroad.

One thing I would advise is to apply directly to PhD programs when you are prepared to do so. Look for programs that will offer full support. If there happens to be an MA/PhD program that appeals to you, and importantly, they offer funding / assistantships, then I would feel more comfortable recommending it.