Second Language Acquisition Ph.D.

Prior to being accepted to candidacy for the Ph.D. (i.e., before writing the dissertation), students must write two qualifying papers (QPs) deemed of publishable quality for a major refereed SLA journal by the examining committee of three faculty members. These papers are in lieu of comprehensive examinations. One qualifying paper (known as the primary QP) is an empirical study (i.e., involving data collection from human participants) that resembles a standard journal article. Students need to defend both the proposal and the final report publicly. A committee of three faculty members will judge if the work is satisfactory. Another qualifying paper (known as the secondary QP) can be either a research proposal for an empirical investigation or a piece of meta-research (e.g., synthesis, meta-analysis). The work needs to satisfy two readers.  The two qualifying papers need to be in two different areas, which means that students will likely have two different advisors who offer not only expert guidance in the subarea of SLA but also exposure to different mentorship approaches.  There can be some overlap, however, between a qualifying paper and the dissertation (the dissertation can follow up interesting findings identified in the QP, for instance). For the procedures regarding the qualifying papers, refer to the SLA Handbook (UMD login required).

Once the two qualifying papers are successfully defended, the student can be admitted to candidacy after identifying their dissertation topic and advisor. The student will write and then defend a dissertation proposal before five faculty members, who will serve as the dissertation committee. The student will register for 12 credits of SLAA 899 dissertation research, which must make a substantial and original contribution to knowledge in the SLA field. The chair of the student’s dissertation committee, in consultation with the other committee members, will determine when the dissertation is ready to be defended publicly at an oral examination. The dissertation must be approved by the five-member committee.

Foreign Language Requirement

Before graduation, all students completing the Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition must demonstrate three types of experience with non-native language: learning a non-native language, proficiency in a non-native language, and teaching a language to non-native speakers of that language. All three types of experience will be verified through official documentation and/or assessment.

These three requirements do not necessarily have to be met in the same language.

AREA 1: Second Language Learning

• SLAA740: Research Issues in Second Language Learning
• SLAA741: Cognitive Processes in Second Language Learning
• SLAA742: Second Language Processing
• SLAA743: Interlanguage Studies
• SLAA744: Age Effects/Maturation Constraints
• SLAA749: Special Topics in Second Language Learning (e.g., SLAA 749T: Advanced Statistics)

AREA 2: Second Language Instruction

• SLAA750: Instructed SLA
• SLAA751: SLA Classroom Research
• SLAA754: Task Based Language Teaching
• SLAA759: Special Topics in Second Language Instruction

AREA 3: Second Language Assessment and Research

• SLAA620: Second Language Research Methodology (Required Quantitative Course 1) 
• SLAA749T: Advanced Statistics (Required Quantitative Course 2)

AREA 4: Second Language Use

• SLAA770: Sociolinguistics in Second Language Acquisition
• SLAA771: Developmental and Cross-Cultural Pragmatics
• SLAA772: Bilingualism and Multilingualism
• SLAA773: The Heritage Language Speaker

RESEARCH SEMINAR & ELECTIVES

• SLAA649R: Second Language Research Critique (3 credits; required at least once) 
• SLAA888: Doctoral Independent Study (3 credits; elective for student-led publishable side project)

At the Ph.D. level, students are initially advised by the director of the program in SLA until they choose their own academic advisor (usually, the same as their advisor for either of their qualifying papers or the dissertation). By the end of their second semester in the program, students should choose an advisor for their first qualifying paper (must be core SLA graduate faculty) and register this choice with the director of the program in SLA. In all cases, final responsibility for meeting Graduate School requirements and deadlines rests with the student, not with the advisor. Students should regularly check the graduate school website for all official deadlines.

Financial Assistance

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program may be eligible for funding in the form of graduate assistantships or research assistantships within SLLC. Additional funding opportunities may also be available through the College of Arts and Humanities and other campus-level units. Please note that to be considered for financial support, students must be enrolled full-time.

Limited funds for travel to national conferences may be available through SLLC when the student is presenting a paper. Students are also encouraged to explore other funding possibilities available through conference organizers, external agencies or institutions, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the Graduate School.

Limited funds for travel to national conferences may be available through SLLC when the student is presenting a paper.  However, students should also explore other possibilities for funding available through the conference organizers, external agencies or institutions, as well as the College of Arts and Humanities and the Graduate School.
 

Requirements for Admission

Prior to admission to the program, applicants must have successfully completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in a relevant field, e.g., SLA, linguistics, education, psychology, or applied linguistics.

Admission Deadlines

• January 21 (Fall application deadline for domestic and international applicants)

Supplemental Materials Required by the SLA Program

The SLA program requires the following supplemental materials to be uploaded as part of the application:

1. Three letters of recommendation, preferably from faculty members who have taught you recently and who can attest to your scholarly potential in the field of SLA.
2. A statement of purpose, in English, describing your academic and career background and future plans, specifying why you believe the SLA program at the University of Maryland is suitable for you, and you are suitable for it, and how you expect to use the training received at UMD.
3. Writing sample: Evidence of an ability for and desire to undertake scholarly work appropriate for the heavily research-oriented Ph.D. in SLA (e.g., an M.A. thesis, a seminar paper, or published articles.

Program Leadership

Bronson Hui, Assistant Professor & Program Head, Second Language Acquisition 
3102 Jiménez Hall College Park, MD 20742

The University of Maryland is dedicated to maintaining a vibrant international graduate student community. The office of International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS) is a valuable resource of information and assistance for prospective and current international students.  International applicants are encouraged to explore the services they offer and contact them with related questions.

The University of Maryland Graduate School offers admission to international students based on academic information; it is not a guarantee of attendance.  Admitted international students will then receive instructions about obtaining the appropriate visa to study at the University of Maryland which will require the submission of additional documents.  Please access the Graduate Admissions Process for International applicants for more information.