MA in Applied Linguistics

Program Director: Kate Menken

Program Code 302

The goal of this program is to train graduate students to be effective teachers of adult learners of English as a second or foreign language. Unlike the MS in Education, this program focuses on adult learners and does not lead to New York State certification for K-12 teaching. The program consists of 36 credits of seminar teaching, independent student research and classroom practicums, which students typically complete in 1-2 years. Both full-time and part-time study programs are available. The program is designed to accommodate the schedules of working professionals with daytime jobs.

Admissions Requirements

These requirements are in addition to the general requirements for admission.

• Completion of bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA minimum.
• Applicants whose first language is not English and who do not hold an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited American institution of higher education must submit proof of having achieved a score of 600 or higher on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
• Three letters of recommendation.
• A personal essay of approximately 500 words.
• The credentials of each applicant will be examined by the Linguistics Graduate Admissions Committee. An interview may be requested.
• The number of applicants approved for matriculation is limited by available resources. Therefore, applicants who otherwise meet minimum requirements for matriculation may not necessarily be admitted.

Maintenance Requirements

• Minimum overall grade point average of B (3.0).
• All students must file a Program of Study form with the Program Director.

These requirements are in addition to the general requirements for the Master of Arts degree.

• Satisfactory completion of the following 36 credits: LCD 701, 702, 703, 705, 706, 707, 720, 740.3, 741.3, 742, 750, 790.
• Completion of course requirements with a minimum overall grade point average of B (3.0).

Courses

LCD 701. Introduction to Linguistics. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Structural aspects of language most relevant to the ESL and/or literacy teacher.

LCD 702. Teaching English Sentence Structure I. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq. or coreq.: LCD 701. Introduction to the grammar of English and applications to teaching ESL, Part I.

LCD 703. Teaching English Sentence Structure II. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: LCD 702. Introduction to the grammar of English and applications to teaching ESL, Part II. Continuation of LCD 702.

LCD 705. Language and Cross-cultural Communication. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq. or coreq.: LCD 701. The acquisition and use of non-native languages from a cross-cultural perspective. Introduction to research on how non-native speakers learn the sociolinguistic and pragmatic rules of the target language and how inappropriate use of such rules often results in miscommunication between native and non-native speakers. Developing effective pedagogical techniques in teaching communicative competence to ESL learners.

LCD 706. Bilingualism. 3 cr.; 3 hr. Prereq. or coreq.: LCD 701. Sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic properties of bilingualism, legal history, and educational foundations of bilingual education. Bilingual education will be compared to other approaches. An emphasis is placed on the implications of bilingualism for ESL and/or literacy teachers.

LCD 707. Evaluation and Measurement in TESOL. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: LCD 703 and 741. Discussion of contemporary issues and problems in ESL testing. Construction and evaluation of reliable tests in all areas of language skills. Analysis of published standardized ESL tests, such as LAB and TOEFL.

LCD 720. Teaching English Sound Structure. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq. or coreq.: LCD 701. Introduction to the sound structure of English and applications to teaching ESL.

LCD 740.3. Second Language Acquisition and Teaching.3 hr. plus 25 hr. of fieldwork; 3 cr. Prereq. or coreq.: LCD 701. Introduction to the linguistic and pedagogical theories and methods of teaching ESL. There is a field experience requirement at various school settings. Classes may sometimes be held at these off-campus locations.

LCD 741.3. Methods and Materials of TESOL: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing. 3 hr. plus 25 hr. of fieldwork tutorial; 3 cr. Prereq.: LCD 702 and 740. This course is a comprehensive review of the methods and materials used in TESOL/ESL classes to teach the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The class covers how to adapt methods and materials to suit learner populations of different ages and at varying levels of English proficiency. The role of instructional technology (e.g. audiovisual, multimedia, computers in ESL instruction) will also be addressed. There is a field experience requirement at various school settings. Classes may sometimes be held at these off-campus locations.

LCD 742. Methods and Materials of TESOL: The Content Areas. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: LCD 741. In this course students learn the principles and practices for TESOL/ESL through academic content areas such as mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts. Readings, model lessons, and authentic materials are used to examine the theoretical issues involved and apply them to teaching practices for ESL learners at the elementary and secondary levels.

LCD 750. Practicum in Adult TESOL. 5 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: LCD 703, 705 or 706; coreq. LCD 742. Supervised teaching experience plus a weekly two-hour seminar focused on classroom-related issues in second language acquisition and instruction. This course does not fulfill the State Education requirements for certification in elementary or secondary schools.

LCD 790. Seminar in Research in TESOL. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: LCD 707 and 742. Analysis of selected research studies related to TESOL.