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.
Degree Requirements
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.
