Course Requirements

  1. Thirty-four (34) credit hours: A minimum of 28 course work hours plus six thesis hours (699R) in language of specialization
  2. Sixteen (16) credit hours of Core courses:
    Course Number Course Name Credits Term Offered
    Ling 500 Introduction to Research in TESOL 3 Fall
    Ling 540 Language Acquisition
    (prerequisite Ling 330 or equivalent)    		 3 Fall and Winter
    Ling 595 Research Design in TESOL 1 Spring
    Ling 600 Research Data Analysis 3 Fall
    Ling 641 Interlanguage Anaylsis
    May be taken instead of Ling 660    		 3 Winter
    Ling 660 Language Testing
    May be taken instead of Ling 641    		 3 Fall
    Ling 677 Advanced Methodology and Curriculum Development
    (prerequisite Ling 577 or equivalent)    		 3 Winter
  3. Elective courses (12 hours): 3 hours of advanced linguistic study of the language of specialization, plus 9 hours approved by committee in tutorials, internships, seminars, and other courses are available in such areas as:
    • second language acquisition (SLA) theory
    • contrastive, error, and discourse analysis
    • general and applied linguistics
    • structure of Arabic, Chinese, etc.
    • psycholinguistics
    • sociolinguistics
    • instructional theory and design
    • language testing
    • computer–assisted instruction
    • materials development
  4. Additional language requirement (choose one):
    • reading and speaking ability (at least 12 hours or 200-level competency) in a language other than English in addition to the language of specialization
    • 12 hours of approved computer science, computers and the humanities, or computing and information courses
    • with approval of the candidate’s graduate committee, a total of 12 hours selected from these two categories of courses
  5. Thesis: 6 hours of 699R in the language of specialization
  6. Examinations: Oral Defense

Course Descriptions

Ling 330 – Introduction to Linguistics – 3 Credits

Basic understanding of linguistic systems. Phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

Ling 500 – Introduction to Research in TESOL – 3 Credits

Research questions in language teaching and learning, literature review, research design, data collection, and interpretation. Understanding research methods as used in others' studies.

Ling 540 – Language Acquisition – 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Ling 330 or equivalent

First- and second-language acquisition viewed in light of psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics.

Ling 595 – Research Design in TESOL – 1 Credit

Research design options for examining language acquisition and teaching. Designing research and writing the third chapter of the MA thesis. Students may enroll concurrently for up to 2 hours of Ling 699R (thesis) credit.

Ling 600 – Research Data Analysis – 3 Credits

Use of statistics and other procedures for analyzing and interpreting qualitative and quantitative research data. Writing chapters four and five of MA thesis.

Ling 641 – Interlanguage Anaylsis – 3 Credits

Methods for comparing and analyzing aspects of language as they relate to language acquisition and teaching, including aspects of phonology, lexicon, grammar, syntax, and discourse.

Ling 660 – Language Testing – 3 Credits

Construction, analysis, use, and interpretation of language tests.

Ling 677 – Advanced Methodology and Curriculum Development – 3 Credits
Prerequisite: Ling 577 or equivalent

Analysis and understanding of various language-teaching methods and the process of developing language-teaching curricula for specific purposes.