2007-2008 Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees |
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Applicable only to students admitted during the 2007-2008 academic year. Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language College of Letters and Science Graduate Degrees The Department of Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language, the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Applied Linguistics, and the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Teaching English as Second Language. Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language Admission
Master's Degree Advising New students entering the program meet with the graduate adviser, the staff and the faculty at a special orientation meeting held at the beginning of Fall Quarter. There is a clearly stated set of course requirements which each student must fulfill in order to earn the master's degree. Each individual student's program is specified in a meeting with the faculty mentor. During the year, students are made aware of their progress in individual courses based on the result of midterm and final examinations. At the beginning of each quarter, the faculty mentor reviews the student's records and advises on progress in the program and the remaining requirements that must be met. In addition to the guidance the students receive from their faculty mentors, the graduate adviser also advises them on issues such as enrollment, late add/drop/change procedures, M.A. committee nomination and reconstitution, removal of incomplete and grade change procedures, degree checks, advancement to candidacy, master's thesis filing information, and scholarship and fellowship opportunities. Because the vitality of the program, for both students and faculty, depends to a large degree on the development of strong mentoring relationships between individual students and faculty members, every attempt is made to match entering students with faculty members according to areas of common interest, expertise, and experience. Areas of Study Three areas of specialization are available: language acquisition; language assessment; and discourse analysis. Language Acquisition Research in language acquisition seeks to (1) describe interlanguage systems; (2) examine underlying cognitive mechanisms that could account for these systems; (3) examine the social, affective, and neurobiological factors that influence second language development; and (4) explore the effect of instruction on the process. Additional areas of inquiry include (a) comparisons between native and nonnative linguistic systems and how speakers use them in natural discourse, and (b) explanations for variable success in second language acquisition in terms of the neural underpinnings of language as well as the neural basis for perception, attention, memory, and emotion. Language Assessment Language assessment is concerned with the empirical investigation of theoretical questions on the one hand, and with providing useful tools for assessment in applied linguistics on the other. Language testing research has as its goals the formulation and empirical investigation of theories of language test performance and the demonstration of the ways in which performance on language tests is related to communicative language use in its widest sense. Discourse Analysis Discourse analysis is concerned with how language users produce and interpret language in context. Discourse analysts research the linguistics structures of speech acts, conversational sequences, speech activities, oral and literature registers, and stance (among other constructs) and seek to relate to these constructs to social and cultural norms, preferences, and expectations. The field articulates how lexico-grammar and discourse systematically vary across social situations and at the same time help to define those situations. Discourse analysis may be carried out as an end in itself or as a tool contributing to research in language acquisition or language assessment. Foreign Language Requirement A minimum of two quarters of foreign language study is required as a prerequisite to the course requirements for the M.A. degree. Students whose native language is English generally choose to acquire or perfect knowledge of a foreign language or dialect. This can be done by taking any one of three combinations of two courses: (1) two foreign language courses; (2) one foreign language course plus a corresponding course, Linguistics 220 or 225; (3) Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 221 plus an unrestricted elective. Non-native speakers of English, depending on their performance on the University's English as a Second Language Placement Examination (ESLPE), may be required to take a course to improve their practical command of English. Exemption from the foreign language requirement may be granted if students can demonstrate a strong need to take other electives and have an unusually extensive background of previous foreign language study. For more information, students should contact the graduate adviser. Course Requirements A total of 10 courses is required for the M.A. degree, including a minimum of seven 200-series courses. Nine of these courses are applied toward the University's nine-course minimum for the master's degree. A total of eight units of 500-series courses may be applied toward the 10 courses required by the department for the M.A. degree; however, only four of those units may be used to fulfill the University's nine-course minimum requirement for the degree. In addition, those students lacking a significant foreign language background are required to complete two additional foreign language electives. Prerequisites: Introductory course in phonetics taught at UCLA (Linguistics 103); a minimum of two quarters of a foreign language. First-Year Curriculum The typical course of study for the first year of the M.A. program is as follows: Fall Quarter: Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language C201 and C204, one additional course. Winter Quarter: Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language C202, two additional courses. Spring Quarter: Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 208, two additional courses. Five foundation courses (Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 200, C201, C202, C204, and 208) are required. Choice of additional coursework in the first year is flexible and is to be determined in conjunction with the faculty mentor and graduate adviser. Those students who lack the prerequisite linguistics courses and foreign language background are expected to take these courses within their first two quarters. Students who wish to obtain a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language or desire advanced language education training in order to serve as teaching assistants might choose to take certain professional development electives. Students who come to the program from fields other than linguistics may need to take additional courses in the nature of language and language analysis, in order to better prepare themselves for advanced study in one of the three areas of specialization offered in this program. Exceptions to the above requirements are made only after consultation with the faculty mentor and graduate adviser. Second-Year Curriculum The typical course of study for the second year of the M.A. program is as follows: Fall Quarter: Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 200, two guided electives. Winter Quarter: Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 598, two guided electives. Spring Quarter: Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 400, 598. During the second year, students complete their specialization and elective course requirements and work on their thesis. The four elective courses are to be chosen in consultation with the student's faculty adviser/mentor from courses in the department. Two of these electives must be 200-series courses in the student's area of specialization, beyond the foundation courses. In order to enhance an interdisciplinary perspective, students are also encouraged to take relevant electives in other departments and programs, such as Anthropology, Education, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Sociology. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, each student must enroll in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 200. By the end of the fourth quarter the thesis proposal must be approved by the thesis committee and submitted to the department chair. Once students complete the thesis proposal, they enroll in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 598, which is conducted as an independent tutorial with the master's thesis committee chair as mentor until the thesis is completed, typically the end of the second year. Students may only apply Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 598 once towards the 10-course requirement. Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 400 is a seminar in which M.A. candidates present and defend the results of their thesis research. Enrollment is required in Spring Quarter but does not count as one of the 10 courses required for the M.A. degree. Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language Certificate Successful completion of the following courses, by graduate students enrolled in UCLA degree programs, qualifies students for a Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language Certificate, which is not a California State Teaching Credential: Linguistics 20; Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language C210; C216; C218B; C211, or C212, or C214, or C215A, or C215B, or C217, or C219A; C202, or 220, or 230; C213 or Linguistics 103; and two quarters of a foreign language. Teaching Experience Not required. Field Experience Not required. Comprehensive Examination None. Thesis Plan The culmination of the mentoring relationship during the M.A. degree is the master's thesis, which is based on research that each student plans and conducts under the supervision of a faculty mentor. The master's thesis is a substantial research report, which could provide the basis for a journal article. During the fourth quarter, each student must enroll in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language 598. In this course, the student prepares a thesis proposal and forms, in collaboration with a faculty mentor, a thesis committee, which consists of three members who meet University regulations for service on thesis committees, at least two of whom must be from the department. By the end of the fourth quarter the thesis proposal must be approved by the thesis committee and submitted to the department chair. Time-to-Degree From admission to award of the M.A. degree: six quarters, and in some cases, a summer session. Students must complete the degree, including the filing of the thesis, within three years of beginning the M.A. program. If the degree is not completed within that time period, a petition must be filed with the department indicating reasons for the extension of time. PAGE 2 -- Applied Linguistics
Doctoral Degree Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language |
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