Applied Linguistics MA

The Applied Linguistics and TESOL Program offers a Master of Arts degree with the following tracks: Applied Linguistics, TESOL General, TESOL PreK-12 with Initial Certification, and TESOL PreK-12 with Transitional-B Certification. Students earning the Master of Arts degree have five types of requirements: (1) general courses, (2) track-specific courses, (3) elective courses within AL and TESOL, and (4) out-of-program breadth courses, and (5) an exit project. All course decisions must be made in consultation with the student's assigned faculty advisor. Below are the track descriptions for the MA in Applied Linguistics. 

General Courses (15 points):

• A&HL 4000: Educational Linguistics (3)

• A&HL 4085: Pedagogical English grammar (3)

• A&HL 4087: Introduction to second language acquisition (3)

• A&HL 4088: Second language assessment (3)

• One language use course from the list below (for AL and TESOL General only):

• A&HL 4001: Sociolinguistics and education (3)

• A&HL 4104: Discourse analysis (3)

• A&HL 4105: Conversation analysis (3)

• A&HL 4106: Text and textuality (3)

Track-Specific Courses for the MA in AL (9 points): 

• A&HL 4077: TESOL classroom practices (3)

• A&HL 5301: Practicum I: Integrated skills (3)

• A&HL 5575: Research literacy in applied linguistics and TESOL (3)

Elective Courses (6 points): 

• Elective courses in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (6 points):

• A&HL 4101: Phonetics and phonology (3)

• A&HL 5085: Advanced syntax (3)

• A&HL 4001: Sociolinguistics and education (3)

• A&HL 4104: Discourse analysis (3)

• A&HL 4105: Conversation analysis (3)

• A&HL 4106: Text and textuality (3)

• A&HL 5020: Interactional sociolinguistics (3)

• A&HL 5105: Classroom discourse (3)

• A&HL 5106: Language socialization (3)

• A&HL 6031: Advanced conversation analysis (3)

• A&HL 4089: Teaching writing to ESL students (3)

• A&HL 4090: Introduction to Corpus Linguistics (3)

• A&HL 5011: Technology-based language teaching and material design (3)

• A&HL 6097: Task-based language teaching  (3)

• A&HL 5008: Interlanguage analysis (3)

• A&HL 5087: SLA in the classroom (3)

• A&HL 6087: Advanced second language acquisition (3)

• A&HL 5090: Computational Linguistics for Applied Linguists (3)

• A&HL 5199: Topics in language assessment (3)

• A&HL 5512: Historical perspectives on language testing research (3)

• A&HL 5519: Instructed second language acquisition and assessment (3)

• A&HL 6000: Second language test validation (3)

• A&HL 6040: Classroom-based language assessment (3)

• A&HL 6060: Generalizability theory for second language assessment research (3)

• A&HL 6089: Second language performance assessment (3)

• Courses can be taken at an affiliate campus in the Columbia community with advisor’s approval.

Breadth Out-of-Program Courses (6 points): 

• Must be chosen with advisor’s written approval.

Exit Project:

• In addition to course requirements, students must complete a Master’s project written on a research topic arising from their course-related interests and subject to approval by their assigned advisor. This project can be a review of literature on a scholarly topic or a practice motivated review of literature. It is normally completed at the beginning of the last semester of study. For more information, click here. 

Students can normally expect to complete the M.A. in Applied Linguistics or TESOL in four semesters (i.e., two years).