Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Ph.D. Program
Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is a multidisciplinary field whose goal is to understand the processes that underlie the learning of a non-native language. Second language acquisition draws from a variety of academic disciplines, among them linguistics, psychology, psycholinguistics, sociology, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and education.
Overview of the Doctoral Program
The Ph.D. in SLA is an interdisciplinary degree offered by FLARE (Foreign Language Acquisition Research and Education). Students interested in the Ph.D. must have completed the M.A. in an appropriate field (e.g., Linguistics, Foreign Language Education, TESOL/ESL) or have equivalent academic experience. Admission is for the fall semester and students are admitted on a full-time basis only. The Ph.D. in SLA offered by FLARE focuses on languages other than English. Prospective students interested in working with English (EFL/ESL) should investigate University of Iowa Ph.D. programs in Linguistics and Foreign Languages and ESL Education.
Students may pursue their interdisciplinary interests in courses offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Departments of Asian Languages and Literature, French and Italian, German, Linguistics, Rhetoric, Spanish and Portuguese, and Speech Pathology and Audiology, and the College of Education Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, and Teaching and Learning. There are more than 20 associated faculty members in these and other departments with whom students may study.
Areas of Specialization
Linguistics
SLA with specialization in linguistics: Students in this track are more interested in studying areas of formal linguistics (e.g., syntax, phonology, morphology) and/or applied linguistics issues related to their particular second language focus. Sample student projects and foci within this area of SLA include topics such as the acquisition of the syntactic structures and/or phonological features of a second language (L2), generative and cognitive approaches to explaining acquisition.
Language Program Direction
SLA with specialization in language program direction: Students opting for this track express more of an interest in issues where SLA and L2 pedagogy converge. Some examples of areas of interest in this track include issues related to course design for second language instruction, second language program management, SLA research related to each of the four skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking), and approaches to acquiring cultural competence.
Technology
SLA with specialization in technology: The third and final track focuses on the many aspects of technology and how it facilitates second language acquisition. Students hoping to specialize in technology might take courses that focus on designing issues, the use of multimedia and L2 learning, web-based learning and its effect on SLA, developing software or multimedia modules tailored to a specific second language of study.
The University of Iowa
The University of Iowa offers a rich and productive context for the study of SLA. The University Library contains more than two million volumes and holdings in areas related to SLA are excellent, affording a wide range of opportunities for research. A state-of-the-art language media center provides facilities for language learning at all levels, as well as support for research on technology-enhanced learning.