Second Language Acquisition and Application (SLNG)

Abstract

NOTE: THE M.A. PROGRAM IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND APPLICATION IS NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.

The M.A. Program in Second Language Acquisition and Application prepares students for a Master of Arts degree in SLAA, with a specialization in a specific language (French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese). All applicants must hold a B.A. or the equivalent in one of these languages to apply. This program has been designed for researchers, language teachers, government service professionals, and anyone interested in the acquisition and application of languages other than English.

Students in this program attain language competency and key cultural insights into French, German, Japanese, Russian or Spanish with possible emphases in second language acquisition, foreign language pedagogy, technological applications of FL teaching and learning, and language use in professional contexts.

There are several specialization options available. In addition to the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) concentration available in French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish, the Program also offers a Language Application concentration for students specializing in Japanese, and a Language for Special Purposes (LSP) concentration for students specializing in Russian. These concentrations place a greater emphasis on the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and practical skills using either Japanese or Russian.

Graduates of our program have successfully obtained positions in a wide array of academic and professional fields, including education (certification must be obtained through the College of Education), research, and government.

Admissions Information

NOTE: THE M.A. PROGRAM IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IS NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS.

M.A. students apply to the program of their choice: French (SLFR), German (SLGE), Japanese (SLJA), Russian (SLRU), or Spanish (SLSP). In addition, students in Japanese should clearly indicate on their applications whether they are interested in the Acquisition or Application concentration, and students in Russian should clearly indicate whether they are interested in the Acquisition or the LSP concentration.

Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines

Applications must be received by January 15 .

Applications for non-US citizens/foreign residents must be received by June 1 .
Applications from US citizens must be received by September 15 .

International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Application Requirements

Admission to the Graduate School.
B.A. or B.S. in a related field.
Professional or academic writing samples in both English and the target language.
Oral interview (possible by phone) required for all language concentrations; you will be contacted by the language department to set up a date and time.
Statement of Purpose in English.
Three letters of recommendation.
GRE Scores are required of all students who wish to be considered for financial support. Please see the program website for more details.

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines	Applications must be received by January 15 .	Applications for non-US citizens/foreign residents must be received by June 1 . Applications from US citizens must be received by September 15 .

International Applicants: Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.
Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas	February 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1	June 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants	May 1 If Domestic Deadline is after May 1	October 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials	May 15 If Domestic Deadline is after May 15	October 31 If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts (M.A.)

The M.A. program in SLAA requires 30 credit hours. Three concentration options are available, depending upon the student's language of specialization: (1) Acquisition (available for French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish); (2) Application (Japanese); and (3) Language for Special Purposes (Russian). These concentrations vary primarily according to the number and type of courses required for the general core, as described in more detail below. Information about electives, capstone projects, and comprehensive exams for all options can be found here.

Concentrations

(1) The Acquisition concentration in French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish consists of a General Core (9 credit hours), a Language-specific Core (9 credit hours), Electives (9 credit hours), and a Capstone Project (3 credit hours).

The Acquisition General Core includes the following courses: SLAA 610: Research and Theory of Second Language Acquisition, SLAA 611: Fundamentals of Language Acquisition and Instruction, and SLAA 620: Second Language Research Methodology.

The Language-specific cores vary depending upon the language specialization, and include courses such as: Applied Linguistics, History of the Language, Structure and Acquisition of the Language, Problems in Phonology and Morphology, Socio-and Psycholinguistic Perspectives on the Language, and Issues and Research in the Foreign/Second Language. Most of these courses are taught in the language of the student's specialization.

(2) The Japanese Application concentration requires 30 credit hours, and consists of an Application General Core (12 credit hours), a Language-specific Core (9 credit hours), Electives (6 credit hours) and a Capstone Project (3 credit hours).

The Japanese Application General Core includes the following courses: JAPN 611: Structure of the Japanese Language, JAPN 628: Seminar in Japanese Discourse and Conversation Analysis, JAPN 618 or 619: Topics in Pre-Modern or Modern Japanese Literature, and SLAA 629: Topics in Sociolinguistics (or another SLAA 600-level course chosen in consultation with the student's advisor).

(3) The Russian Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) concentration requires 30 credit hours, and consists of an LSP General Core (9 credit hours), a Language-specific Core (9 credit hours), Electives (9 credit hours) and a Capstone Project (3 credit hours).

Additional requirements for all concentrations

Electives are selected in consultation with the student's advisor from offerings in SLAA, the various language programs, and other departments such as Linguistics, Communication, Hearing and Speech, Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation, and Curriculm and Instruction.

The 3-credit Capstone Project (SLAA 779) is usually completed during the student's final semester, and is equivalent to a "mini-thesis" paper. It must be read and approved by a three-member faculty committee, and also presented at a public forum open to faculty and students.

All students must also pass comprehensive exams. Students in French, German, Spanish and the Acquistion concentrations for Japanese and Russian will take a three-hour comprehensive examination in English about the field of Second Language Acquisition and an additional three-hour examination in their particular language. Students specializing in Japanese Application and Russian LSP will take a three-hour comprehensive examination in English about their respective concentrations, and an additional three-hour examination based on coursework taken in their language-specific core.

For more specific information about courses offered in the various concentrations and comprehensive examination requirements, please see the Program website.

Facilities and Special Resources

In addition to the University graduate and undergraduate libraries, the SLAA program offers state-of-the-art facilities and resources to enhance research, pedagogical training, use of technology, and materials development, including a multimedia SLA Lab, The Language House, Language Media Services, the Office of Information Technology, and the Center for Teaching Excellence. Students completing elective coursework with affiliate faculty in the Departments of Communication, Linguistics , and Education may have access to their respective resources.

In addition, students may elect to do a 3-credit internship (SLAA 719) as one of their electives. Possible internships in the Washington, D.C. area include The National Foreign Language Center, the Center for the Advanced Study of Languages, the Center for Applied Linguistics, the American Council of Teachers of Russian, foreign cultural institutes and embassies, and immersion schools in French, German and Spanish.

Financial Assistance

Limited financial support is available in the form of graduate scholarships, teaching assistantships, and graduate assistantships awarded by the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures on a competitive basis. In order to be considered for these awards, a completed application and all supplementary materials (including GRE scores and academic or professional writing samples in both English and the target language) must be received by Janaury 15 for Fall admission and September 15 for Spring admission.

Contact Information

Students may contact the following faculty members of specific language programs for further information.

For French: Dr. Mary Ellen Scullen
3215 Jimenez Hall
College Park
MD 20742-4821
Telephone: 301-405-4033
Fax: 301-314-9752
mscullen@umd.edu

http://www.languages.umd.edu/SLAA

For Spanish: Dr. Manel Lacorte
3215 Jimenez Hall
College Park
MD 20742-4821
Telephone: 301-405-8233
Fax: 301-314-9752
mlacorte@umd.edu

http://www.languages.umd.edu/SLAA

For Russian: Dr. Maria Lekic
3215 Jimenez Hall
College Park
MD 20742-4821
Telephone: 301-405-4099
Fax: 301-314-9752
lekic@actr.org

http://www.languages.umd.edu/SLAA

For Japanese: Dr. Lindsay Yotsukura
3215 Jimenez Hall College Park
MD 20742-4821
Telephone: 301-405-0038
Fax: 301-314-9752
ly@umd.edu

http://www.languages.umd.edu/SLAA

Courses: COMM EDCI LING FREN GERM SPAN RUSS SLAA JAPN EDMS

Related Programs and Campus Units

French and Italian Languages and Literatures
Germanic Studies
Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures
Linguistics
Curriculum and Instruction
Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL)
National Foreign Language Center
Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation
Communication