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Article published In:
Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism
Vol. 3:4 (2013) ► pp.509–531
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The doctorate in Second Language Acquisition

An institutional history

| Boston College

This article surveys nine graduate programs that confer doctoral degrees in Second Language Acquisition, the first of which was founded in 1988, 25 years ago. I examine warrants for the establishment of PhD programs in second language acquisition, the array of institutional bases on which they rest, and their curricula. I also point out distinctive features of particular programs, and report some of the ways in which this relatively new option for graduate education in the field of second language acquisition can be assessed. The goal is to reflect on what the existence and content of PhD programs in second language acquisition contributes to the discipline overall.

Keywords: doctoral programs in Second Language Acquisition;, graduate education in Linguistics/Applied Linguistics;, history of graduate education
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Definition of ‘PhD program in SLA’
  • 3.Warrants for the foundation of PhD programs in SLA
  • 4.Institutional status of PhD programs in SLA
  • 5.Curricular content
  • 6.Distinctive features of particular programs
  • 7.Assessing the contributions of PhD Programs in SLA to the discipline
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 11 October 2013
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.3.4.05tho
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Gass, Susan M.
2016. The Road Travelled. In Becoming and Being an Applied Linguist, ► pp. 253 ff. DOI logo
Gass, Susan M., Luke Plonsky & Lizz Huntley
2022. Chapter 2. Taking the Long view. In Second Language Acquisition Theory [Bilingual Processing and Acquisition, 14], ► pp. 9 ff. DOI logo
Guan, Zichen
2023. 'Professional development in Applied Linguistics: A guide to success for graduate students and early career faculty' Luke Plonsky (ed.) (2020). Sociolinguistic Studies 17:1-3 ► pp. 321 ff. DOI logo
Gönülal, Talip
2018. An Investigation of the Predictors of Statistical Literacy in Second Language Acquisition. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics 4:1 ► pp. 49 ff. DOI logo
Sağdıç, Ayşenur & Daniel R. Isbell
2020. Chapter 2. Demystifying the process. In Professional Development in Applied Linguistics, ► pp. 8 ff. DOI logo

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