PhD in Composition and Applied Linguistics: Course Requirements
The program is designed to meet the needs of English instructors at two-year and four-year colleges and universities. The core courses provide a foundation for students to specialize in composition and applied linguistics. This foundation is flexible enough to meet students' individual needs and those of the academic marketplace.
The core curriculum connects theory with practice and is designed to increase the professional qualifications and teaching effectiveness of instructors in teaching positions. The Composition and Applied Linguistics Program began in 1975, was revised in 1986 and again in 2000, and most recently included the low-residency option in 2021.
The Composition and Applied Linguistics Program recognizes the changing structure of education and the interdisciplinary nature of research into the nature and transmission of literacy. It provides central courses in research methods, technology and literacy, and language theory and offers options for a nine-credit specialization in Composition and Applied Linguistics. Doctoral students may begin the program in the second summer session (Low Residency) or fall (international full-time students) and must start with ENGL 825 and ENGL 830. Students have 15 elective hours in the program, with courses offered in rhetoric, literacy, and applied linguistics. In addition, students have other required and elective courses.
The program emphasizes the flexible yet intensive preparation of instructors of literacy. To achieve this flexibility, the program permits variation in the fields of concentration. All students study a common body of knowledge in central courses and focus their research on the uses of interdisciplinary knowledge for the transmission of literacy in the teaching of English. A unique feature is that students can select an academic year or a Low Residency program option.
Program Requirements
Composition and Applied Linguistics Discipline Courses (9cr)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 825 | Second Language Literacy | 3cr |
| ENGL 830 | Research and Practice in the Teaching of College Composition | 3cr |
| ENGL 870 | Teaching Practicum | 3cr |
Research Sequence (12cr)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 815 | Qualitative Research Methods in Composition and Applied Linguistics | 3cr |
| ENGL 820 | Quantitative Research Methods in Composition and Applied Linguistics | 3cr |
| ENGL 835 | Research Design and the Craft of Writing | 3cr |
| ENGL 900 | Dissertation Writing | 3cr |
Advanced Research Seminars (two courses required)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 846 | Research Seminar* | 3cr |
(*May also be taken for repeat credit as an elective)
Electives (three courses required)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 805 | Language and Social Context | 3cr |
| ENGL 808 | Technology and Literacy | 3cr |
| ENGL 810 | Narrative Inquiry | 3cr |
| ENGL 823 | Critical Perspectives on Second Language Teaching | 3cr |
| ENGL 824 | Second Language Acquisition | 3cr |
| ENGL 831 | Rhetorical Traditions | 3cr |
| ENGL 833 | Theories of Composition | 3cr |
| ENGL 836 | Life Writing Autoethnography | 3cr |
| ENGL 840 | Digital Rhetoric | 3cr |
| ENGL 842 | Cross-Cultural Communication | 3cr |
| ENGL 848 | Advanced Topics in Linguistics | 3cr |
| ENGL 851 | Writing in Transnational Contexts | 3cr |
| ENGL 854 | World Englishes in Comp & Applied Linguistics | 3cr |
| ENGL 867 | Research on Writing Centers and Writing Program Administration | 3cr |
| ENGL 880 | Writing for Publication | 3cr |
| ENGL 881 | Special Topics | 3cr |
(May be taken as an online course)
Courses in Other Programs Such as Literature & Criticism or Education
(as approved by Composition and Applied Linguistics director)
| Total Course Hrs. | 36cr |
|---|---|
| Dissertation | 12cr |