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ESL+Foreign language PhDs - worth it or too narrow?


tesolin4languages

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Dear friends:

I am a person that is dreaming about getting a PhD one day. However, I know the apparent perils of doing so (little jobs, as evidenced by the chronicle's many articles on the subject).

So my questions are as follows:

1) What are the best ESL / Foreign language programs out there?

2) I am very scared that getting a TESOL PhD or a second language acquisition PhD is too narrow. I've taken a look at my previous professors in my master's program (I hold an MS in Education and TESOL from the University of Rochester) and they all have very broad PhD's, such as Teaching and Curriculum, or even just education, or perhaps Higher Education.
Am I right in being scared?

 

 

Also, I don't like the cold much, and it would definitely affect my decision. The hotter the better!
Now, my plan is to get more experience because I want to get a tuition waiver and a stipend. I know I am asking for a lot.
With that said, my third question is:

3) While I know that some schools grant stipends and tuition waivers, do you know of any very reputable institution waive all/or most of the tuition?

(I have a BA in Intercultural and Organizational Communication, 3.7GPA; and an MS in Education and TESOL (3.999GPA). 
If you need more information, please don't hesitate to ask!

Thanks so much for being of help. I truly appreciate your time!
DMC

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What do you want to do with your PhD? Do you want to do research on language acquisition/learning, or do you want to teach ESL?

 

You might consider looking into linguistics programs that specialize in applied linguistics. A lot of linguistics programs seem to offer full funding (tuition + stipend) for PhD students.

 

The only school I can suggest for that is UC Davis. (Full disclosure: I'm doing undergrad here right now.) I don't actually know very much about the specifics of the program or the research because it's not my field, but I can tell you it gets HOT here. As of this typing it's 90ºF out, and this is considered a fairly cool day. Over the weekend, it's supposed to hit 104º.

 

If that's the sort of thing you're looking for, you'll have to wait for people who actually know a thing or two about applied linguistics to give you better recommendations.

 

I will say that from what I've heard, it really is a tough job market out there for Linguistics PhDs. But if it's what you want, go for it. At least you won't have to sink too much money into it.

 

(Your GPA is 3.999? They couldn't have rounded up?)

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What do you want to do with your PhD? Do you want to do research on language acquisition/learning, or do you want to teach ESL?

 

You might consider looking into linguistics programs that specialize in applied linguistics. A lot of linguistics programs seem to offer full funding (tuition + stipend) for PhD students.

 

The only school I can suggest for that is UC Davis. (Full disclosure: I'm doing undergrad here right now.) I don't actually know very much about the specifics of the program or the research because it's not my field, but I can tell you it gets HOT here. As of this typing it's 90ºF out, and this is considered a fairly cool day. Over the weekend, it's supposed to hit 104º.

 

If that's the sort of thing you're looking for, you'll have to wait for people who actually know a thing or two about applied linguistics to give you better recommendations.

 

I will say that from what I've heard, it really is a tough job market out there for Linguistics PhDs. But if it's what you want, go for it. At least you won't have to sink too much money into it.

 

(Your GPA is 3.999? They couldn't have rounded up?)

Thanks! LOL yes, it could have been rounded up, but it's not.  Perhaps I can call them and look into that!

About linguistics, that's not what I want. I want either ESL/EFL or second language acquisition.

What I am frightened about is the fact that there is a narrow market for PhDs (as evidenced by the chronicles many articles on the subject) and, by pure logic, the more narrow your PhD area of specialization, the narrower the market will get.

That's why I mentioned what my teachers have. It seems many professors do PhD's in a broader area, and then get minors.

Is this the way to go?

What's your opinion?

PS. About the weather, yes - I couldn't care less if it's hot - but if it's perennially cold, I wouldn't be a happy camper.

Thanks!

All the best

I'll let you know about the round up! :)

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Oh, and I would like to teach (foremost) and sure, research on the side. What's most important to me is teaching.
However, I have been told that to be anyone in academia you must go for your PhD, which is why I am looking into it. I like research, but not as much as I like teaching. :)

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Haha, the system probably just rounds your GPA to the nearest thousandth, and you just happen to have ended up in that unenviable position of being so close, yet so far. :P

 

Sorry for getting sidetracked with the applied linguistics thing. I didn't know that there were such things as ESL/EFL or SLA PhDs. They just look like applied linguistics to me. (Of course, when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail.)

 

If you mainly want to teach ESL, I don't think you need a PhD for that. At the least, it's certainly not a requirement, but I'm guessing that you think it might make you a more desirable job applicant? You'll have to wait for someone more familiar with the ESL job market to comment on that.

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LOL. That's what I'm saying! It's so narrow, that people don't know they exist!
According to a recent post that I made in the linguistics forum, there are but 10 SLA programs in the US. 
As for TESOL, I am not sure how many, but Teacher's College has one (an EdD).

 

One day, I'd like to head an ESL department at a college. Another option would be to train future teachers. For that you definitely need a PhD.

Also, if you look at tesol.org, strong preference is given to PhD holders. 

Someone once told me you have to make ABSOLUTELY sure you want/need a PhD before you do it, because it requires money, effort and time.
Having said that, that's what I am trying to determine : Should I?

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Well, you seem to both want and need a PhD to get to where you want to go. :P No one but you can determine whether that's the right path for you.

 

As for the more pragmatic side of the job search, I'll leave that for somebody else to comment on.

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Well, you seem to both want and need a PhD to get to where you want to go. :P No one but you can determine whether that's the right path for you.

 

As for the more pragmatic side of the job search, I'll leave that for somebody else to comment on.

OK thanks. You are right in that I have to make my own decision - absolutely! But I need help and guidance from those who know more than I do to make it a successful choice/decision.

All the best to you!

DMC

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For example, this would be something that I would like:
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/academics/doctorate/edld/

I
'm interested in it, and it has a wide range of possibilities, which obviously increases my chances for successful employment.
What do you all think?

Thanks in advance
 

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HOWEVER, ppl tell me that I'm crazy - I don't need a PhD to teach, if that's what I want to do.
I am already teaching at a college in Orlando, FL (Valencia College, which has award winning faculty in my area). I'm just craaaaaaaaaaaaazy about getting a full time position! :)
TESOL

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  • 6 months later...

bump (Just in case)

I'm in the same boat only with my master's. I just graduated with 2 BAs (one in English and one in Spanish). I've heard of dual master's programs, but there aren't that many. I wonder if it would be too much of a headache to get a masters in one and a graduate minor in the other??

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