PhD second Lang Acquisition or Applied Ling

[Eddie825]

Hi, all!  I am currently a high school Spanish teacher interested in applying in the next few years to a graduate program in second language acquisition or applied linguistics.  I really have an eye toward UC Berkeley’s PhD program in Romance linguistics but it doesn’t specialize in SLA or Applied linguistics, but I do like the prospect of working with multiple Romance languages.  I also have researched and like the University of Iowa’s PhD program in SLA.  I am torn...I suppose Cal is more we’ll known name wise and perhaps that’s what is drawing me to it?  Does anyone have experience with either program that can give me insight?

[fuzzylogician]

I have a very different specialization so I can't tell you much about either program, but at the point where you haven't even applied yet, it's probably wise to have several options under consideration. If you're accepted to more than one school, then you have the option of visiting and chatting with faculty to weigh your options. I think it's premature to do it now. But more generally, I think a question to ask is what you hope to gain from the degree -- what job would you like to have? Which school is likelier to help you achieve that goal? For high school teaching, it's my understanding that certification doesn't carry across states, so that might be an important consideration, along with funding and fit with an advisor.