SLA grad schools, which path to take?

[lilymugworts]

I have my BA in Spanish and Portuguese (double major with International Affairs) from CU Boulder and am looking at going to grad school for Second Language Acquisition.  I have been looking at Spanish/Hispanic Linguistics programs as a MA, and then going into SLA as a PhD, but have noticed a lot of MA programs in SLA that feed into PhD programs.  My end goal is to research/work in developing ways to improve language study at a middle/high school level in the US.

I have looked into FSU's program that starts at the Spanish Linguistics MA and then the PhD in SLA is in the Modern Language department (instead of Linguistics).  FSU's program is the one I have researched the most, so I haven't spent too much time looking into other ones.  Other than that I have looked into University of Maryland and BU.  I do not have the most amazing GPA so I'm sure schools like Georgetown are out of my reach!
 

There are just so many programs out there I'm getting confused on where to really start my search.  I really love languages, and while studying abroad in Brazil I really got interested on how people acquired langauges and the best ways to do so, since I now am a lot more comfortable speaking Portuguese than I am Spanish, even though I only had one class in the US on Portuguese and then six months in Brazil, while I have been studying Spanish since middle school!

 

I also wonder about getting my MA at a school that I have a better chance at getting into and then trying for a really good school for my PhD?  My upper division GPA is only a 3.04 from undergrad because I really did not enjoy my international affairs course but didn't see any reason not to finish it out.

 

So to restate my questions in a simpler format:

1) Does it hurt or not affect me to get a MA in Hispanic Linguistics, instead of a MA in SLA, then a PhD in SLA?

2) What schools focus on researching methods to teach languages?

3) Is it possible to get my MA at an easier reach school, then my PhD at a high reach school?

 

 

 

Obrigada!

Edited December 15, 2013 by lilymugworts

[Snuffleupagus]

Hi! I am going to try to answer your questions  

 

1) Does it hurt or not affect me to get a MA in Hispanic Linguistics, instead of a MA in SLA, then a PhD in SLA?

I did my MA in Applied Ling and it was during that time that I got really interested in SLA.  So, I got a really high GPA from my MA program, research experience, and a more focused idea of what I want to study during my PhD before applying to SLA programs.  So, to answer your question, I do not think it would hurt you at all.  If you did well, you could use your higher GPA to become more competitive, especially if you also do some research work with professors.  In addition, you could also use Spanish and Portuguese in some form during your dissertation work, thereby incorporating your MA. 

 

2) What schools focus on researching methods to teach languages?

I would say that University of Arizona, University of Maryland, and University of Hawaii would be primary choices off of the top of my head.  Within SLA there are normally 4 tracks, and depending on the program, you can either mix and match these four tracks or focus on one during your PhD.  UMD (my school) wants us to mix all the tracks before selecting one to focus on. 

 

3) Is it possible to get my MA at an easier reach school, then my PhD at a high reach school? 

I think I already answered this in number 1.  Short answer: Yes. 

 

If you have any other questions please message me