The goal of the dual-title degree in Applied Linguistics and African Studies is to enable graduate students from Applied Linguistics to acquire the knowledge and skills of their major area of specialization in Applied Linguistics while gaining the perspective from specialists in African Studies.
This program provides graduate students with a solid disciplinary foundation that will allow them to compete for the best jobs in their field. The dual-title PhD in Applied Linguistics and African Studies will enable these students to transform the traditional boundaries of their fields and become experts in African Studies and will add value to their status as candidates. Overall, the dual-title degree in Applied Linguistics and African Studies will build curricular bridges beyond the student’s major field to provide a unique training regime for global scholarship.
Admission Requirements
The PhD in Applied Linguistics and African Studies is open to students who are admitted to the Applied Linguistics doctoral program and, subsequently, to the dual-title degree program in African Studies. Doctoral students must be admitted into the dual-title degree program in African Studies prior to taking the qualifying examination in their primary graduate program.
Applicants interested in the program should make their interest in the dual-title degree program known on their applications and include remarks in their essays that explain their training, interests, and career goals in an area of African Studies.
Degree Requirements
To qualify for an African Studies degree, students must satisfy the requirements of the Applied Linguistics program in which they are primarily enrolled as well as the requirements described below, as established by the African Studies committee. Within this framework, the final course selection is determined by the student and their African Studies and Applied Linguistics program advisors.
Upon a student’s acceptance by the African Studies Admissions Committee, the student will be assigned an African Studies academic advisor in consultation with the African Studies chair. As students develop specific scholarly interests, they may request that a different African Studies faculty member serve as their advisor. The student and advisor will discuss a program of study that is appropriate for the student’s professional objectives and that is in accord with the policies of the Graduate School, Applied Linguistics Department, and African Studies program.
The PhD in Applied Linguistics and African Studies is awarded only to students who are admitted to the Applied Linguistics doctoral program and to the dual-title degree in African Studies.
Required Courses in Applied Linguistics
The basic coursework requirement for APLNG students entering with an MA degree is 37 credits (excluding 8 for doctoral dissertation writing), including one from a proseminar and four semesters with 9 credits each. Six of these credits can be double counted toward the AFR requirement.
Students taking the dual-title degree will have to enroll for an additional 12 credits in AFR putting the total for coursework at 49 credits. In this dual-title degree, students are expected to do coursework until Year 3. They concentrate on writing their dissertation in Years 4 and 5.
On rare occasions, the program may admit exceptionally qualified students entering the program with B.A. degree only. To satisfy the coursework requirements in both programs, these students will need 54 credits in APLNG and 12 credits in AFR beyond the 6 double counted APLNG credits. These students will be counseled to take advantage of summer credit options and will be permitted one or two semesters of 12 credits such that they may complete their comprehensive examinations in the 7th semester.