PhD Major

The Doctoral Program in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison prepares students to research and teach in the rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of SLA.

The community of faculty and students affiliated with the SLA Program is a vibrant and supportive group representing many languages, as well as many departments and schools on the UW-Madison campus.

Included in the 51-credit program for the doctoral major are two required, introductory courses; two required courses in research methods; an “emphasis” (6 credits minimum); elective courses; and the dissertation.

Detailed information about the requirements for the doctoral major is included in the Graduate Student Handbook: Requirements & Policy and Guidelines.

Graduates of the SLA Program will pursue careers in many different fields, including linguistics, language planning and policy, language program direction and administration and language teaching. Many of the Ph.D. degree recipients will seek careers in language education or as coordinators or directors of language programs, especially at the post-secondary level. Graduates will also seek positions in Ph.D. programs with an SLA research emphasis.