The doctoral program in language education encompasses linguistics, the process of language acquisition, language pedagogy, and the relationship between language and beliefs, values, and culture. The program has three major goals: (1) to provide students with opportunities to construct their own theoretically grounded knowledge of the field; (2) to provide training and experience in conducting language education research; and (3) to encourage students to examine the larger political, social, and cultural context of language education. The program is appropriate for experienced teachers who wish to pursue careers as college and university faculty in the United States or overseas, administrators in schools and other educational institutions, and leaders in state and federal government agencies.

The doctoral program in language education is built around a set of core courses that provide an opportunity for students to work with all three faculty members and to build a fundamental understanding of the structure of language and its social function, the principles of second/foreign language education, and the relationship between language and culture. Additional courses allow students to develop an area of specialization congruent with the student's research and career interests. If so desired, students can obtain New Jersey certification or an endorsement while pursuing a doctoral degree in language education. All students are expected to complete a language education research experience and to pass qualifying requirements prior to beginning dissertation study.

When an applicant is accepted into the doctoral program, he/she is assigned an academic advisor who meets with the student to develop a proposed program that uses the outline below as a guide. This Proposed Degree Program indicates the specific courses the student intends to take (including appropriate courses from other units of the University), the credits that are being transferred from other institutions (if any), anticipated dates of residency, etc. (Forms are available in the Department office.) The Proposed Degree Program must be filed within the first 18 credits of coursework and must be approved by the student's academic advisor, the Department Chairperson, and the Associate Dean. Although the Proposed Degree Program may be modified, it provides a blueprint for study and encourages students to think early about the directions they wish to pursue and the preparation they need in order to carry out their dissertations.

Students may change their academic advisers if and when they identify faculty members whose interests are more consistent with their own. Please note, however, that the Proposed Degree Program should be developed with the academic advisor with whom the student will be continuing to work. It should also be noted that the academic advisor is not necessarily the faculty member who serves as the student's dissertation advisor.