Since language permeates every aspect of our social, economic, political, and academic pursuits, it is small wonder that we have deep abiding curiosity about its origin, its use, and its acquisition. The UCLA doctoral program in applied linguistics provides a rich and supportive environment for graduate students and faculty to define and resolve questions that satisfy that curiosity.
Faculty members of the Department of Teaching English as a Second Language and Applied Linguistics, as well as professors in Anthropology, Education, Linguistics, Psychology, and Sociology, represent a wide range of expertise and experience in language-related research. Their guidance and collaboration with students as they apply relevant elements of linguistics, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics result in substantial research findings in the areas of discourse/grammar analysis, language acquisition, and language assessment. Graduates of the program are well prepared to pursue academic and professional careers at the highest level of service and inquiry.