The Department of English at Arizona State University offers a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in Rhetoric/Composition and Linguistics.

This is one of the few programs that formally combines rhetoric, composition and linguistics (broadly defined to include applied linguistics and TESOL) that allow students to specialize in any of the subareas within these broad, interdisciplinary fields. Some of the advantages of the Ph.D. program at ASU includes the following:

• Students can complete the degree in 4 years (54 credit hours beyond MA).
• Flexible course requirements allow students to develop their own course of study according to their interests.
• Students can work with nationally- and internationally-known faculty members in rhetoric and composition as well as general and applied linguistics.
• Students can also work with nationally- and internationally-known faculty members in other programs and units across ASU campuses.
• Students who are interested in becoming a teacher educator and/or researcher in TESOL can apply to Ph.D. programs in Rhetoric/Composition/Linguistics or Applied Linguistics at ASU.

Ph.D. in Rhetoric/Composition and Linguistics

Degree Offered: Ph.D. in English with a concentration in Rhetoric/Composition and Linguistics

Length of Program: 4 years. Students may be full-time or part-time and must begin their study at the beginning of the fall semester.

Program Requirements: 54 credit hours beyond master’s degree, including 6 hours in linguistics (2 courses), 3 hours in rhetoric (1 course), 3 hours in composition (1 course), and 12 dissertation research hours. Competence in a language other than English is required for native speakers of English. Two portfolio papers, an oral and written comprehensive examination, and dissertation are required.

Courses Offered (*required): Issues in Second Language Writing; *Research Methods; English Linguistics; Theories Underlying the Acquisition of English as a Second Language; Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language; American English; Composition Studies; Cross-Cultural Studies; Curriculum Design and Materials Development; Disciplinary Discourses; Grammar for TESL; History of the English Language; Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies; Language Testing and Assessment; Linguistics; Methods and Issues in Teaching Composition; Methods and Issues in Teaching Language; Phonetics and Phonology; Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis; Rhetorical Traditions; Rhetorics of Race, Class, and Gender; Semantics; Special Topics; Studies in Cross-Cultural Discourse; Syntax; Technologies of Writing; Theories of Literacy; Advanced Composition Studies; Advanced Studies in Discourse Analysis; Advanced Studies in English Education; Advanced Studies in Historical Linguistics; Advanced Studies in History and Theories of Rhetoric; Advanced Studies in Linguistics; Advanced Studies in Linguistics; Advanced Studies in Rhetoric, Writing, Technology, and Culture; Advanced Studies in Second-Language Acquisition; Advanced Studies in Sociolinguistics; Advanced Studies in Syntax.

Full-Time Staff: Karen L. Karen L. Adams (co-director), Dawn Bates, Elly van Gelderen, Carrie Gillon, Maureen Daly Goggin, Peter Goggin, Mark A. James, Roy C. Major, Paul Kei Matsuda, Keith Miller (co-director), Don Nilsen, Alice Robison, Duane Roen, Bryan Smith, Patricia Webb Boyd.

Admission Requirements:  A graduate GPA of 3.5, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, GRE General Test scores, a sample of scholarly work, a curriculum vitae, Graduate College Application, and the Department of English Application are required. Nonnative speakers of English must have a TOEFL score of 600 (CBT 250; iBT 100) for admission and a TSE score of 50 to be eligible for Teaching Assistantship.

Tuition, Fees, and Aid: For in-state students, US$6,227 per year; for out-of-state students, US$17,920 per year (as of 2007-2008). Teaching and other graduate assistantships are available to doctoral students.

General: The flexible and interdisciplinary nature of the program allows students to devise their own research specializations in a wide range of topics within general and applied linguistics, rhetoric and composition, and TESOL. One of the largest universities in the United States with a considerable number of international and resident multilingual students, ASU is uniquely situated to provide rich cross-linguistic and cross-cultural experience as well as opportunities for class observations and practice teaching. Students will have opportunities to work with nationally and internationally known experts both within the English Department and from various units across the university. No part of this program is available via distance learning. The university offers a well-established intensive language program for students requiring additional language support.

Further Information: 
Sheila Luna, Graduate Coordinator
Arizona State University
Department of English

Box 870302
Tempe, AZ 85287-0302
Telephone: 480-965-3194

Fax: 480-965-3451
E-mail: sheila.luna@asu.edu

http://www.asu.edu/english/
http://www.asu.edu/english/gradstudies/phdrc.htm