Ph.D. Program

Admission |Purpose & Philosophy |Requirements

Purpose & Philosophy

The primary purpose of the Ph.D. in Foreign Language & ESL Education is to provide students with the necessary content-area knowledge and research skills to prepare them for independent research, program administration, and positions of leadership in a variety of settings in the areas of foreign language and ESL education. This program is designed to attract and serve individuals with demonstrated success in foreign language and ESL teaching who wish to prepare for positions in academia, government, or the private sector where an in-depth knowledge of foreign language educational issues is required. The nucleus of the program lies in the common core foreign language education & ESL courses that provide the in-depth foundation in content-area knowledge necessary for any language educator to be effective in today's world.

To provide an opportunity to strengthen their knowledge of educational systems in both the national and international arenas, students will also choose a cognate area within education according to their individual interests. In addition to this content-area work, students are required to complete a sequence of courses to develop their research skills. The University of Iowa's Foreign Language & ESL Education Ph.D. program also highlights unique research areas by combining the resources from many areas of the college with the specific expertise of members of the foreign language education faculty. Students interested, therefore, in the areas of foreign language & ESL teacher education, assessment, and reading skill development in both the commonly and less-commonly taught foreign languages, will find a program and faculty of exceptional strength to meet their research needs. The description of degree requirements is specified below.

The Ph.D. in Foreign Language & ESL Education requires a minimum of 80 semester hours, which can include courses taken toward the master's degree. The majority of all coursework must be taken at the 200-level or above. The following courses represent the core area of foreign language education. These courses are required for each student enrolled in the Ph.D. in Foreign Language & ESL Education, but can be waived if the student has completed equivalent coursework in their M.A. program.

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