Program Overview

PhD in Applied Linguistics

The PhD program in Applied Linguistics can be completed on campus or fully online. This program prepares students to teach and conduct original research in the US and abroad. Students specialize in areas of applied linguistics, including teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), second language writing, language policy, sociolinguistics, corpus/computational linguistics, critical discourse analysis, second language acquisition, multimodal communication, and more.

Structure of the PhD Program

When you begin the program, you will be assigned an advisor that will help you select courses and (if relevant) help you transfer in credits from your prior graduate studies. Students with a prior MA in Applied Linguistics, TESOL, or similar generally spend three semesters fulltime in coursework. As you are completing your coursework, you will form a committee for the comprehensive exams and to write your research prospectus (the proposal for your dissertation research study).

Graduate Assistantships

There are limited opportunities for graduate assistantships for students completing the PhD program on campus. Assistantships can include teaching in the Department of English, assisting in research, or other opportunities. Students interested in a graduate assistantship can indicate that in their application to the PhD program.

Current PhD Students

• Abdulwahab Alshehri: B.A. in English, King Khalid University – Saudi Arabia, M.A in Linguistics, Bangor University – United Kingdom. Dissertation Title: Exploring Saudi University Students' Perceptions and Comprehension of World Englishes Varieties.
• Mashael Alshirf: B.A. in English Language, University of Tabuk, M.A. in TESOL, University of St. Thomas. Dissertation Title: Comparing AI and Teacher Feedback on ESL Argumentative Writing in Saudi Higher Education.
• Elliott Burgess: BBA/MBA in Marketing, Freed-Hardman University, M.A. in Applied Linguistics, University of Memphis. Dissertation Title: Language Center Design: Community and Belonging for Refugees and Immigrants During COVID-19.
• A. Egemen Curuk: B.A. in English Language Teaching, Trakya University – Turkey, M.A. in Applied Linguistics, University of Groningen – Netherlands. Dissertation Title: Implementation of Direct Corpus Applications to L2 Collaborative Writing Pedagogy: The Impact on Learner Interaction, Written Output and Development.
• Seiko Hayashi: B.A. in American and English Literature, Toyo University – Tokyo, Japan, M.A. in Rhetoric and Writing, St. Cloud State University, M.A. in TESL, St. Cloud State University. Dissertation Title: Phrasal complexity development in L2 writing: Its form, use, meaning and function.
• Amber Worrick: B.A. in International Relations, University of Iowa, M.A. in Applied Linguistics, Northeastern Illinois University. Dissertation Title: English as a global language: The impact of self-perception on motivation in an English for a Business Purpose Context.
• Heri Yusup: B.A. in English, Padjadjaran University – Indonesia, M.A. in Applied Linguistics, University of Birmingham – UK. Dissertation Title: Brain Drain in the Context of Indonesia: Metaphor Use in Indonesian Scholars' Talk about Migration and Mobility.

Alumni

• Ming Cheng: Dissertation: The Effectiveness of Screencast Corrective Feedback on L2 English Academic Writing. Current Position: English Instructor, Arkansas State University Mid-South.
• Nabaz Kareem: Dissertation: The Effectiveness of Pedagogical Translanguaging to Develop Academic Writing in Comparison to Monolingual Instruction in an EFL Context.
• Ahmed Alshammari: Class of 2025, Dissertation: Investigating The Needs of Medical College Students at The English Language Center in Saudi Arabia. Current Position: Assistant Professor, Umm Al-Qura University English Language Institute ELI.
• Mughram Alshehri: Class of 2025, Dissertation: Students, Teachers, and Policymakers' Perceptions Towards Teaching Saudi Dialect in L2 Arabic Classroom. Current Position: Assistant Professor, College of Language Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
• Alaa Alamri: Class of 2024, Dissertation: Family Language Policy of Transnational Returnees: The Case of Arab Families Re-Adapting to Mainstream Arab Society.
• Hind Saeed Alghamdi: Class of 2024, Dissertation: Positioning Place Construction in YouTube Travel Vlogs: A Multimodal Study of Saudi Arabia's Emerging Identity.
• Majed Alsulami: Class of 2024, Dissertation: Exploring Arabic as a Second Language (ASL) Learners' Imagined Communities, Communities of Practice, and Investment in Learning ASL in Saudi Arabia. Current Position: King Abdulaziz University.
• Iratishe Madaki: Class of 2024, Dissertation: The Affordances of Translanguaging Moments and Spaces for Multilingual Minority Kuteb Speakers in Nigeria.
• Bakheet Almatrafi: Class of 2024, Dissertation: The Effectiveness of Translanguaging Written Corrective Feedback in Second Language Writing. Current Position: Assistant Professor, English Language Institute, Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.
• Uthman Alzuhairy: Class of 2023, Dissertation: Saudi Parents' Attitudes and Ideologies Towards the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language to First Grade Students. Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of English, Qassium University.
• Daryl Anderson: Class of 2023, Dissertation: Family Language Policy: Perceptions and Attitudes Toward African American Language. Current Position: Academic Counselor, University of Memphis.
• Lindsay Helms: Class of 2023, Dissertation: Spanish for Emergency Room Nursing: A Task-Based Needs Analysis for a LSP Context. Current Position: Assistant Professor of Teaching, University of Memphis.
• Hannah Pitner: Class of 2023, Dissertation: The Effects of Classroom Type on Interaction Processes, Vocabulary Development, and Motivation.
• Amir Rouhollahi: Class of 2023, Dissertation: Persian ITAs and Speech Comprehensibility: Using CAPT for Pronunciation Improvement.
• Shima Farhesh: Class of 2022, Dissertation: No to language-based discrimination: The effect of multimedia, perspective taking, and ITAs' exposure on native speakers' attitude toward L1-accented speakers. Current Position: Assistant Professor, Christian Brothers University.
• Perry Hardin: Class of 2022, Dissertation: Language Policy and Indigenous Language in the Linguistic Landscape of Asunción, Paraguay. Current Position: Assistant Professor, Freed-Hardeman University.
• Abdul Hakim: Class of 2021, Dissertation: Complexity, Accuracy, Fluency, and Reformulation in Pair and Individual Writing, and Revision: A Study in an EFL Context. Current Position: Career-track lecturer in the Writing Program, the Department of English, University of Arizona.
• Mahmuda Sharmin: Class of 2021, Dissertation: Multi-modal Narrative Practices in Adult ESL: Fostering Investment in Language Learning and Negotiating Racism, Linguicism, & Identity. Current Position: Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
• Md Nesar Uddin: Class of 2021, Dissertation: L1 Use in Corrective Feedback Interactions and Learner Uptake in Foreign Language Learning. Current Position: Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
• Emil Ubaldo: Class of 2020, Dissertation: Collaborative writing in an online synchronous mode: Comparing L2 learners' interactions, texts, and experiences working in pairs and groups. Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Secondary Education; Head, International Mobility Unit - International Affairs Office, Central Luzon State University, The Philippines.
• Amy Burden: Class of 2020, Dissertation: Gender representation in American made English language learning textbooks: A multi-modal study. Current Position: Multilingual Multimodal Test Development Manager, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC., USA.
• Lorraine Meiners-Lovel: Class of 2020, Dissertation: How Preschool Teachers Use Book Sharing Strategies to Build Academic Language Skills. Current Position: Assistant Professor of Teaching/Senior Experience Coordinator, College of Professional and Liberal Studies, University of Memphis.
• Daniel Harper: Class of 2018, Dissertation: Place, Identity, and Language Learning: The Transformative Role of Place-Based Language Learning. Current Position: Dean of Graduate School, Associate Vice President for International Initiatives, Christian Brothers University, Memphis, TN.
• Rashad Ahmad Odayni: Class of 2018, Dissertation: Teachers' Practices and First-year Students' Perspectives on Peer Review in Academic Writing Classes. Current Position: Assistant Professor TESOL and Applied Linguistics, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, MS.
• Hammad Alshammari: Class of 2018, Dissertation: The Effect of Educational Background on Second Language Reading. Current Position: Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Jouf University, Saudi Arabia.
• Erin Hillis: Class of 2017, Dissertation: Exploring Linguistic Barriers to Help-Seeking Behaviors: The Lived Experiences of Chinese Undergraduate Students. Current Position: Director of International Programs at Rhodes College.
• Abdurazzag Alghammas: Class of 2016, Dissertation: Wiki-based Collaborative Writing Tasks in ESL Context. Current Position: Assistant professor of Applied Linguistics at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. Assistant to Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research for scholarship affairs.
• Jessica Swan: Class of 2015, Dissertation: Writing to Understand our Lives and Languages: A Case Study of an Immigrant Women's Writing Group. Current Position: Education Program Specialist at U.S. Department of Education.
• Amina Gaye: Class of 2015, Dissertation: Teacher Development for Content-Based Curricula and Material Design: A Study of Senegalese EFL Instructors' Attitudes towards ESP. Current Position: Assistant Professor, Universite Amadou Mahtar Mbow de Dakar, Senegal.
• Rooh Ul-Amin: Class of 2015, Dissertation: Situating the Self: Identity and Power Relationships in a Pakistani ESL Classroom. Current Position: Professor, Foundation University, Islamabad.
• Abdullah Alasmary: Class of 2014, Dissertation: Receptive and Productive Mastery of Recurrent Academic Word Combinations by First (L1) and Second (L2) English Speakers. Current Position: Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
• Chris Hastings: Class of 2012, Dissertation: Attitudes & Acculturation: A Qualitative Case Study of EFL Teachers in Saudi Arabia. Current Position: Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.
• Gabriela Kleckova: Class of 2004, Dissertation: A Study of Inter-level Visual Design Elements in English Language Teaching (ELT) Texts. Current Position: Head of English Department, University of West Bohemia, Czech Republic. Past President of the International Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages professional Organization.