How do I apply for the PhD program?

Applications for the PhD program in Applied Linguistics are accepted for admission in the fall semester. Full-time students can receive financial support in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) or Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs). Financial support includes tuition waivers and stipends. Graduate teaching assignments may include undergraduate courses, master's degree courses, and ESL courses.

Applicants who wish to apply for financial aid must have their applications for admission completed no later than January 1 of each year. Our faculty encourage early completion of the application process for this highly selective program.

Send all application materials to:

Office of Graduate Studies
800 Haas-Howell building
College of Arts and Sciences
Georgia State University
University Plaza
Atlanta, GA 30303-3088

The items to be submitted include:

1. A completed application form (include the application fee). For forms and information, go to:
http://www.cas.gsu.edu/grad_admission.html
https://apply.embark.com/Grad/GAState/50/.

2. Two copies of official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate programs attended.

3. Three letters of academic recommendation, preferably from faculty members with whom you have studied in a graduate level course or courses.

4. Official verbal, quantitative, and analytic scores on the Graduate Record Exam (to learn about the GRE, see below boxed section below)

5. A typed statement of professional and academic goals (no more than 3 pages in length) that includes responses to the following: Why are you interested in a PhD in applied linguistics? Why do you want to study in the AL/ESL Department at GSU? Which research areas are you interested in? Which graduate faculty would you like to work with? How do you plan to apply the degree once completed?)

6. A writing sample that shows evidence of research skill. Published or unpublished (but preferably published work, an MA thesis, or an MA seminar course paper).

7. Current curriculum vitae (résumé)

8. Also, international applicants who are non-native speakers of English must submit TOEFL scores (including the Test of Written English). To learn about the TOEFL, see below.

If you have questions concerning application procedures, visit the Office of Graduate Studies of the College of Arts and Sciences or call (404) 413-5040.

To learn more about the GRE, on the Internet go to http://www.gre.org/.

For information on the GRE exam at GSU: Call the testing office of the counseling center at (404) 413-1740, where you can (a) register for the GRE itself, (b) take a practice GRE exam, or (c) register for a GRE workshop. Or, for those off campus, a more general number for GRE information is: 1-800-GRE-CALL

For international applicants who need to take the TOEFL exam: On the Internet go to http://www.TOEFL.org/.

Financial Support

Financial support is available to students in the form of Graduate Research Assistantships and Graduate Teaching Assistantships, both of which carry a full tuition waiver. In addition, the stipend for qualified doctoral research/teaching assistants is $7,000 per semester for the fall and spring semester. Summer stimpends are available based on funding and need. For this funding in the fall and spring semesters, a doctoral student will typically teach one course and work as a research assistant with a member of the graduate faculty.

Most doctoral students will be provided with assistantships unless they have other sources of funding. Funded students will receive financial support in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) or Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs). Financial support includes tuition waivers and stipends. Graduate teaching assignments may include undergraduate courses, master's degree courses, and ESL courses. Applicants who wish to apply for financial aid must have their applications for admission completed no later than January 1 of each year. Our faculty encourage early completion of the application process.