2008 CATESOL Northern Regional Conference at SJSU Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008

Welcome to the Department of Linguistics & Language Development

The Department of Linguistics and Language Development at San José State University is an innovative center for teaching and research in the areas of language and language pedagogy. The Department manages four separate but complementary programs:

• Linguistics, in which we offer an M.A., B.A. (with the option of a single-subject credential preparation program), a minor, and a certificate in computational linguistics
• TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), in which we offer the M.A. degree and both graduate and undergraduate TESOL certificates
• Academic English programs for students preparing for introductory English and upper division General Education courses
• Business Writing for business majors to satisfy their 100W writing requirements

There are a number of reasons why students interested in linguistics or TESOL should seriously consider San José State University. Our faculty has expertise that is recognized nationally and internationally. Our student body is ethnically and linguistically very diverse and our graduate students come with a wide range of experiences. We are the first university in the country to offer a concentration in English for Specific Purposes within the MA TESOL. We offer concentrations in computational linguistics within the linguistics degree programs, as well as certificates in computational linguistics for students majoring in other fields. Our research infrastructure includes a state-of-the-art computer lab and access to language data.

Financial assistance is available in a variety of forms including a limited number of teaching associate positions, graduate assitantships, LDC tutors, and awards.

The SJSU campus is located in downtown San José, at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay. With San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley to the north and Santa Cruz and Monterey to the south, it is centrally situated among a critical mass of institutions of higher education, adding to the intellectual life of the campus. Being in the heart of Silicon Valley, students and graduates alike often find work in the high tech industry. The linguistic diversity of the Bay Area provides ample opportunity for language learning and teaching. Here language acquisition, maintenance, and shift, language minority education, language policy, and communication across cultures assume many forms.

The Department is dedicated to fostering understanding of language structure and use in the context of a technological and multi-cultural society. For more information, please see our full mission statement.

If you have trouble finding the information you need on this web site, please don't hesitate to contact us.