Carnegie Mellon University

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

No. The one -year and the Advanced Study, two-year ALSLA master's programs are two separate programs. While some courses overlap, each program has different objectives.
No. Transfering to the Advanced Study, two-year program from the one-year program is not possible.

No. There are many Masters in the Arts of Teaching (MAT) programs that lead to secondary certification. The Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition – Advanced Study program targets higher education teaching opportunities as a first option, though non-certified opportunities at the secondary level also exist.

Students should be rated at the advanced-high level, according to ACTFL, in the language that they intend to teach. The admissions committee may request an interview for students with lower TOEFL, IELTS or DET scores.

All application materials will be submitted online.

The total number of students may vary between five and ten each year, contingent on budgetary constraints and availability of research and teaching mentors.

Graduates of the ALSLA master's program have secured jobs at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Young Scholars of Pennsylvania, Boston University, Middlebury College, the Hearn Academy in Phoenix, Case Western University, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, the University of Pittsburgh, Chatham University and Canterbury Upper School in St. Petersburg, among others.

Additionally, many graduates have continued on to doctoral study in the U.S. (University of Illinois, Iowa State University, University of California at Irvine, University of Arizona, Michigan State University) or abroad (Great Britain, Spain).

While potential for employment will vary by language and by individual graduate, our experience shows that our graduates are competitive for positions at four-year universities. Community colleges tend not to advertise nationally, so job prospects are more difficult to estimate in that area, but are not insignificant. Demand for qualified teachers in private secondary schools has been consistent. In international English as a Second Language (ESL) education, opportunities for graduates with training are significant at all levels in the United States, and especially in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Use the application portal to record a three-minute unscripted audio recording in the language in which you intend to teach – if it is not your first language (one recording for each language selected on the Language of Interest page in the application portal), describing both your language experience and professional goals.

It is possible to apply in more than one language, but applicants should indicate their priority during the application process. An applicant might first be considered in the English pool, for example. If accepted in that pool, the applicant would not be considered in other language pools (Spanish, for example). If, however, the applicant was not admissible in the first choice pool, they would be automatically considered in the second-choice pool.

This is not recommended due to the fact that the curriculum is tightly structured and designed specifically for this program. In addition, some courses must be taken in tandem. Possible exceptions might include an SLA core course taken early by a CMU undergraduate or an appropriate graduate-level elective taken at another institution. Approval will be given on a case-by-case basis by the program director. Such approval will not affect the four-semester resident requirement, the required 144 units to complete the program, nor will it have an impact on program cost.

Part-time enrollment is not possible with the ALSLA – Advanced Study master's program at this time. It is, however, an option for the one-year master's program.

While teaching assistantships are not normally part of the program, other part-time employment opportunities may be available.