Why Pursue a PhD in Culture, Literacy and Language
The PhD in Culture, Literacy and Language (CLL) has three major focal areas: 1) applied linguistics; 2) bi-literacy and bilingual education; 3) Mexican-American, Chicana/o, Latina/o cultures. CLL faculty and students work in a vibrant interdisciplinary atmosphere with applied linguists, sociolinguists, educational researchers, ethnographers, biliteracy experts, and assessment specialists. The interdisciplinary program is flexible in terms of foci of study, as well as scheduling designed to accommodate full-time and working professionals.
Research Opportunities
The CLL doctoral program has esteemed faculty members that are nationally and internationally recognized experts in their respective fields. Take a look at some of the current research topics:
- Academic literacy practices and second-language learners.
- Anthropology and education.
- Applied linguistics in multi-ethnic and multicultural settings.
- Autoethnography and identity development.
- Bilingual education, emergent bilingual learners, bilingual teacher preparation, dual-language programs.
- Biliteracy, multicultural children’s literature.
- Chicanx/Latinx education and Chicana feminisms.
- Communities in diasporas and other transnational settings.
- Computer-assisted second language acquisition.
- Digital literacies and social network spaces.
- Education, language policies, and programs for linguistically diverse students.
- Ethnographic and qualitative research methods.
- Teacher language awareness.
See What Our Students Say
When you choose UTSA, you join a community of talented students being taught by award-winning faculty. See what our students have to say.
Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.
| Culture, Literacy and Language (PhD) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Admission is only available for the Fall semester | ||
| Required Degree | Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. | |
| Minimum GPA | 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours | |
| Coursework | 18 credit hours in an area related to this graduate degree and at least 12 hours must be at the upper-division level. | |
| Transcripts* | Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English | |
| Credential Evaluation | Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform | |
| English Language Proficiency | 563 TOEFL Paper / 85 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 120 | |
| Purpose Statement | Required | |
| Letters of Recommendation | 2 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time) | |
| Writing Sample | Required | |
| Language | Required Proficiency or experience learning, using, studying or speaking a language other than English | |
| *Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. | ||
Application Deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.
| Culture, Literacy and Language (PhD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing on Admission Decision: Students can expect to hear back on an admission decision within 4 to 6 weeks after March 15. | |||
| Application Deadlines for: | Priority | International | Domestic |
| Spring 2025 | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Summer 2025 | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Fall 2025 | February 1 | February 1 | |
| Spring 2026 | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Summer 2026 | Not Available | Not Available | |
Funding Opportunities
UTSA offers competitive fellowships to students enrolled full-time in the doctoral program in CLL. For more information about graduate funding, click below.
Learn More
Career Options
UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.
This program is housed on the UTSA Downtown Campus. Courses are offered in the evenings (6:00 PM to 8:45 PM) to fit the schedules of both full-time students and working professionals. We also offer summer courses in the evenings to help students advance in their program.
