Admissions for Spring semester 2013 entry (April)

1. First application
Application period: August 1 to 10 , 2012
Oral Examination: September 24 , 2012
Announcement of test results: October 1 , 2012
Letter of acceptance sent: October 9 ,2012
Matriculation deadline: October 24 , 2012

2. Second application
Application period: January 4 to 11 , 2013
Oral Examination: February 12 , 2013
Announcement of test results: February 19 , 2013
Letter of acceptance sent: February 22 ,2013
Matriculation deadline: March 7 , 2013

Applictaion Procedures & Forms (PDF)

Application Brochure 2013(Abstract version in English*)

Application Forms are available here

Ikensyo (Reference Letter Form)

*The full version is available only on Japanese website below.
http://www.sophia.ac.jp/jpn/admissions/in_ad/ad_gaiyo/innyushi
For further assistance, please contact the Admissions Office at 03-3238-3517 or <admission-g(at)cl.sophia.ac.jp>

M.A. Program in Linguistics
(TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Overview

The M.A. Program in Linguistics (TESOL), founded in April 2006, builds on Sophia’s traditional strengths in linguistics and foreign language education. It provides graduate courses similar to those in the United States and Canada with emphasis on both theory and practice. The approximately 10 faculty members in TESOL have advanced degrees from leading universities in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Japan, and are actively engaged in research, teacher training and publication in their specializations. They represent a diverse spectrum of applied linguistics and language education, ensuring a comprehensive program for anyone interested in teaching English as a second or foreign language. Every year 8 applicants are admitted to pursue the M.A. degree, and although the TESOL program is a M.A. program, many students go on to study for their Ph.D. in the Applied Linguistics program. The size of the program is kept small to encourage close student-faculty interaction. The M.A. Program in Linguistics (TESOL) and the Ph.D. program in Applied Linguistics offer the degrees of M.A. in Linguistics and Ph.D. in Linguistics respectively. The students are required to take three compulsory courses--TEFL(Teaching English as a Foreign Language) in Japan, Introduction to Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition—as well as a designated number of credits from courses offered in the Core Courses, as well as Integrated Seminars I and II in consultation with faculty members. The students work on their M.A. thesis under the guidance of an academic advisor, who also chairs their M.A. thesis committee. Ph.D. students in Applied Linguistics work on their dissertation under the guidance of an academic advisor, but are not required to do any specific course work. Both the TESOL and Applied Linguistics Ph.D. programs are designed in such a way that all required credits and consultation can be attained through the medium of English. However, there are also courses which are offered in Japanese as well. The TESOL and Applied Linguistics programs draw on the resources of the Sophia Linguistics Institute for International Communication. The institute sponsors many lectures and workshops by both Japanese and international scholars—many of whom give their presentation in English--providing additional opportunities for the students to learn about their areas of specialization through the medium of English. The students are also encouraged to give presentations at domestic as well as international conferences starting from the M.A. level.