Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies
Department: Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies
Program: Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program in Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) is a rigorous but flexible course of studies that can be tailored to meet a wide range of interests and needs, including: language and literacy education; educational diversities such as American Indian education, bilingual education, second language development, and global education; qualitative research methodologies; critical theory and education for social justice; and the social and cultural study of educational theories, institutions and practices.
The Language, Literacy, & Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) Ph.D. includes four main stages:
Doctoral students are required to complete 72 credit hours of coursework plus 18 credit hours of dissertation. Students will have the support of an advisor to make decisions on the courses to take. Also, during the first two years, the doctoral student will convene a committee of three faculty as a Program Study committee, who can advise on courses to take. The same committee can also advise students on the possible transferring of graduate courses (up to 36 credit hours) into the doctoral program. The transferred courses need to align with the dissertation focus. Requests for transferring courses are submitted to the Committee on Studies along with appropriate course descriptions and syllabi. If the transfer is approved by the Committee of Studies, the transferred courses are listed on the Program of Studies submitted as part of the Application for Candidacy. Every committee formed each stage in the program is dissolved after its completion. The doctoral student needs to re-appoint or convene a new committee at each stage.
After most of the coursework has been completed, doctoral students in coordination with a faculty advisor will convene a committee with three faculty members (for more information about Committee composition information visit: https://grad.unm.edu/resources/graduate-students/gs-forms/committee-service.html) to develop the questions and timeline for the comprehensive exam. To announce the comprehensive exam visit: https://grad.unm.edu/resources/graduate-students/start-to-finish-unm/phd/comprehensive-exam.html
When the exam is completed the doctoral student needs to submit an application for the advancement to candidacy. For more information visit: https://grad.unm.edu/resources/graduate-students/gs-forms/application-candidacy.html
The Committee should have a minimum of three members, including your advisor. At least two members of the Committee on Studies must be faculty members of the LLSS Department. The third member may be any person eligible to serve on the committee in accordance with the general UNM requirements (see the section on Doctoral Comprehensive Examination in the UNM catalog).
Appointment of the Committee on Studies usually involves the following steps:
- You arrange for an appropriate faculty member to serve as committee chair. This may or may not be your first-year advisor.
- You and the committee chair agree upon the remaining members of the committee.
- The committee must be approved by OGS (as part of the approval of the Application for Candidacy). Your progress will be reviewed by your Committee on Studies after each semester during the first year and annually thereafter; advisement recommendations will result from this periodic review.
The doctoral Comprehensive Exam Committee is automatically disbanded once the comprehensive exam is passed, and you must establish a Dissertation Committee that will provide you guidance through the final stages of progress toward the Ph.D. It is, of course, possible to appoint former members of the Committee on Studies to the new Dissertation Committee.
Doctoral candidates will coordinate with advisor the development of a dissertation proposal. It is recommended that the doctoral candidate completes the course: LLSS 650: Dissertation Seminar, around the time of the development of the proposal. The doctoral candidate will need to convene a committee of 4 faculty members with at least one external member (for more information about Committee composition information visit: https://grad.unm.edu/resources/graduate-students/gs-forms/committee-service.html). To appoint the committee and schedule the Proposal Hearing, the doctoral candidate will communicate with the advisor and Cecilia Estrada at llssws@unm.edu. If the dissertation proposal is approved and it includes the participation if human subjects, the doctoral student in coordination with advisor will need to submit a research protocol to the UNM IRB. For more information visit: https://irb.unm.edu/researchers/index.html.
After the dissertation study is completed, the doctoral candidate must defend the study findings. The defense includes a committee that can include the same members as in the proposal stage, but not necessarily. The dissertation defense is the last formal step before the dissertation manuscript is submitted and the doctoral degree awarded. For more information visit: https://grad.unm.edu/resources/graduate-students/start-to-finish-unm/phd/defend-dissertation.html. The dissertation manuscript format needs to align with both APA style 7th edition (for more information visit: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines) and the UNM dissertation guidelines (for more information visit: https://grad.unm.edu/resources/graduate-students/start-to-finish-unm/phd/format-submit-dissertation.html)
The "Appointment of Dissertation Committee" form must be processed to officially establish the committee. In general, the policies of the Office of Graduate Studies and the program with regard to the dissertation process will be followed. The candidate will first form a Dissertation Committee, with one member designated as chair, from among the LLSS faculty. The Dissertation Committee will have at least four members. In addition to the chair, one more member should be faculty in LLSS. For more information about Committee composition information visit: https://grad.unm.edu/resources/graduate-students/gs-forms/committee-service.html.
The oral defense of the doctoral dissertation is the last formal step before the degree is awarded and is conducted with due respect to its importance. Doctoral candidate is responsible for providing each member of the dissertation committee with a complete final draft of the dissertation in ample time (e.g. two-three weeks) for review prior to the defense. And at least two weeks before the final examination is held, the "Announcement of Final Examination for Doctorate" form must be filed. Remember, you must notify the academics coordinator (llssws@unm.edu) of the LLSS department no later than the fourth week of the semester in which you intend to defend your dissertation proposal or dissertation, and at least four working weeks in advance of the intended date of defense. More details are accessible here: https://grad.unm.edu/resources/graduate-students/start-to-finish-unm/phd/defend-dissertation.html
Program Requirements
All students are expected to develop a program of studies combining coursework in the Department with coursework in related disciplines in the College of Education and Human Sciences and other colleges. The program places special emphasis on helping students develop qualitative and/or mixed methods research and inquiry skills needed for the advanced study and analysis of education in its many social, cultural, economic and political contexts.
The Ph.D. requires 72 credit hours of coursework plus a minimum of 18 credit hours of dissertation credit. The doctoral program consists of a set of core courses focusing on Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies; a set of research courses and a research internship/field experience focusing on research methodology; an area of focus constructed by the student in consultation with an advisor and a program of studies committee; and a 24 credit hour minor or supporting area. Multidisciplinary study is fundamental to the mission of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies. The specific elements of students’ areas of focus are individualized to meet students’ needs and can be drawn from, but are not limited to, the following areas: educational thought, critical theory, bilingual education, teaching English as a second language (both K-12 and Adult), American Indian education, and literacy/language arts. A maximum of 36 credit hours may be transferred into the program from a related master’s degree, with approval of your Advisor and Program of Studies Committee. Independent Study (Problems, Directed Readings, Internship, Field Experience, and Practicum) is limited to 1/3 of total course credits (24 credit hours out of 72). Additional Independent Study beyond 72 credit hours is not subject to this limitation. ( “Doctoral Study” in “College of Education and Human Sciences”, UNM Catalog)
Application Deadlines
Applications to the doctoral program are screened only once a year.
Summer/Fall/Spring: December 1 for a fall admission.
All Ph.D. students must fulfill the general admission requirements for both the University and the College of Education and Human Sciences, as described in the Graduate Program and the College of Education and Human Sciences sections of the UNM Catalog.
Degree Program: Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Program Code: PHD-LLSS
LLSS Application Guidelines
To Apply
Make sure to complete the four- (i.e., five- for international students)-step process described below.
- Go to the Office of Admissions at http://admissions.unm.edu/. In your on-line application you will need to submit:
- Letter of intent and,
- CV/ Resume and,
- Include names and email addresses of three persons who will provide recommendations. They will be contacted later to upload their letters of recommendation later on, and
- Writing sample of your work
- Also, obtain an official transcript from all colleges or universities you have attended and ask the university to send it either via email to apply@unm.edu or via regular mail to this physical address:
Office of Admissions
PO Box 4895
Albuquerque, NM 87196-4895 - Complete the LLSS Demographic form. Email it to: llssws@unm.edu
- Prior to application, it is required that applicants meet with one program faculty member whose work is linked to applicants’ research goals. It is also strongly encouraged that applicants meet with two other faculty members, either in person or remotely. Faculty list can be accessed at: https://coehs.unm.edu/departments-programs/llss-alt/faculty-staff.html
***Attention International Students: If you are an international student, you must submit the score of the English proficiency test in your application packet. The minimum scores and tests are set by International Admissions, and the LLSS department has no control over these requirements. If you have attended a college in the United States for your bachelor's or master's degree, then this requirement is waived. Please see the international web site at:
https://international.unm.edu/english-proficiency.html
Criteria For Admission
- Master's degree from an accredited college or university. Formal training and experience in education is recommended, but not required.
- A minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA (grade point average). Lower GPA is acceptable if last two years of coursework is above 3.3.
- Admittance to the doctoral program is highly selective, and depends on how your application provides evidence of:
- Your ability to think critically about education and your professional experiences.
- Your ability to think critically about culture generally your own culture specifically.
- Your ability to do graduate level coursework.
- Your ability to organize and express ideas in academic writing and other modes ofexpression.
- The personal, community, and professional experience you bring to LLSS.
- How your interests fit mission of LLSS.
- A possible match with one or more faculty member's research interests.
Notification of Admittance
Admissions decisions will generally be made within a 1-2 months of the application deadline. You will be notified of our admittance decision by the Office of Admissions and the LLSS Department.
If admitted to a program, it is important that you contact the assigned faculty advisor (named in the letter of acceptance) of your Program of Studies as soon as possible in order to begin developing your plan of studies.
Additional Information/Questions
Please contact Cecilia Estrada at 505-277-6997, or email llssws@unm.edu
Program Information
- LLSS Brochure
- Demographic Form
- For UNM requirements, consult “Doctoral Degrees” in the current UNM Catalog.
Join the LLSS Program Listserv
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the LLSS student listserv, follow these instructions:
From your email account, send a message to LLSS-S_G-L@LIST.UNM.EDU
Leave all subject fields blank.
In the message space, type: subscribe llss-l <your first name><your last name> (John Doe would type: subscribe llss-l John Doe)To unsubscribe, simply type: unsubscribe llss-l <your first name><your last name>
You should receive a reply notifying you of your successful subscription to the listserv and how to unsubscribe. Or you can sign-up for the listserv or change your preferences for mailing at the listserv sign-up form (link).
To send to the LLSS Listserv:
To send an email to everyone on the LLSS Listserv simply address your email to llss-l@unm.edu. You must be a member to send.
To reply to an individual:
Because all postings come from “llss-l,” using the reply function on your email account will post your reply to the entire list. To email an individual, we suggest hitting forward, then copying and pasting the sender’s email address into your new message.
The email address of the person who posted is available in the message. If you look at the “from” field, it will say posted “on behalf” with the sender’s name and address following.
If you have problems or for further questions, please contact Cecilia Estrada at llssws@unm.edu or 277-6997.
The Writing Support Service
The Writing Support Service is offering on the first come, first serve basis. This is a synchronous meeting; this means that the graduate students must be present to talk with the tutor their concerns or issues on their writing, dissertation chapters, manuscripts, or even brainstorming ideas for papers. Our motto is, "helping students become better writers, one paper at a time." Dr. Bee Chamcharatsri is the director of the LLSS Writing Center please contact him for more information at bee@unm.edu
Financial Aid
The College of Education and Human Services has a listing of scholarships on its website. Graduate teaching assistantships in the Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies are available for doctoral students who have passed to candidacy in particular areas. Some graduate teaching opportunities are also available in the Department of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy (TEELP).
About UNM
The University of New Mexico, established in 1889, is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Considered the state's flagship university, UNM has more than 26,000 students on its four campuses, 98 master's degree programs, 49 doctoral programs and a medical and law school. UNM is a Carnegie Research I university, one of 88 in the country. With its libraries, museums, galleries and a four-theater Center for the Arts, UNM provides the state with a rich cultural resource. UNM seeks to attract and retain qualified students from historically underrepresented groups from the United States and around the world.
The Albuquerque/New Mexico Area
New Mexico is located in the Southwest region of the United States, and Albuquerque, located in the central part of the state, is its largest city. The city of Albuquerque offers a multitude of cultural attractions, including the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, Albuquerque Rio Grande Zoo and Biological Park, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Hispanic Cultural Center and New Mexico Theater Southwest. In the surrounding areas, the scenic and cultural attractions range from outdoor activities to art, opera, music and dance.
Housing
A selection of campus student housing and apartments are available close to campus. The website listed below provides further information for student residence halls and married student housing. A wide selection of off-campus housing is available, within easy walking or bicycling distance.
Web Sites for Further Information
- https://www.unm.edu (University of New Mexico)
- https://coehs.unm.edu (College of Education and Human Sciences)
- https://financialaid.unm.edu (Financial Aid and Scholarships)
- https://housing.unm.edu (Student housing)
- https://www.newmexico.org (New Mexico Tourism)
