Applied Linguistics is the study of language and communication in relation to real-world problems such as language acquisition and teaching, language assessment, improving intercultural communication, and understanding the relationship between language and social organization.

The department consists of a well-known MA program, a dynamic PhD program, a growing BA program, an accredited Intensive English Program (IEP), a broad range of credit-bearing ESL courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, and a large testing program that measures the academic English proficiency of incoming international students.

The department has attracted and retained outstanding faculty who are committed to teaching and mentoring students. As illustrated on the faculty pages, faculty also have active research agendas and serve as journal editors, on editorial boards, and in responsible positions for national and international professional organizations. ESL and IEP lecturers teach and also write textbooks, work on grants, write professional volumes, and mentor graduate students.