Pioneering programme in teacher education
Nebrija University presents its new PhD programme, called PhD in Linguistics applied to Language Teaching, which arises in a scientific, economic and social context characterised by the need to develop the multilingual competence of citizens.
In this sense, the programme aims to develop its line of research in linguistics applied to teaching by focusing on the following topics: Language acquisition and language learning, Sociolinguistics and Pragmatics of languages, Language policies and their relationship with the learning of second or foreign languages or the bilingual condition, Corpus Linguistics, Evaluation and certification of linguistic competence or professional applications of the multilingual condition.
Quality
Official qualification: Doctorate in Applied Linguistics to Language Teaching
Faculty or school responsible: Doctoral School
Number of places available: 10 places per year
Application deadline: 1 Sept to 15 Oct
Enrolment: 21 Oct to 22 Nov
Start date: January 2027
Languages: Spanish and English
Duration: 4 or 7 years
Access to the doctoral programme
The criteria for access to the PhD programme are detailed in the following section, and are those established by law for this purpose. Therefore, any candidate who meets these criteria would have legal access to the programme. In any case, a recommended access profile is defined below, which best fits with the priority lines of research defined in the programme:
- The recommended profile will be those who access the PhD after having studied a university Master's degree in Linguistics applied to Language Teaching. Students who have completed the University Master's Degree in Linguistics applied to the Teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language or the University Master's Degree in Bilingual Teaching taught in the Department of Applied Languages at the Nebrija University may be admitted, as the Master's Final Projects in this case will already have been oriented towards the research lines of the PhD programme. Access is also possible after having taken any official Master's degree in Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, Language Acquisition, Bilingualism or related degrees, regardless of the university where it was taken, as long as the Master's degree requires a research-oriented final project.
- A second admissible profile is that of a candidate who has taken an official Master's degree in other branches of linguistics, preferably if the area of work of the Final Master's Project is similar to some of those linked to this programme. In this case, the candidate may be offered complementary training in research methodology in applied linguistics according to the shortcomings of their training as assessed by the Academic Committee of the PhD programme.
- A third admissible profile is that which comes from degrees prior to RD 1393/2007 (Bachelor's degree). In this case, if the candidate is admitted, he/she will also have to complete the necessary additional training as established by the Academic Committee of the PhD Programme.
In addition, all candidates for the research period for the preparation of the doctoral thesis must:
- Demonstrate that they have acquired the research competences of the Master's Degree in Linguistics applied to the teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language. (The syllabus of the Master's Degree must be sent, if it was not taken at Nebrija University, the academic record obtained in the programme taken and a letter of presentation from the director/tutor of the Master's Thesis and a copy of their Master's Thesis in pdf format).
- Demonstrate a C1 level in the language in which the research is carried out (Spanish in the case of Linguistics applied to the teaching of Spanish and English in the case of Linguistics applied to the teaching of English), as well as a B2 level in the language used in the training complements to be carried out, if these are required, and in the training activities. To accredit the level of linguistic competence, the DELE or SIELE B2/C1 certification exams will be valid for Spanish and B2/C1 of any of the official ACLES certificates for English. In the event that the candidate does not have any of these certificates, they can be assessed by means of a level test in Spanish or English carried out by the Nebrija University during the admission process.
- A personal interview with the academic coordinator of the PhD. This interview may be conducted by videoconference in the case of candidates residing abroad.
- It is highly recommended, although not essential, that candidates for this PhD have some teaching experience, especially in foreign languages.
Organisation
According to Royal Decree 576/2023, of 4 July, which amends Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies:
- Full-Time Students:
The duration of doctoral studies will be a maximum of four years full-time, counting from the date of enrolment of the doctoral student in the programme until the date of deposit of the doctoral thesis. (Before the end of the aforementioned period, if the application for deposit of the thesis has not been submitted, the academic committee responsible for the programme, at the request of the doctoral student, may authorise the extension of this period for a further year, under the conditions that have been established in the corresponding doctoral programme). - Part-time students:
The academic committee responsible for the doctoral programme may authorise part-time doctoral studies. In order to apply for this modality, candidates will have to accredit some kind of work activity. In this case, such studies may have a maximum duration of seven years from the date of enrolment in the programme until the date of submission of the doctoral thesis. (Before the end of this period, if the application for submission of the thesis has not been submitted, the academic committee responsible for the programme, at the request of the doctoral student, may authorise the extension of this period for a further year, under the conditions established in the corresponding doctoral programme).
Teachers
Definition and structure
The Academic Committee of the doctoral programme is made up of:
All members of the committee shall hold a doctoral degree and shall form part of the research team of the doctoral programme's verified report.
Agreements
Taiwan
Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages: General Teaching and Research Collaboration Agreement.
Brazil
Paraiba Federal University: Academic collaboration and exchange.
State University of Brazil: International co-supervision agreement.
Belgium
UK Leuven University: International co-supervision agreement.
Taiwan
Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages: General Teaching and Research Collaboration Agreement.
Brazil
Paraiba Federal University: Academic collaboration and exchange.
State University of Brazil: International co-supervision agreement.
Belgium
UK Leuven University: International co-supervision agreement.
XVIII Plurilingual Classroom on Environment at Nebrija University
This meeting, organised by the Faculty of Languages and Education, in its interest to promote the use of foreign languages in different areas of society and business, aims to make the university community aware of the importance of the commitment that we all have to assume due to our commitment to the construction of a Europe in which its citizens make efforts of intercomprehension.
