Master of Arts in Applied LinguisticsAlumni Stories
Learn where a master's degree in Applied Linguistics had led our graduates, and the ways the degree informs, influences and contributes to their current careers.
"My time in the Applied Linguistics program has helped me gain a more thorough and scientific understanding of the English language, which I have found to be fundamental in the drafting and wording of documents. Legally binding documents must be precise and specific in their wording and I have found that because of my training, I am more aware of how small syntactic or semantic changes can make a document more impactful and concise."
Alexis (Valdiviez) Kretzer ‘20
TESOL
"Tech, Market/Insights Research, Social Media Platforms, Syndicated Research—these are all industries that hire skilled linguists all the time. I synthesize the skills I learned in this program every day in my work."
Mary Fox ‘16
TESOL
"I think what I enjoyed about the program was the opportunity in several classes to engage in some amazing dialogues about language, ideology, biases, culture, communication, discourse, etc. These discussions helped me take an honest look at myself and my beliefs about language."
Jubal Metzger-Smith ‘21
TESOL
"One highlight was the party we had to celebrate the 940th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, the most important day in the history of the English language. We all dressed in linguistics themed costumes."
Katie Duda Miller '07
TESOL
"I loved the multicultural nature of the program since through it I was able to meet incredible people from different parts of the world with whom we shared the same love for languages."
Nelvin A. Licona Guevara ‘21
TESOL
I'm genuinely so grateful for my positive experience with the program at ODU. All of the instructors were truly dedicated to the subject material and so generous with their time, advice, and ongoing support. My career and my personal life would be fundamentally different if I hadn't pursued this program!
Kara Dewes '14
TESOL