25, no. 1 (Fall 1993): 13-14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
No Works Cited |
|
Highlights of the MLA's 1990 Survey: Recent and Anticipated Growth in
Foreign Language Doctoral Programs
IN NOVEMBER 1990 the MLA distributed a survey to the approximately 500 programs that grant doctorates in English, foreign languages, comparative literature, or linguistics. The questionnaire inquired into the number of applications received, the number of applicants enrolled, and the number of degrees granted by these doctoral programs during the previous five years. In addition, the questionnaire investigated plans for expanding graduate programs. Seventy-seven percent of the foreign language doctoral programs completed and returned the questionnaire. Response rates are lower for comparative literature and linguistics.
Institutional and Department Characteristics
- Modern language doctoral programs tend to be located in institutions with public funding, institutions in the Northeast or Midwest, and institutions that enroll between 13,000 and 36,000 full- and part-time students.
- A majority of the foreign language departments in the sample offer commonly taught languages, and a majority are organized as language groups. In keeping with these findings, the sampled programs offer courses in an average of 3 languages.
- On average, foreign language, linguistics, and comparative literature departments have 27–46 graduate students and 9–13 full-time tenure-track faculty members. Although smaller than English departments, foreign language and comparative literature departments tend to award teaching assistantships to a somewhat higher percentage of their graduate students (55% to 60%).
- On average, one-quarter of the graduate students enrolled in foreign language graduate programs are native speakers.
Applicants
- The average number of applications received by foreign language doctoral programs increased steadily between 1996–87 and 1990–91. The average rose from 27 in 1986–87 to 36 in 1990–91. The number of applications received by comparative literature programs also increased, though not as consistently.
- Sixty percent of the foreign language departments in the sample received more applications to their graduate programs in 1991 than in 1987, as did 68% of the comparative literature departments and 41% of the linguistics departments. Among foreign language departments receiving more applications, the average increase was 59%.
- Thirty-four percent of the foreign language departments in the sample report that growth in applications during the late 1980s was particularly marked for specific languages. Applications appear to have increased most for Chinese and Spanish and to have increased substantially for French, Japanese, and Russian.
- Approximately 48% of the respondents from foreign language and comparative literature departments said that their most recent applicants were more qualified than those who applied five years earlier, as did just over 40% of respondents in linguistics departments. Very few respondents said that recent applicants were less qualified than earlier ones.
- During the late 1980s, 57% of the foreign language departments in the sample increased the number of applicants they accepted, as did 65% of the comparative literature departments and 45% of the linguistics departments.
Applicants Enrolled
- The average number of applicants enrolled by foreign language doctoral programs increased steadily between 1986–87 and 1990–91, though not as substantially as the average number of applications received did. In comparative literature and linguistics doctoral programs the average number of applicants enrolled tended to decrease.
- Between 1986–87 and 1990–91 close to half of the foreign language and comparative literature departments in the sample experienced an increase in the number of applicants enrolled in their graduate programs. Over half of the linguistics programs in the sample experienced a decline in the number of applicants enrolled.
Percentage of Applicants Enrolled
- Between 1986–87 and 1990–91 the percentage of applicants enrolled by foreign language doctoral programs tended to decrease. During that period the average percentage decreased from 36% to 32%. The percentage of applicants enrolled by linguistics and comparative literature departments increased somewhat during the same period.
- Between 1986–87 and 1990–91 just over half of the foreign language departments in the sample experienced a decrease in the percentage of applicants they enrolled, as did approximately 64% of the linguistics and comparative literature programs.
Plans for Enlarging Graduate Programs
- Of the foreign language departments in the sample, one-fifth had definite plans for increasing the number of applicants accepted into their graduate programs in the next five years. If conditions for enlarging programs are favorable, 67% of the foreign language departments will enlarge, as will 63% of the linguistics departments and 46% of the comparative literature departments.
- A majority of respondents in the three types of modern language departments consider each of the following factors important to decisions about enlarging graduate programs: availability of institutional fellowships, ability to support graduate students with teaching assistantships, quality of applicants, and availability of federal fellowship funds. A majority of respondents in foreign language departments also consider the number of applicants important.
PhDs Granted
- The foreign language departments in the sample granted an average of 1.8 PhDs a year during the 1985–90 period. The equivalent figures for linguistics and comparative literature are 3.7 and 2.8.
- As the number of graduate students in foreign language departments increases, the average number of PhDs granted annually also increases.
- Foreign language and linguistics departments granted an average of 10 PhDs for every 100 PhD students during the 1985–90 period, while comparative literature departments granted an average of 11.7.
- PhD productivity (i.e., the average number of PhDs granted for every 100 PhD students) is considerably higher in foreign language departments with the smallest number of graduate students than in departments with more students. PhD productivity is also higher in foreign language departments in which the student-faculty ratio is low and in foreign language departments in which most graduate students have teaching assistantships.
Courses Offered in the Target Language
- The foreign language departments in the sample reported offering an average of 83% of their graduate courses in the target language.
- On average, departments that offer less commonly taught languages and departments that are organized as language groups offer a smaller percentage of their courses in the target language than departments that focus on one to two commonly taught languages. In addition, the percentage of courses offered in the target language tends to be greater in departments with large numbers of graduate students than it is in departments with fewer students.
© 1993 by the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages. All Rights Reserved.
ADFL Bulletin 25, no. 1 (Fall 1993): 13-14 |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
No Works Cited |
|
