Founded in 2005 by the late Dr. Mike Long, the SLA Program at the University of Maryland is a graduate program that offers degrees at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels. The focus of the program is how second languages are acquired and processed in adulthood, what role instruction plays, and how individual differences and learning conditions influence the learning trajectories. It has a strong emphasis on cognitive aspects of language acquisition, as well as research methodology and applications in the classroom.