English Language Center Student Graduates to Ph.D. and Professorship
- Aug 18, 2025
- English Language Center
- by Riddhi Bora
In 2015, when Yuji Masumura first traveled almost 7,000 miles from Kyoto, Japan, to Austin, he spent a month taking English courses at The University of Texas at Austin’s English Language Center (ELC) alongside several of his fellow students from Hitotsubashi University. Outside the classroom, he enjoyed classic Austin activities like watching bats fly out from under the Congress Avenue bridge and indulging a newfound taste for Texas barbecue.
Masumura’s monthlong experience taking English courses was a part of the ELC’s English Language Program, which allows international students to spend a fall, summer or spring term improving their English before preparing for an undergrad degree in the U.S. or pursuing job prospects.
Five years later, armed with the linguistic and cultural knowledge he had gained earlier, he returned to the Forty Acres to pursue a Ph.D.
“When I decided to apply for Ph.D. programs in the United States, UT was in my mind, for sure,” Masumura said. “When I looked up possible programs I wanted to join, I first checked [to see] if each university has professors who do what I'm interested [in]. I checked UT, and it perfectly matched with my interest.”
Learning Beyond the Textbook
That initial month in Austin served as Masumura’s first time living outside of Japan. Although brief, the experience was transformative, building his confidence sufficiently to apply to Ph.D. programs abroad.
“[The program] built the basis for my future learning. When I decided to apply for Ph.D. programs in the U.S., I had to take Test of English as a Foreign Language,” Masumura said. “The effect was not obvious right after the program, but it [gave me] ... optimistic ideas that ‘Oh, I can survive in the United States.’”
Rachelle Bumgardner, ELC senior student affairs administrator, said Masumura’s group took part in English as a Second Language courses that focused on grammatical accuracy, listening comprehension and written fluency. They also participated in a course specially designed to reveal and contextualize aspects of U.S. culture.
"Beyond the classroom, a tailored cultural enrichment program was organized for the cohort,” Bumgardner said. “Our staff arranged excursions to the Texas State Capitol and local museums, as well as day trips to San Antonio and Houston. The group also visited a dude ranch in the Texas Hill Country, where they had the opportunity to hike, go horseback riding and enjoy campfire under the stars."
Returning to the Forty Acres
In 2020, Masumura returned to UT to begin working toward his Ph.D. in government. He said he valued the meaningful friendships he had made during the ELC program, and he would sometimes get lunch with his ELC friends to take a break from Ph.D. studies.
“In the [Ph.D.] program, everyone was talking about, ‘What’s good research? What makes a good publication? What’s the relationship with the advisor?' ” Masumura recalled. “[It was] interesting and fun, but sometimes stressful. So having friends [outside] the program was very important to me.”
In addition to developing meaningful friendships during the program, Masumura met his future wife, Hailey Isbell, a UT student who also did an exchange program with Oberin University (Oberlin) in Japan.
During his years living in the U.S., Masumura developed a liking for American culture, people and food. Additionally, he said, his advisor was kind and helpful, so he rarely experienced homesickness. For international students considering completing a Ph.D. at UT, Masumura recommends giving it a go.
“UT is one of the top schools in the United States, so the research level is quite high,” Masumura said.
Welcoming a New Era
Today, 10 years after he first stepped foot on the UT campus — with several published papers and two degrees to his name — Masumura now serves as an associate professor in the Graduate School of Law at Kobe University in Japan.
He said his time at UT continues to serve him, and his current level of achievement demonstrates that international academic experiences can create a long-lasting impact.
“Many graduate students are from other countries, like China or other Asian countries, so they speak Japanese, but sometimes we need to speak English,” Masumura said. “And we have many speakers from Taiwan, from South Korea, or many other countries, so speaking English is kind of a must. The [English] courses I took at UT were very helpful, and they are helping me right now, still.”
