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Master of Arts Degree in TESL

Requirements for the Master of Arts in TESL

This degree is for candidates preparing to teach English to speakers of other languages.

  1. Admission Requirements:

    In addition to meeting the Linguistics Department Admission Requirements stated above, applicants without a background in linguistics will be required to take ENGL 301, Introduction to Language and Linguistics as a prerequisite during their first semester.

  2. Foreign Language Requirement:

    Students are required to take two semesters or equivalent of a language foreign to them. This requirement may be met with coursework completed within two years of acceptance into the Department. This requirement is intended to give students recent experience in learning a language that is foreign to them, so that they experience again firsthand the struggles of the language learner.

  3. Culminating Requirements:

    M.A. candidates in TESL complete their degrees by taking a Comprehensive Exam. Students will enroll in LING 697, Directed Comprehensive Studies in the semester during which they plan to take the examination.

  4. Required Courses (36 units)
    • LING 402 Phonetics and Phonology
    • LING 404 Morphology and Syntax
    • LING 417 Language Development and Acquisition ( or CHS 433)
    • LING 502 Seminar in Second Language Acquisition
    • LING 520 Issues in ESL Reading and Writing
    • LING 521 Issues in ESL Listening and Speaking
    • LING 525 English Structures for ESL/EFL Teaching
    • LING 530 Introduction to TESL
    • LING 555 TESL Practicum
    • LING 566 Research Methods for Linguistics
    • LING 568 TESL Testing and Assessment
    • ESL Methods for specific populations (Choose one: EED 570, EED 577 or SED 529)
  5. Electives (6 units)

    M.A. candidates in TESL must choose six units of elective coursework at the 500-level or above from the list of pre-approved electives. Students wishing to take other courses as electives should consult with the Graduate Advisor.

  6. Culminating Activity (3 units):
    • Ling 697 Directed Comprehensive Studies
  7. Unit Count for M.A. in TESL
    English 301 3
    Foreign Language 6
    Required Courses 36
    Electives 6
    Comprehensive Exam 3
    Total Units: 54