Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA)

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Offered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures , College of Arts and Sciences .

Admission to the Program

Applicants to the master’s program in TESOL are subject to the minimum university requirements for admission to graduate study. Further, a grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in the undergraduate major and two letters of academic reference are required. It is strongly recommended that native speakers of English have some background in at least one other language. Applicants whose native or first language is not English must demonstrate proof of language proficiency by submitting satisfactory results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum TOEFL score for full admissions consideration is 100 on the internet-based test (iBT) or 600 on the paper-based test. Part-time as well as full-time students are welcome in the program.

Degree Requirements

36 credit hours of approved TESOL graduate work
Completion of a teaching portfolio compiled during course of study
An oral comprehensive examination taken after completion of all required graduate work and the teaching portfolio
Nonthesis or thesis option with grades of B or better in all courses

Course Requirements

Required (21 credit hours)

Language Acquisition (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Teaching (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Nonthesis or Thesis Option (9 credit hours)

Complete one of the following options with grades of B or better:

Nonthesis Option

Complete 9 credit hours from the following if not taken to fulfill Language Acquisition or Teaching, approved by the student’s advisor:

Thesis Option

Note: The thesis option is not available to students in the MIP program.

TESL-797 Master’s Thesis Research (1-6) (6 credit hours required)
3 credit hours of course from Nonthesis Option

Combined Bachelor’s Degree and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA)

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for combined bachelor’s/master’s programs:

Undergraduates with a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA will be considered for the combined program.
Applications must be accompanied by two letters of academic reference and a statement of purpose.
Students should discuss their interest in the program with the TESOL MA director before submitting a formal application.

Note: This program is not designed for K-12 ESOL licensure.