About This Program

Advance your impact in global and multilingual classrooms with the M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language. Grounded in linguistics, language acquisition and research-based pedagogy, the program combines theory with hands-on practicum experience to prepare you to teach effectively in diverse settings at home and abroad. Read more...

Contact Information

• Robert Sturr, Ph.D. | rsturr@kent.edu | 330-672-4324
• Bee Viton | bviton@kent.edu | 330-672-1708

• Connect with an Admissions Counselor

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries*

^{* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.}

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Goal statement (1-2 pages)
• Three letters of recommendation
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:¹
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

Applicants are assessed holistically, considering academic credentials, academic or professional references, non-academic criteria and other specific program criteria.

¹

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores may be considered for conditional admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Funding deadline: January 15
    All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) must be submitted by this deadline to be considered for an assistantship or any other funded position.
  • Rolling admissions
• Spring Semester
  • Rolling admissions

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Major Requirements
ENG 63001	METHODOLOGY OF TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE	3
ENG 63033	THEORIES IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION	3
ENG 63040	LINGUISTICS FOR THE LANGUAGE PROFESSIONS	3
ENG 63041	DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR OF ENGLISH	3
Culminating Requirement
Choose from the following:
ENG 69199	THESIS I 1
Portfolio
Comprehensive Exam
Additional Requirements or Concentration
Choose from the following:		24-33
Additional Requirements for Students Not Declaring a Concentration
TESL Education Concentration
Minimum Total Credit Hours:		36-45

¹

The thesis option is not available to students declared in the TESL Education concentration. Thesis candidates must register for ENG 69199 for a total of 6 credit hours toward the degree (will count in major electives). If the thesis has not been defended after 6 credit hours, candidates will continuously register for ENG 69299 each semester until all requirements for the degree have been met. Credit hours for ENG 69299 do not count toward the degree.

Additional Requirements for Students Not Declaring a Concentration

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
ENG 63034	SOCIOLINGUISTICS	3
or ENG 63047	HERITAGE LANGUAGES AND SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING
or ENG 63048	SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY AND FOREIGN AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
ENG 68492	PRACTICUM IN TEACHING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS	3
Major Electives, choose from the following: 1		18
ENG 63034	SOCIOLINGUISTICS 2
ENG 63038	TEACHING LITERATURE AND CULTURE
ENG 63039	SECOND LANGUAGE CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT
ENG 63043	SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING
ENG 63044	SECOND LANGUAGE READING
ENG 63045	ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
ENG 63046	SECOND LANGUAGE LISTENING AND SPEAKING
ENG 63047	HERITAGE LANGUAGES AND SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING 2
ENG 63048	SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY AND FOREIGN AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 2
ENG 63049	SECOND LANGUAGE RESEARCH METHODS
ENG 63391	SEMINAR: LINGUISTICS
ENG 69199	THESIS I
MCLS 50654	TECHNOLOGY AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Minimum Total Credit Hours:		24

¹

Students may use up to 6 credit hours in appropriate graduate courses from other departments with approval of department advisor toward the major electives.

²

Students may choose these courses if not chosen above.

TESL Education Concentration Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Concentration Requirements
ENG 51525	INQUIRY INTO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 1	3
ENG 53392	STUDENT TEACHING 1,2,3,4	6
ENG 63044	SECOND LANGUAGE READING	3
ENG 68592	PRACTICUM IN TEACHING P-12 ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS 2,3	3
EPSY 65524	LEARNING THEORIES	3
or EPSY 68901	PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION
or EPSY 68905	EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
SPED 53062	CURRICULUM METHODS MILD/MODERATE INTERVENTION	3
TLCS 67310	THEORY AND PRACTICE IN THE TEACHING OF READING	3
or TLCS 67330	LITERACY IN THE CONTENT AREAS
Cultural Foundations Elective, choose from the following:		3
CULT 60030	SOCIAL CONTEXTS OF EDUCATION: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND THEORY
CULT 65530	SCHOOLING AND SOCIETY: HISTORY, AIMS AND POLITICS OF EDUCATION
CULT 69521	MULTICULTURAL EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE AND POLICY
CULT 69582	SOCIAL THEORIES IN EDUCATION
Concentration Electives, choose from the following:		6
ENG 63034	SOCIOLINGUISTICS
ENG 63038	TEACHING LITERATURE AND CULTURE
ENG 63039	SECOND LANGUAGE CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT
ENG 63043	SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING
ENG 63045	ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
ENG 63046	SECOND LANGUAGE LISTENING AND SPEAKING
ENG 63047	HERITAGE LANGUAGES AND SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING
ENG 63048	SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY AND FOREIGN AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
ENG 63049	SECOND LANGUAGE RESEARCH METHODS
EPSY 65524	LEARNING THEORIES
MCLS 50654	TECHNOLOGY AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
TLCS 60169	UNDERSTANDING EMERGENT BILINGUAL AND IMMIGRANT STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES
TLCS 60171	TEACHING EMERGENT BILINGUAL AND IMMIGRANT STUDENTS
TLCS 61130	MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
Minimum Total Credit Hours:		33

¹

ENG 51525 and ENG 53392 must be taken concurrently.

²

Students complete 100 hours of field work as teacher assistants in area schools, which enable them to gain collaborative clinical experience as P-12 teachers.

³

Prior to enrollment in ENG 53392 and ENG 68592, students must be evaluated satisfactorily on non-academic  dimensions, including completing background checks and modules. Further information is available in the Office of Graduate Student Services.

⁴

During students' full-time student teaching assignment, they are assessed on professional dispositions, understanding of codes of ethics and professional standards appropriate to TESL and work with English language learners. In the school context, students are assessed data literacy and analysis; use of research and assessment data; leadership and collaboration; utilization and support of appropriate technology for the discipline; and understanding of laws related to English language learners.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Major GPA	Minimum Overall GPA
-	3.000

• As the culminating requirement for the M.A. degree, all students must complete either a portfolio, comprehensive exam or thesis, see information below.
• All students in the M.A. degree cannot be concurrently enrolled in the Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language graduate certificate. Students who have earned the certificate may be permitted to apply 12 graduate credit hours from the certificate toward the M.A. degree.

• No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
• Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

Culminating Requirement

Portfolio

The intent of the portfolio is to provide M.A. candidates the opportunity to present their professional development, to integrate theory and practice, and to point to future career directions in teaching English as a second language. The portfolio is typically completed during the candidate's last semester of study. The portfolio is designed to selectively demonstrate superior examples of the candidate’s work in a number of areas. The documents in candidates’ portfolios are typical of the kinds of documents often required for submission on the job market. They also reflect candidates’ academic development in the course of the M.A. program.

To establish their portfolio committee, candidates should take the following steps:

• Request the participation of committee members near the beginning of the semester in which the candidate intends to submit the portfolio.
• Coordinate with both committee members to determine a date for the portfolio defense.

Candidates should submit the completed portfolio to the committee one week prior to defending it. During the defense, candidates should give a brief (10 minute) presentation highlighting the strengths of the portfolio. The committee will then examine the student on the elements of the portfolio and suggest revisions. Portfolio defenses may not be scheduled during finals week.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination, taken in the penultimate or final semester, is an opportunity for M.A. candidates to synthesize and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the field of teaching English as a second/foreign language. The exam is a series of three written parts on materials covering courses that students completed during their program of study. One of the areas of examination must be ESL/EFL pedagogy-related.

The semester prior to the exam, students should contact three faculty members whose classes they would like to be examined in from within the program. Examiners will provide the candidate with possible exam questions.

The exam will be scheduled over a three-day period. Exams may only be taken in the fall or spring semester, and they may not be scheduled during finals week. Each of the three parts of the exam will take four hours to complete.

Faculty members supplying questions from the exam will evaluate the student's response. Students who pass all three parts of the exam will have completed the culminating requirement for the degree. Students who fail one or more of the parts of the exam must take the exam again during the next semester.

Thesis in Applied Linguistics

Note: The thesis option is not available to students declared in the TESL Education concentration.

The thesis enables candidates to carry out in-depth primary and secondary research on a problem current in the field identified by the student in collaboration with a program faculty member who will serve as thesis advisor. The thesis is typically completed in students' final two semesters. The thesis option is only encouraged for academic scholars and must meet faculty and dean approvals. In order to complete a thesis, students must submit an approval from through the college in the semester prior to the semester in which they plan to graduate.

Candidates must obtain approval from the thesis advisor prior to scheduling the defense. A completed printed copy of the thesis must be circulated to the committee members two weeks prior to the defense. During the defense, the candidate should briefly outline the research and findings in a 10-minute summary presentation. The committed will then examine the student on the elements of the theses and suggest revisions.

The student is responsible for checking college deadlines for filing completed defense forms and the thesis itself. Failure to do so will result in a failure to graduate in the semester the student intends. In any event, thesis defenses may not be scheduled during finals week or during the summer term.

Licensure Information

Candidates seeking Ohio licensure are required to pass specific assessments in order to apply for licensure. Students should consult their advisors for specific program requirements and refer the Ohio Department of Education-Educator Preparation website for more information on assessments specific to licensure type.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of different associated fields within teaching English as a second language, including linguistics, language acquisition, pedagogy and practice.
2. Demonstrate what knowledge of the field and disciplines making up teaching English as a second language.
3. Demonstrate skills in teaching.
4. Demonstrate understanding of different cultural norms and practices and the ability to accommodate teaching practices based on these differences.

Full Description

The Master of Arts degree in Teaching English as a Second Language is grounded in linguistic principles, language learning theory and empirical research on language learning and teaching. The program enables students to teach effectively in varied learning contexts. Students gain experience through a supervised practicum and have the opportunity to teach in a variety of English-as-a-second/foreign-language contexts. Graduates are prepared for international teaching and research, adult education, and advanced study in applied linguistics. literacy positions.

The Teaching English as a Second Language major includes the following optional concentration:

• The TESL Education concentration prepares students for P-12 school educators. Students' practicum takes place in area schools, and students prepare for the state licensure requirements.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.