Department website: https://www.atu.edu/worldlanguages

The Master of Arts degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) includes the four courses prescribed by the Arkansas Department of Education for ESL endorsement within a flexible degree program. The MA in TESOL can enhance the credentials of K-12 teachers, prepare students for careers in post-secondary teaching in the United States or overseas, and serve as a foundation for doctoral-level studies.

This program may be completed online.

Students who complete the MA in TESOL should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the theory and practice of teaching English to speakers of a second language.
2. Generate writing that demonstrates as advanced ability to analyze and synthesize.
3. Conduct original research.

Unconditional Admission

Students are eligible to apply for unconditional admission to the Master of Arts degree program in TESOL if they meet the admission requirements for the Graduate College.

Conditional Admission

Applicants who fail to meet all of the departmental requirements may be accepted conditionally provided the deficiencies are completed prior to the completion of twelve (12) semester hours of graduate work.

Applicants who fail to meet the grade point requirement specified for unconditional admission may be admitted conditionally to enroll for a maximum of twelve (12) semester hours. If a student was admitted conditionally based on grade point average, the condition will be met if upon completion of twelve (12) semester hours a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better is achieved.

Degree Requirements 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
TESL 5023	Second Language Acquisition 1	3
or ENGL 5023	Second Language Acquisition
TESL 5703	Teaching English as a Second Language 1	3
or ENGL 5703	Teaching English as a Second Language
TESL 5713	ESL Assessment 1	3
or ENGL 5713	ESL Assessment
TESL 5723	Teaching People of Other Cultures 1	3
or ENGL 5723	Teaching People of Other Cultures
TESL or ENGL 5000-6000 Level Electives
Select six of the following:		18
TESL 6003	Linguistics for ESL Teachers
TESL 6013	Modern English Grammar and Usage
or ENGL 6013	Modern English Grammar and Usage
TESL 6023	Language and Society
TESL 6063	Instructional Strategies in Content Areas
TESL 6083	Seminar in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages 2
TESL 6123	Teaching Writing to English Language Learners
TESL 6133	Teaching Listening and Speaking to English Language Learners
TESL 6143	Teaching Reading to English Language Learners
TESL 6863	TESOL Practicum 3
or ENGL 6863	TESL Practicum
ENGL 5083	Seminar: English Language 2
ENGL 6023	Composition Theory and Practice.
ENGL 6033	Rhetoric
ENGL 6083	Seminar in Linguistics 2
ENGL 6283	Literature and Society 2
Total Hours		30

¹

These four courses compose the course work required by the Arkansas Department of Education for an ESL endorsement to an Arkansas Teaching License.

²

These four courses are offered with different topics and may be repeated for credit if the topic differs.

³

Students who complete TESL 6863 TESOL Practicum as one of their electives are exempt from the M.A. Examination requirement.

• Completion of at least 30 credit hours of graduate course work, at least 15 of which must be at the 6000.
• The satisfactory completion of an examination based on two MA TESOL courses selected by the student. Licensed teachers who complete TESL 6863 TESOL Practicum are exempt from the examination requirement.
• The completion of a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate work at Arkansas Tech University. Full-time residence is not required.

Students who complete the program will be able to demonstrate:

• Knowledge of TESL methodology.
• Ability to generate writing that demonstrates advanced analysis and synthesis.
• Ability to conduct original research.
• Knowledge of linguistic theories of second language acquisition.
• Awareness of how cultural factors affect second language acquisition.