Teaching English as a Second Language

The M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) prepares students to teach in classrooms with English Language Learners and to teach English as a second language in colleges and language institutes in the U.S. and abroad. Students are strongly encouraged to pursue the degree as full-time students and all students will complete a teaching practicum.

The M.A. in TESL program is 33 credits and students can pursue teacher certification during the program.

The following information is for students entering the M.A. in TESL program in Fall 2014 or later. Please see the previous program policy statement for program requirements if you began the M.A. before this time.

Education Core Courses (9 credits)

• EDUC 623: Applied Human Development in the Schools
• EDUC 740: Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners
• EDUC 741: Diversity in ESL Classrooms

Linguistics and TESL Courses (18 credits)

• LING 676: Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism
• LING 677: The Structure of English
• FLLT 622: Language Syllabus Design
• FLLT 624: Second Language Testing
• EDUC 672: Teaching English as a Second Language
• EDUC 647: Advanced Methods in Teaching ESL

Teaching Practicum (6 credits)

Students who are not seeking teacher certification complete EDUC 742: Practicum in TESL while students who are seeking teacher certification complete EDUC 750: Graduate Teaching Internship (student teaching).

• Transcripts of all previous academic work at the undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) level. Applicants may upload unofficial copies of their transcripts and if admitted, all transcripts will be verified by the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. Applicants who previously attended the University of Delaware still need to upload an unofficial transcript, but do not need to provide official transcripts for verification. Please do not send any transcripts to the School of Education.
• GRE scores are required. However, there is an exception for UD English majors who are applying to the 4+1 program, and 4+1 applicants are not required to submit GRE scores.
• Students whose native language is not English must submit official score reports of the TOEFL or IELTS test. The minimum acceptable score for the paper-based TOEFL is 600; the minimum acceptable score for the Internet-based TOEFL is 100. The minimum acceptable score for the IELTS is 7.0.
• A resume is required. All graduate programs require the submission of a resume.
• The M.A. in TESL  program does require a specific question be answered for the personal statement or essay section of the application. The question of M.A. in TESL candidates to be answered is:

You should present a carefully planned and written statement of one to two pages in length describing what led you to pursue a degree in TESL, any past work in TESL or TEFL, your expectations of the University of Delaware M.A. in TESL program, and how you intend to use the degree to fulfill your professional career or further educational aspirations. Please include additional information you feel important for the graduate committee to know about you. If you are currently registered in a graduate program at this or another university, please explain why you wish to leave. The personal statement must be submitted electronically as part of the admissions application.