School of Humanities and Cultural Studies

Master of Arts in English, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Concentration

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Why Choose Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Concentration in English?

A Master of Arts degree in English meets today’s global challenges by equipping graduates with a range of professional options, including teaching college English or English as a second language, technical and professional writing, work in the nonprofit sector, and doctoral study leading to the Ph.D. degree. If pursuing Wright State's M.A. in English, you may choose from one of three concentrations: Literature, Rhetoric and Writing, or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

The Master of Arts in TESOL provides you training in language theory, pedagogy, and applied linguistics, with the opportunity to combine this knowledge with the basic skills necessary to teach writing. The TESOL endorsement (added to licensure in Ohio) may be completed within the TESOL Master of Arts.

Careers

View the English program profile for sample occupations, average salary, and employment projections.

Real-World Experience

Students in the TESOL concentration, TESOL certificate programs, TEFL certificate, and Master of Arts program in TESOL must complete a semester-long internship before graduating. Internship supervisors must have a Master of Arts degree in TESOL.

Success Stories

Shen Yao grew up in Xi’an, China, the home of the Terracotta Warriors. Shen considers himself lucky to have started learning English in the third grade, awakening dreams of becoming an English teacher.

Academics and Curriculum

All students in the graduate program complete 33 to 36 hours of graduate study and a graduate portfolio, which includes a targeted revision of a seminar paper. Before graduating, a candidate for the Master of Arts degree in English must

  • Submit a Culminating Project of work for evaluation; and
  • Present selected contents of that project at a designated English Department event.

View the Master of Arts in English program information and requirements in the Academic Catalog.

Timeline

Prior to Start

Meet with TESOL advisor to review program of study.

Fall Semester

1st Year

  • Start program

2nd Year

  • Meet with TESOL advisor to review portfolio requirement and assign advisor for revised seminar paper
  • Meet with revised seminar paper advisor before the 10th week
  • Fill out and submit Advising Report Form before the end of the semester

Spring Semester

2nd Year

Admission

In addition to meeting the admission requirements of the Graduate School, applicants for regular standing in the M.A. program in English must present either an undergraduate major in English from an accredited college or university with a major average of 3.2 or better, or five appropriate upper-division courses in English with an average of 3.5 or better in those classes--and have an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Applicants must also submit a five-page writing sample on a subject related to English using secondary sources. Applicants whose overall grade point average is between 2.7 and 3.0 may be admitted to conditional standing by action of the English department graduate committee. Funding opportunities to offset the cost of tuition are available to students once they have been admitted to the program.

Nonnative speakers of English seeking regular admission to any graduate program in English must also meet one of the following minimum language proficiency requirements:

  • TOEFL 100 (80 for conditional admission)
  • IELTS 7.5 (6.5 for conditional admission)
  • PTE-A 68 (53 for conditional admission)
  • Earned a degree in the United States
  • Students who show proof of successful completion of an Intensive English Program from an accredited institution or program accepted by international admissions are exempt from the requirement to take an approved English Proficiency exam.

Applicants may also be interviewed by a representative of the department to determine language proficiency and to be advised on improving language competencies.

How to Apply

Apply online to the Graduate School.

 


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