Masters Degree

Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language (TESL/TEFL), Master of Arts

Admissions to the Program

For admission to the Master of Arts (M.A.) program in TESL/TEFL, all students must complete an application to the Graduate College. Application forms may be obtained by contacting the Graduate College directly, or by completing the online application form located on the Graduate College website. Please check the Graduate College website for deadlines.

Students entering the M.A. TESL/TEFL Program are not expected to have any prior preparation or knowledge of the field. Students must, however, fulfill the requirements for admission to the Graduate College of Northeastern Illinois University and indicate their intent to pursue the M.A. in TESL/TEFL. Be sure to identify the Graduate College code GT04 on your application form.

Note: Due to Graduate College regulations, no more than nine credit hours (three classes) may be transferred into any MA/MS degree program from another school or another department or program at Northeastern. This regulation also applies to coursework completed as a student-at-large, even if the courses are completed within the same program. Students-at-large must apply and be accepted for admission to the department/program before taking a fourth class. All requests for course transfer credit are subject to review and approval by the TESL/TEFL program.

Language Requirement

Students whose native language is English:

Students are required to complete nine credit hours or the equivalent of work in one or more foreign languages. Students may also demonstrate proficiency through alternate means, such as a recognized standardized test or oral interview. Additionally, students who were raised as bilingual speakers with English and another language can petition for a waiver of this requirement.

Students whose native language is not English:

Students are required to demonstrate English proficiency with a score of 95 on the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), with a minimum score of 20 in each of the four sections.

All materials must be received in the Graduate College for an application to be considered complete and ready to forward to the department for consideration.

International students are asked to submit all materials approximately one month prior to given deadlines for review and consideration.

Please refer to the Graduate College website (LINK) for all specific information.

Tuition and Fees

Information about costs can be obtained on the Graduate College website (LINK) in the section labeled "Financial."

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available in a limited capacity for those students who qualify in the form of Graduate Assistantships (typically in the English Language Program and Writing Lab).

Please complete the online application located on the Graduate College website (LINK) located under "Financial: Assistantships/Tuition Awards."

Merit Tuition Waivers

Please complete the online application located on the Graduate College website (LINK) located under "Financial: Assistantships/Tuition Awards".

Scholarships

You may be eligible for additional funding in the form of grants, scholarships, loans, etc. Please be sure to review the information available on the Graduate College website (LINK) located under "Financial: Other Funding Sources."

Goals, Outcomes and Performance Criteria

Based on the standards set forth by the professional organization, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL*), the Goals and Standards are defined respectively as "Domains" and "Standards."  Go to [PDF LINK: Degree Program Standards] for detailed goal and outcome statements as published by TESOL.

*Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) is a global education association based in Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States. TESOL's mission is to ensure excellence in English language teaching to speakers of other languages.

Requirements for M.A. degree are distributed among five domains (30 credits):

Domain 1: Language

TESL-402: Principles of Linguistics for Teachers

TESL-420: Structure of Modern English

TESL-426: Advanced Linguistic Analysis

Domain 2: Culture

TESL-445: Language Variation

A choice of TESL-447: Pragmatics or another culture-related course, in consultation with your TESL/TEFL graduate advisor

Domain 3: Planning, Implementing and Managing Instruction

TESL-410: Techniques of Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language

A choice of another instruction-related course, in consultation with your TESL/TEFL graduate advisor

Domain 4: Assessment

TESL-468: Assessment of the Limited English Proficient Student

Domain 5: Professionalism

TESL-414: Theories of Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language

TESL-460: Second Language Acquisition

Course Electives

Six credits (non-thesis option) of electives are selected from the list of 400-level courses in TESL and approved by your TESL graduate advisor. In addition, a limited number of courses offered by other departments may be taken as electives, in consultation with the advisor.

Courses which may be taken as electives include:

TESL-409: Research Design and Methods

TESL-430: Structure of Language

TESL-440: Language and Literacy[1]

TESL-442: Using Technology with Second Language Learners1

TESL-447: Pragmatics[2]

TESL-451: Lexically-Based Instruction1

TESL-452: Content-Based Instruction1

TESL-465: Experiential Preparation for Teaching English as a Second Language1

TESL-471: Evolution of Laws and Policies in Language Instruction

TESL-490: Seminar in Teaching English as a Second Language1 (Topic varies)

For detailed course description please go to COURSE DESCRIPTION. (LINK)

For current course schedule please go to COURSE SCHEDULE. (LINK)

Graduation requirements

All graduate credits must be at the 400 level.

Students enrolled in the Master of Arts in TESL/TEFL program must apply for candidacy after completing their first four courses and fulfilling the language requirement. Failure to do so at that time may mean a delay in registering for the Thesis Seminar or a delay in graduating. Students must have a "B" average in all TESL/TEFL courses they have taken to that point. Application forms for candidacy are available from the Graduate College website.

All students pursuing a Master of Arts in TESL/TEFL will be required to submit a Graduation Project [PDF LINK] as part of their graduation requirements. The project will consist of a capstone paper with four elements to be included as appendices. Students pursuing the M.A. in TESL/TEFL will be assigned an advisor early in their degree program for assistance in the preparation of the capstone paper.

Additionally, students can choose from two options, a thesis or a non-thesis option.

Thesis Option

The thesis option requires 30 hours of completed coursework, including all required courses in TESL/TEFL with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 and no more than two grades of "C," and the final capstone paper (i.e., Graduation Project). For the final six credit hours, students will register for a thesis seminar under the direction of a faculty member chosen from among the TESL/TEFL faculty. The thesis option may only be exercised with prior departmental approval.

Non-Thesis Option

The non-thesis option requires 36 hours of 400-level course work in TESL/TEFL, with a GPA of at least 3.0 and no more than two grades of "C," plus the final capstone paper (i.e., Graduation Project).

Any special program design, tutored study or independent study must be approved in advance by the student's graduate advisor, and also requires the approval of the instructor, department chair and the appropriate college dean(s).