The M.A. in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Applied Linguistics prepares teachers to work with adult learners of English in a wide range of settings. The program is rooted in the intimate connection between research and practice in language learning and teaching. It melds linguistic, pedagogical, and contextual dimensions of classroom language learning, and emphasizes informed professionalism in the teacher's work. The program aims to produce highly competent language teachers who know how language classrooms work and who understand the complex interrelationships among classroom teaching, second language acquisition, curriculum and program design, materials development, assessment, and teacher development.
TESOL and Applied Linguistics M.A.
- Is this program a good fit for you?
The TESOL and Applied Linguistics M.A. program attracts students from a variety of backgrounds and interests. They typically have some of the following qualities:
- A desire to work and live abroad, either for a year or two or long-term
- An interest in working with international or multilingual learners of English in the U.S.
- An interest in classroom teaching
- Undergraduate degrees that best prepare you for our program
- Linguistics
- Any major in a language (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, etc.)
A major in Linguistics or a specific language is not required. Most liberal arts majors will prepare you for our program. The undergraduate minor in Second Language Studies, and the Certificate in TESOL and Second Language Acquisition at Indiana University, are excellent preparation for the M.A. program.
- Program overview + highlights
- Coursework in the M.A. in TESOL and Applied Linguistics seeks to prepare and professionalize students to teach English to speakers of other languages.
- Core courses ensure that students are familiar with
- (1) the structure and pronunciation of English and best practices for effective instruction in these areas;
- (2) best practices for teaching English in both academic and more general contexts;
- (3) design and use of language tests; and
- (4) current models of the nonnative language acquisition process.
- In their fourth semester, students complete a capstone course that consists of a practicum in teaching English in an adult English program open to the community, in which they receive extensive mentoring from an expert English teacher.
- Funding sources
Most of our students hold Student Academic Appointments teaching English language in the Second Language Studies department or teaching multilingual sections of writing in the English department.
- Career opportunities
The M.A. in TESOL and Applied Linguistics is designed specifically to prepare students to become classroom teachers of English to speakers of other languages.
- Application requirements
GRE NOTE: For admission to the M.A. in TESOL and Applied Linguistics for Fall 2021, the GRE is optional. This is a new policy and has been officially adopted only for Fall 2021 admission. At this point, there is no decision regarding the GRE for future years.
More information about admission requirements can be found on our website: https://dsls.indiana.edu/programs/graduate.html
Coursework needed for admission
- A strong command of at least one language in addition to English
- High proficiency in academic English writing and academic speaking in English (strong performance in most liberal arts should provide this background)