Master's in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
The MA TESOL degree qualifies its recipients to teach English to speakers of languages other than English. It is increasingly the degree of preference for employers both in the United States and abroad, where it is generally a requirement for university-level teaching.
Admission requirements
- Admission to graduate study at Portland State University.
- Admission to the MA TESOL program. See the department website for application information (www.pdx.edu/linguistics)
- Proficiency in English. If the student is not a native speaker of English and doesn't hold a valid B.A. degree or equivalent from an American university, a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 100 or IELTS 7.0 is required for admission.
Requirements
Students must meet with an adviser regularly, starting in the first term of the program. A student’s entire program must be approved by the adviser.
In addition to the minimum graduate school requirements, students must have an adviser-approved program that meets the criteria below. (For those students who have completed the Certificate in TESL, certain adviser-approved courses will be used to substitute for some of the following requirements.)
Prerequisites
Ling 390 Introduction to Linguistics or equivalent is a prerequisite to all courses except Ling 571. Students who have not taken an introductory linguistics course should complete Ling 390 before applying to the MA TESOL program or must take it as their first course.
Grammar Prerequisite: Students must (1) pass the departmental grammar test before admission or in their first term, or (2) pass Ling 392 Structure of English with a B or better in their first or second term.
Courses
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Overview of Course Requirements
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1. Language Education/Applied Linguistics Theory Courses
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20 credits
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2. Foundations in Language and Linguistic Theory Courses
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16 credits
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3. Research Courses and Culminating Experience Credits
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12 credits
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Total credits for MA TESOL degree
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48 credits
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1. Language Education/Applied Linguistics Theory Courses
Required Courses
As part of the TESOL Methods requirement, students must submit a portfolio documenting a minimum of 70 hours of practical experience.
4 credits from the following
| Ling 509 | Community ESL Practicum | 4 |
| Ling 539 | Language Assessment | 4 |
| Ling 570 | Grammar for TESOL | 4 |
| Ling 572 | Teaching Pronunciation | 4 |
| Ling 573 | Computer Assisted Language Learning | 4 |
| Ling 575 | Curriculum Design and Materials Development in TESOL | 4 |
| Ling 576 | Corpus Linguistics in Language Teaching | 4 |
| Ling 510 | Special topics (with adviser approval) | 1-6 |
(with prior adviser approval)
2. Foundations in Language and Linguistic Theory Courses
Choose 4 credits from Linguistic Analysis
Linguistic Analysis
(with prior adviser approval)
Choose 4 credits from the following courses:
Choose 8 credits from Language and Society and/or Language and the Mind
Students may choose one course from each group or take both courses from a single group.
Language and Society
Language and Mind
3. Research Courses and Culminating Experience Credits
Research Courses (12 credits)
| Ling 559 | Introduction to Graduate Study in Applied Linguistics | 2 |
| Ling 560 | Research Design for Applied Linguistics | 2 |
| Ling 561 | Research Methodology for Applied Linguistics | 2 |
Culminating Experience Options
| | Ling thesis/project/exams | 6 |
Total Credit Hours: 48
Culminating Experience: In consultation with their adviser, students choose one of three options.
- (1) Thesis. The thesis requires students to conduct an analysis of data that they have gathered to answer a research question that deals with a specific aspect of TESOL or applied linguistics. Students in the Thesis option must take 6 credits of Ling 503 (Thesis).
- (2) Project. The project addresses a practical problem or need in the field of TESOL or applied linguistics and presents a solution to it. Rather than an academic thesis, the project may, for example, be a curriculum plan for a specific course or teaching materials to supplement a textbook. Students in the Project option must take 4 credits of Ling 507 (Seminar: Empirical Research Writing) and 2 credits of Ling 506 (Project).
- (3) Comprehensive Exams. The comprehensive examinations ask students to synthesize theoretical and practical knowledge covered in the program. Students in the Exam option must take 4 credits of Ling 507 (Seminar: Research Writing) and 2 credits of Ling 501 (Research: Comprehensive Exams).
The thesis, project, and comprehensive exams will conform to departmental guidelines for details such as thesis proposal meetings, exam scoring, and formatting. Thesis and project students make a final oral presentation about their work.
All courses need to be passed with a grade of “B” or better in order for them to count toward this degree. Ling 507 (Seminar) and Ling 510 (Selected Topics) will count for Language Education/Applied Linguistic Theory, Foundations in Language/ Linguistic Theory, Language and Society/ Mind, depending on course content, as determined by the student’s adviser.
Additionally, the department and the university require at least two years’ study of a language in addition to the student’s native language or an equivalent level of proficiency in a non-native language. For non-native speakers of English, proficiency in English as described above fulfills this requirement. For native speakers of English, two years of college-level study of an additional language as documented by a transcript fulfills this requirement. Students who have not already had two years or the equivalent of an additional language at the college level can complete the graduation requirement while working on the M.A. (though doing so will lengthen the time to degree).
Persons interested in applying for the MA TESOL Program should write to the Department of Applied Linguistics at linginfo@pdx.edu or visit the department’s website at www.pdx.edu/linguistics for additional information. Regular information sessions are held for prospective students. Contact the department for details.