Program Overview

Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

The Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program is designed for students interested in teaching English to speakers of other languages and who wish to pursue further graduate study or obtain a terminal degree. This program provides a broad foundation in language acquisition and second language teaching methods. It is not a credential program for public school teaching.

Admission Requirements

A GPA of 3.0 or higher in the last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units attempted, excluding lower division and extension coursework taken after the degree, is required. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Program Structure

The program consists of:

• Prerequisites (0-9 units)
• Core courses (24 units)
• Electives (3 units)
• Culminating activity (6 units)

Prerequisites

Units may be substituted or waived by the Graduate Advisor. These prerequisites can be taken after admission. The graduate advisor may require these after admission if it is determined that the student has not taken these or similar courses previously.

• LING 301 Introduction to Research Methods (3)
• LING 420 Phonology (3)
• LING 421 Syntax (3)

Core Courses

Students must take all of the following:

• LING 486 Second Language Teaching Methods (3)
• LING 539 Language Acquisition (3)
• LING 550 Teaching Second Language Listening and Speaking (3)
• LING 560 Teaching Second Language Composition (3)
• LING 561 Curriculum Development (3)
• LING 562 Testing and Assessment (3)
• LING 575 TESOL Grammar, Vocabulary, and Literacy (3)
• LING 593 Practicum in TESOL (3)

Electives

Students taking the Thesis Option must take one course marked with an asterisk (*). Students taking the Comprehensive Research Paper Option may select one course from any of the following. Please consult with the Graduate Advisor for the appropriate elective.

• • LING 501 Corpus Linguistics (3)
• LING 533 Ethnography of Communication (3)
• • LING 540 Sociolinguistics (3)
• LING 580 Field Methods (3)
• • LING 595 Qualitative Research (3)
• • LING 596 Quantitative Research (3)
• LING 620 Seminar in Syntactic Theory (3)
• LING 625 Seminar in Phonology (3)

Culminating Activity

Students must complete one of the following options. Both the Comprehensive research paper Option and the Thesis Option require original empirical research on a linguistics topic.

Comprehensive Research Paper Option (6 units)

• LING 650 Bilingualism (3)
• LING 697 Directed Research (3)
• Research paper in the area of TESOL

Thesis Option (6 units)

• LING 698 Thesis (6)
• Graduate thesis in the area of TESOL

Program Details

• Effective: Fall 2024
• Academic Plan Code: LINGMA04PB (Concentration Code: 01)
• CIP: 13.1401 (Non-STEM)
• CSU Code: 15081
• Career: Graduate
• College: 28, College of Liberal Arts
• Department: Linguistics
• Delivery: Hybrid
• Total units: 33-42 units