The University of Texas
at Arlington
Program Description
The MA in TESOL is a
professional degree designed for those who wish to work with learners of
English. The educational objective
is to prepare teachers of ESOL for work outside the American public school
setting. The successful student
will have theoretical and practical knowledge about those factors that
constitute a sound ESOL program, for example, human language learning, language
in its socio-cultural settings and uses, language program structures, and
support for achievement of learner objectives.
I. There are two MA TESOL degree options:
A. The non-thesis option includes course study and a comprehensive examination.
1. Course study constitutes 12 courses (36 credits).
a. There are 8 required courses (24
credits).
b. There are 4 elective courses (12
credits).
2. The comprehensive examination is
written; it takes 4 hours.
B. The thesis option includes course study and a thesis.
1. Course study constitutes 9 courses (27
credits).
a. There are 8 required courses (24
credits).
b. There is 1 course in research design (3
credits).
2.
The
thesis is the equivalent of two courses (6 credits)
a. The thesis involves original research.
b. The thesis defense is an oral examination.
II. The coursework includes required
courses and electives.
A. For
both degree options, there are 8 required courses (24 credits) in Linguistics
and TESOL.
1. In the area of Linguistics, there are 3
courses (9 credits).
a. LING 5300 Linguistic Analysis
b. LING 5305 Second Language Acquisition
c. LING 5310 Sociolinguistics
(For LING 5310, there are two possible substitutions: LING 5311:
Sociolinguistics of Society or LING 5351: Spoken Discourse)
2. In the area of TESOL, there are 5
courses (15 credits).
a. There are 3 required courses (9
credits).
1) LING 5301 TESOL
2) LING 5302 TESOL Reading and Composition (new for spring 2004)
3) LING 5393 TESOL Teaching (a hands-on “practicum” course)
b. Two advanced courses (6 credits) about
TESOL are required:
1) LING 5304 TESOL Pedagogical Grammar
2) LING 5307 TESOL Pedagogical Phonology
(For one
of these two advanced courses, a student may elect to substitute LING 5306:
TESOL Curriculum Design)
B. For
the non-thesis option, there are 4 elective courses (12 credits), to be
selected in consultation with the graduate advisor, from any department).
1. Elective courses may be in Linguistics.
2. Elective courses may be in other
departments, for example:
a. COMM 4335
International-Intercultural Communication
b. EDAD 5309
Advanced Instructional Strategies
c. EDUC 5301
Current Applications of Technology in Education
d. ENGL 4339
Rhetoric and Composition
e. ENGL 5355
Studies in English Discourse
f. ENGL 5358
Principles and Methods of Evaluation
g. MANA 4323 Organization Analysis & Design: Culture, Process, &
Structure
h. MANA 4324 or
5312 Organizational Behavior
i. MODL 5305
Methods of MLT
j. MODL 5307
Topics in Second Language Acquisition
k. MODL 5308
Technology and Language Instruction
l. READ
5357 Comparative Literacy Programs
m. READ
5362 Literacy Instruction in
ESL/Bilingual Settings
n. SOCI
3327 Intercultural Interaction
o. SPAN
5302 Spanish Dialectology
p. SPAN 5303 Applied Spanish Linguistics
3. Elective courses may be taken at the
GIAL (Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics, International Linguistics
Center, Dallas).
C. For
the thesis option, there is required 1 course in research design (3 credits),
for example:
1.
EDUC
5321, Educational Research
2.
SOCI
3352, Social Statistics
3.
Equivalent
Admissions
Requirements
The
admission requirements are meant to assure that the entering student has a
sound educational foundation to undertake the MA TESOL program.
In
evaluating candidates for admissions to the MA TESOL Program, the Linguistics
Faculty has adopted a comprehensive approach that is sensitive to the diversity
of backgrounds of its applicants. To this end, the following constellation of
quantitative and qualitative factors has been established to make explicit the
range of criteria upon which admissions decisions will be based. These factors
are then applied to the Evaluation Metrics established in section B.
A.
Admission Factors
1.
Quantitative Factors
a)
For MA TESOL applicants, undergraduate grade point average (GPA) is determined
by the UT Arlington Graduate School.
b)
For every applicant, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are based on all three
parts of the general exam: verbal, quantitative, and analytical (V+Q+A).
2. Qualitative Factors
a.
Letters of recommendation: Each applicant must present three (3) letters of
recommendation that clearly indicate that the applicant is prepared for and
capable of successful graduate study in TESOL at UT Arlington. The letters
should further indicate that the applicant is capable of completing the degree
program.
b.
Personal Statement: Each applicant must write a statement that explains how
graduate study in TESOL is related to both his/her previous academic training
and his/her career goals. The statement will be evaluated on the degree to
which it is clear, reasonable, and consistent with the MA TESOL curriculum. It
should also convey a level of commitment and maturity commensurate with the
applicant’s ultimate professional goals.
c.
Undergraduate Preparation: Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s
degree from an accredited United States college or university or from a foreign
equivalent. Applicants must also have passed the following two courses or
reasonable equivalents as determined by the graduate advisor (UT Arlington
equivalents are noted in parentheses):
· English composition
(ENGL 1302);
· English-language
literature (see UTA undergraduate catalogue for appropriate 2000- and
3000-level courses);
d. Evidence of Second-Language
Experience: Applicants must have had experience in learning a second language
and culture, as documented by one of the following:
1.
Completion
of four (4) semesters of university-level foreign language study, with a 3.0
GPA; or
2.
Passing
a foreign language exam to show proficiency equivalent to the completion of
four (4) semesters’ study of the same; or
3. Receipt of a bachelor’s degree
from non-English-medium college or university.
B. Evaluation Metrics
Admission criteria for the M.A. in TESOL program are listed in the Graduate Catalog pages here:
Special Requests
Regarding Admission to the Proposed MA in TESOL
Because many of the
students who earned UT Arlington’s Graduate Certificate in TESOL did so
as “Special Students” in the Graduate School, we would need to
implement a procedure for allowing them to re-enroll to the UTA Graduate School
as regular degree-seeking students. To expedite the processing of such
candidates and to increase the potential yield from this applicant pool, the
following two exceptions are requested.
A. Admissions Exception
Those applicants to the MA TESOL
program who earned a Graduate Certificate in TESOL from UT Arlington after
September 1, 1998, and who did so as “Special Students” in the
Graduate School will be allowed to waive the condition that they take the
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) provided that they:
1.
Submit a complete
application to the UTA Graduate School (including all fees and required
transcripts); and
2.
Have earned a GPA of at
least 3.6 for those UTA courses that were taken for the Graduate Certificate in
TESOL; and
3.
Meet the remainder of
the published criteria for unconditional admission.
Applicants not meeting the
conditions set forth above must re-apply de-novo to the UTA Graduate School and sit for the GRE.
B. Course Limitation
Exception
Students enrolled in the MA
TESOL program who were awarded a Graduate Certificate in TESOL at UT Arlington
between September 1, 1998 and January 1, 2003 may apply all 18 graduate-level
credit hours earned in organized classes for the Graduate Certificate in TESOL
toward an MA in TESOL.
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