Become a Leader in Language Teaching
You understand the importance of teaching and you’re ready to make a positive impact on learners around the world. Pursue your master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and take the next step in your development as a teacher of English.
What Will You Learn?
The master’s in TESOL program at IUP is research-driven and will prepare you to teach English as an international language.
- Gain valuable direct classroom experience. Working with faculty members, you will observe and teach plurilingual students.
- Learn in community. The program is based on a cohort model. Over the course of two academic years, you’ll take required and elective courses with a group of fellow TESOL master’s students.
- Explore the bigger context. Study how English as a global language is situated in the sociopolitical context. Together, we’ll investigate issues of power and how these forces are connected to learning and teaching English as a second language.
Imagine Your Future
By earning your master's in TESOL, you’ll be well prepared for a variety of rewarding opportunities—and, you’ll stand out in a competitive market. Here are just a few possible paths after graduation.
- Secure a teaching position abroad or in a US community college.
- Enter a doctoral program in applied linguistics, composition, curriculum and instruction, or writing/rhetoric.
- Join a publishing company specializing in English as a Global Language and utilize your expertise developing texts and materials.
- Become a leader in a nonprofit or government agency.
Classes and Requirements
The MA TESOL consists of 36 credit hours, immersing you in the complexities of English as a global language.
What You’ll Study
- First year, fall semester: Requirements are Introduction to TESOL; ESOL Teaching Methodology, Materials, and Instructional Technology; and Introduction to Research in Applied Linguistics and TESOL.
- First year, spring semester: Second Language Acquisition; Second Language Literacy; and Cross-Cultural Communication.
- Second year, fall semester: Observation in Teaching English plus two electives.
- Second year, spring semester: Practicum in TESOL plus two electives.
Choose your electives based on your interests. Possibilities include: Global Englishes; Language Teacher Identities; Research and Practice in the Teaching of College Composition; and Language and Social Context.
Full Academic Catalog Listing
The course catalog is the official reference for all our degree and course offerings. Check it out for a full listing of the classes available and requirements for this degree.
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Pathway Options
Choose the format that works best for you and launch a fulfilling career teaching English as a second language.
Early Admission for IUP Undergraduates
Early admission is possible. Learn more about the early admission process.
One-year Certificate
Explore the one-year TESOL graduate certificate of recognition program.
Teach and Learn
If you’re interested in teaching while studying, it’s possible to take courses for two consecutive semesters; seek a teaching position outside the US; and return to IUP within two years to finish the master's in TESOL program.
To learn about graduate admissions at IUP in general, candidates to the MA in TESOL program should visit the Graduate Admissions website to access:
- Application Information: Admission requirements and application instructions
- Forms and Applications: Admissions application, international forms
- Financial Information: Tuition and fees
For more general information about graduate applications to IUP, please call the IUP Admissions Office at 724-357-2222 or e-mail graduate-admissions@iup.edu.
In addition to meeting IUP's general graduate admissions requirements, candidates to the MA in TESOL program should be aware of the following:
- Candidates are expected to have at least a 3.0 GPA (B average), preferably in a relevant field of study such as TESOL, ESL, EFL, second/foreign language, linguistics, English, composition, literature, education, sociology, psychology, anthropology, or history.
- Candidates with strong academic records but with backgrounds in other disciplines may be admitted conditionally pending completion of ENGL 526 ESL Methods and Materials.
- Candidates are not required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), but may submit it to bolster their applications.
- Candidates who are speakers of English as a second language are required to submit with their applications a minimum TOEFL score of 570 paper-based (PBT), or 88 internet-based (iBT), and a minimum TWE (Test of Written English) score of 4.5.
All applications to the MA TESOL program will be assessed according to the following admissions criteria:
- Academic record and other evidence of academic ability
- Quality of the personal statement of goals. You may include in it a rationale for selecting TESOL and the IUP MA in TESOL program, an explanation of the relevance of your academic and professional background to your graduate studies, and a statement of your academic and professional goals.
- Disciplinary background
- Letters of recommendation. These are reviewed for the evidence they provide about the applicant's academic, scholarly, teaching and other professional accomplishments and abilities, as well as for his/her general human, social, communication, and other related skills.
- Teaching/professional experience
- Language proficiency (only for speakers of English as a second language)
For more information about applications to the MA TESOL Program, please contact 724-357-2263, visit the MA TESOL program web page, or e-mail grad-eng@iup.edu.
To apply to the MA TESOL Program, please submit the following materials to IUP Admissions:
- Online Application: available at How to Apply to IUP Graduate Admissions
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, even if a degree was not obtained from a particular institution
- Signed, dated personal statement of academic and career goals
- Two letters of recommendation
- TOEFL score (only for speakers of English as a second language)
- Nonrefundable $50 application fee
Create your IUP Admission Profile to submit your online application, request letters of recommendations, and upload additional materials. Send official transcripts and TOEFL scores to:
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Admissions Office
Sutton Hall, Suite 120
1011 South Drive
Indiana, PA 15705
English Graduate Organization
The IUP English Graduate Organization (EGO) is a place where you can share your ideas and experience as a graduate student with your peers. The organization serves as a place to foster scholarship, make friends, learn about and participate in social and academic events, and to ensure that your voice as an English graduate student is heard.