Combined Bachelor's-MA Program in TESOL 

American University undergraduates can earn a bachelor's degree (in any field) and an MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) through five years of study, including one summer in the AU Summer TESOL Institute. Six credits of TESOL course work taken while an undergraduate are applied to the master's degree.

Admission Requirements

Students apply for admission to the combined program by the end of their junior year. No previous training in linguistics is required for admission. However, a background in a second language is recommended.  The Graduate Record Examination is required.

International students must demonstrate competence in English, equivalent to a score of 600 or better on the TOEFL (or 250 on the computer based TOEFL).

Note: This program is not designed for K-12 ESOL certification.

Program Requirements

A total of 36 credit hours

9 core courses (27 credit hours):

TESL-500 Principles of Linguistics
TESL-501 English Language Teaching I (Prerequisite for TESL-502)
TESL-502 English Language Teaching II
TESL-503 Structure of English
TESL-522 Language Acquisition OR TESL-523 Second Language Acquisition
TESL-531 Language Assessment
TESL-541 Teaching Grammar OR TESL-542 Teaching Pronunciation
TESL-620 ELT III

One of the following (3 credit hours): 
• TESL-527 Cultural Issues in the ESL/EFL Classroom
• ANTH-537 Topics in Language and Culture
• ANTH-554 Topics in Public Anthropology: Anthropology of Education
  
9 credits of approved elective courses from TESOL offerings
 
• Students are required to prepare a portfolio and pass an oral comprehensive exam.
• To remain in good standing, students must maintain a grade point average of B (3.0) or better.