A total of 36 credit hours (of which the 3-credit ESL Practicum is waived):

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 (prerequisite: TESL.500)  
• TESL.522 Language Acquisition OR TESL.523  Second Language Acquisition  
• TESL.527 Cultural Issues in the ESL/EFL classroom OR ANTH.537 Topics in Language and Culture OR ANTH.554 Topics in Public    Anthropology: Anthropology of Education
• TESL-531 Language Assessment
• TESL-541 Teaching Grammar OR  TESL-542 Teaching Pronunciation
• TESL-620 ELT III (waived)

Three credits of approved TESOL electives

One internship course (6 credits):
• TESL-693 Master's International Internship
The six credits for this internship are completed during the Peace Corps service; tuition is waived.

No previous training in linguistics or teaching experience is required for admission. It is recommended (but not required) that native English speakers have some background in at least one language other than English. Applicants for the MA degree must have a grade-point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on undergraduate coursework. The Graduate Record Examination is required. 

Additional Requirements

How does the MIP work? Certain volunteer assignments are classified by Peace Corps as "Scarce Skills Assignments." This mean that regularly, Peace Corps gets more requests from host countries for these kinds of skills than Peace Corps can provide. The MIP was therefore designed to yoke graduate education in these skills with Peace Corps service. Some other Peace Corps assignments in the MIP are forestry, nursing, and fisheries.

In principle, an MIP applicant applies to the college program and Peace Corps at the same time. The applicant then carries out the bulk of her/his coursework in the graduate program and then completes the degree program through credits earned based on Peace Corps service. This works out well because the Peace Corps application process is quite extensive, usually taking six to nine months.

If you do the AU TESOL Master's International Program, your degree will be AU's MA in TESOL degree. To get there, the candidate does most of her/his coursework at AU and then begins Peace Corps TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) service. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, the MIP candidate corresponds regularly with the TESOL Program Coordinator and at the end of her/his service, does a comprehensive final report on the course work. This results in earning six credits of International Internship experience. Then, since the volunteer has been doing significant teaching for two years or more with Peace Corps, s/he is waived from the three credit TESOL Practicum course.

What if Peace Corps turns down my application? From time to time this happens, usually for medical reasons. If this should occur, the candidate can continue as a regular MA in TESOL candidate. However the nine credits of course work which the candidate would now take in lieu of the credits earned for Peace Corps experience must be paid for.

What is the "Reverse" MIP? For Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who have already served as TEFL teachers, they can join the MIP program "in reverse"; that is, by submitting the required reports on their Peace Corps TEFL experience, they can earn, at no cost, six credits of international internship course work and be waived from taking the 3 credit TESOL Practicum.

Can I be considered for Merit Awards under the Master's International Program? Yes, MIP candidates may be considered for all Merit Awards for which they are eligible.