School of Education
M.A. in TESL 4+1 Program
Qualified undergraduate English majors at the University of Delaware may choose to apply to the 4+1 in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) program, which results in a B.A. in English at the end of the fourth year and an M.A. in TESL at the end of the fifth year.
The M.A. in TESL program is 33 credits and students can pursue teacher certification during the program. In this nationally accredited 4+1 program in TESL, students can:
- begin a master’s program as an undergraduate by taking 12 credits in graduate courses that count towards their bachelor’s degree.
- complete the M.A. in TESL in one year instead of two years.
The final deadline for applying for the 4+1 in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) program is July 15 prior to the student starting their senior year. However, we encourage applicants to apply by the preferred deadline of March 1, so that an admissions decision can be made prior to fall registration. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis.
There is no application fee for 4+1 applicants and GRE scores are not required.
To apply to the 4+1 you must complete an Abbreviated 4+1 Application.
Prior to starting the application, you should prepare the following documents to be uploaded.
- Copy of your unofficial UD transcript
- Essay: A personal statement (essay) is required. In the essay, respond to the prompt below:
- You should present a carefully planned and written statement of one to two pages in length describing what led you to pursue a degree in TESL, any past work in TESL or TEFL, your expectations of the University of Delaware MA TESL program, and how you intend to use the degree to fulfill your professional career or further educational aspirations. Please include additional information you feel is important for the graduate committee to know about you.
- Resume: Add your resume at the prompt indicated in the application.
- Graduate Course Approval Form
Recommendations. After submitting the application, you must separately request two letters of recommendation.
- Please forward this link to your recommenders and ask them to complete the 4+1 Letter of Recommendation Submission Form. For any questions related to this requirement, please follow up with your program of interest directly at cehd-info@udel.edu.
- ONE of your recommendations must come from your undergraduate advisor in the English department.
- When you ask your recommenders to provide a reference for the 4+1 application, you should email them your request and provide them with the link. Below is a suggested script to use that can be adapted to fit your situation.
Dear xx,
[introduce yourself and explain why you have asked this person specifically for a letter of recommendation]
I hope you can provide a recommendation in support of my application to the 4+1 MA in Teaching English as a Second Language degree at the University of Delaware. If you can provide the recommendation, please complete the recommendation form at the following link by July 15: https://www.cehd.udel.edu/41-letter-of-recommendation-submission/. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Applicant’s Name
The graduate level course requirements for the 4+1 in TESL program are the same as those for the traditional M.A. in TESL program. Below is a sample course schedule for students who begin the 4+1 program in their senior year.
Senior Year – Fall
- EDUC 672: Teaching English as a Second Language
- LING 677: The Structure of English (even years) or EDUC 741: Diversity in ESL
Classrooms (odd years)
Senior Year – Spring
- EDUC 740: Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners
- LING 676: Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism
Graduate Year – Fall
- LLCU 624: Second Language Testing
- EDUC 647: Advanced Methods in Teaching ESL
- LING 677: The Structure of English (even years) or EDUC 741: Diversity in ESL
Classrooms (odd years)
Graduate Year – Winter
- EDUC 623: Applied Human Development in the Schools
Graduate Year – Spring
- LLCU 622: Language Syllabus Design
- EDUC 742: Practicum in TESL (6 credits) or EDUC 750: Graduate Teaching Internship
(6 credits)*
* Students not pursuing teacher certification take EDUC 742 while students pursuing teacher
certification take EDUC 750.
Portfolio Requirement for Candidacy
The School of Education requires all of its graduate programs, including the MA TESL program,
to have performance-based means for measuring student learning. Thus, in addition to exams
students may have taken, the program relies on papers, projects, and teaching demonstrations
to verify the mastery of the content, communication skills, teaching skills, critical thinking, and
lesson planning.
Students may qualify for an initial teaching license and K-12 certification as a Teacher of English
Learners or Bilingual Teacher through the 4+1 program. Please visit our certification page for
the requirements.
Once admitted to the TESL 4+1 program, students must:
- Maintain a minimum 3.0 overall GPA throughout the remainder of their undergraduate and graduate programs;
- Earn grades of “B” or higher in the four designated TESL courses they take as undergraduates; and
- Demonstrate satisfactory progress in the program.
Satisfactory progress includes following the prescribed program of study, and each student’s progress and GPA will be evaluated at the end of each academic year by the TESL program committee. Students who fail to meet the minimum GPA requirements or fail to show progress towards the degree may be withdrawn from the M.A. program.
Graduates of the M.A. TESL program:
- teach multilingual learners of English in public schools and be hired at the master’s pay
level. The State of Delaware Department of Education has identified multilingual learners
as a high-need area of teaching. - teach English as a Second Language (ESL) in US community programs, language schools, community colleges, and university Intensive English Programs (IEP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs.
- teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) outside the US, including at the university level.
- work as specialists, supervisors, administrators, consultants, curriculum designers, and test writers.
Program Faculty
The faculty and staff affiliated with the TESL program are:
