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:
- apply to the M.A. in TESL program by November 1 of their junior year and learn about their admission in January of their junior year.
- 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.
Undergraduate University of Delaware English majors who are interested in the TESL 4+1 program should apply by November 1 of their junior year; acceptance notifications will be sent the following January. The application process requires submission of a completed graduate application form for review by the Faculty Admissions Committee of the MA-TESL program.
The following requirements for admission are intended to ensure that every student admitted to the program will be successful. Successful applicants will:
- Have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher in all coursework taken at the University of Delaware upon applying to the program, with at least 3.0 or higher within their English major;
- Submit a letter of recommendation from his or her adviser in addition to the two additional letters of recommendation required as part of the graduate application; and
- Complete a graduate application online and submit the application fee.
The GRE test that is normally required as part of the admissions requirement for the TESL masters degree program will be waived for 4+1 applicants.
Admission to this graduate program is expected to be competitive. Those applicants who meet the stated minimum requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet all of those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.
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
Senior Year – Spring
- EDUC 740: Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners
- EDUC 741: Diversity in ESL Classrooms
Graduate Year – Fall
- LLCU 624: Second Language Testing
- EDUC 647: Advanced Methods in Teaching ESL
- EDUC 742: Practicum in TESL*
Graduate Year – Winter
- EDUC 623: Applied Human Development in the Schools
Graduate Year – Spring
- LLCU 622: Language Syllabus Design
- LING 676: Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism
- EDUC 742: Practicum in TESL (3 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
Non-registered degree requirements for the students in the 4+1 program are identical to those required of the students in the traditional M.A. in TESL program. The portfolio requirement that is submitted after 18 credit hours of coursework would be submitted at the end of the fall semester of the fifth year, since students will be entering the fifth year having completed 12 credits of graduate coursework as part of their bachelor’s degree.
Students interested in teacher certification in English to Speakers of Other Languages must successfully complete six credits of EDUC 750: Graduate Teaching Internship in one or two semesters during the second year in the program.
In addition, students must pass the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Test according to the State of Delaware guidelines. The passing scores and possible exemptions for the reading and math sections of the test are described below.
Please visit our certification page fore additional information and 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. in TESL program can:
- teach English in public schools to children and adolescents whose native language is not English and be eligible to be hired at the master’s pay level.
- teach English as a Second Language (ESL) in US community programs, in language schools, and at university Intensive English Programs (IEP).
- teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) overseas, even at the university level.
The State of Delaware Department of Education and the federal government has identified English to Speakers of Other Languages as a high-need area of teaching.
Program Faculty
The faculty and staff affiliated with the TESL program are:
