Program Details | Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL)

The MA TESOL degree prepares its recipients for teaching English to speakers of other languages and other language-related professions. The MA is increasingly the degree expected for teachers both in the United States and abroad, where it is generally a requirement for university-level teaching.

Degree Requirements

Students must meet with an adviser regularly, starting in the first term of the program. In addition to the minimum graduate school requirements, students must have an adviser-approved program that meets the criteria below. (For those students who have completed the Certificate in TESL, adviser-approved courses will be used to substitute for some of the following requirements.)

Based on their professional goals and previous experience, and in consultation with their adviser, students choose one of the three tracks.

All electives must be adviser approved. All courses other than Ling 566 must be passed with a grade of B or better. Ling 566 is P/NP only and must be passed.

MA TESOL Program Options

With the MA TESOL at Portland State, you can fit the program to your goals by choosing the Teaching Track (to get complete training as an ESOL teacher) or the Applied Linguistics track (if you are not primarily interested in classroom teaching). Your choice needs to be made by the time you start your third term in the program. 

Total credits for all tracks: 48 credits or 50 credits with thesis option. Two academic years at 2 courses/term.

• M.A. TESOL Ideal Curriculum Flow
• M.A. TESOL Course Planning Form

Second Language Requirement (required for all PSU MA degrees)

• If English is not your native language, then your proof of English proficiency for your application to the program fulfills the requirement.
• If English is your native language, you must provide proof of proficiency in another language in one of these ways: (1) two or more years of study at the college level, as indicated on a transcript or (2) passing a proficiency test at the second-year level. Further details for the second language requirement can be found on the Department of World Languages and Literatures. 

Research or Culminating Experience

For both tracks, students must complete either a four-credit Culminating Workshop course (Ling 566), in which they prepare their professional portfolio based on work throughout their MA, or a six-credit Thesis (Ling 503). 

Culminating Workshop

Most M.A. TESOL students take the Culminating Workshop (LING 566). In this 4-credit course, you polish projects submitted in previous courses to develop a portfolio that demonstrates your professional work. Your portfolio will include a CV and examples to show both applied and academic skills, such as lesson plans you could use in an interview for a teaching position and an empirical research paper you could use as a writing sample in a doctoral program application. 

Examples:

• Andrés Avellaneda (Teaching Track)
• Melody Ren (Teaching Track)
• Delaney Ybarra (Teaching Track)
• Truc Dinh (Applied Linguistics Track)
• Tim McLean (Applied Linguistics Track)

Thesis Option

Students who are interested in research, want to study one area in depth, and are strong writers can consider the M.A. thesis option. A thesis is an independent research project you conduct in consultation with a thesis advisor.  Thesis students take 6 thesis credits instead of the Culminating Workshop, so they complete the MA TESOL with 50 credits rather than 48.

• Thesis Advising & Committee: Students must find a department faculty member who is willing to be their thesis advisor before beginning the thesis process. You will work closely with your advisor to develop a thesis proposal, which must be approved by your advisor and at least one other thesis committee member. Your advisor will continue to work with you as you submit human subjects paperwork, carry out the research, and write the thesis. Expect to work through multiple drafts of your thesis, revising based on your advisor’s feedback. The thesis is read and evaluated by your thesis advisor and two additional thesis committee members.  
• Thesis Timing: A thesis is a substantial, time-consuming project, and thesis defenses must take place by the 6th week of the term of graduation. Therefore, most thesis students take at least one extra term to graduate. Students who plan carefully, work efficiently, and gather data quickly can often defend a thesis at the end of spring term in their second year, but their term of graduation is officially summer. Other students do not finish until into their third year. Make sure you consider your commitments and discuss timelines carefully with a potential advisor.
• Thesis Credits: Students must complete at least 6 thesis credits, but can take more if needed. Thesis credits are usually spread out over 2 or more terms, as agreed between you and your thesis advisor. You must be registered for at least one thesis credit the term you defend your thesis, and you should have thesis credits any term when your advisor is spending time working with you.
• Thesis Defense: Thesis defenses must be scheduled with your advisor’s and committee members’ approval. At the defense, you give a 20-25 minute presentation to your thesis committee and other department or PSU community members who choose to attend. You then answer questions from your committee and, if time permits, from audience members. You will receive comments about revisions you must make to your thesis before it is submitted to the Graduate School.
• Thesis Deadlines: The PSU Graduate School specifies policies, procedures and deadlines for theses. It is crucial that you submit required forms, meet deadlines, and follow formatting rules for your thesis. Carefully read all information on the Graduate School website.

Starting the MA TESOL at PSU was one of the best decisions of my life. As a result of my degree (competed at age 53), I have: taught at PSU in the IELP, taught at Clark College, won an English Language Fellowship to teach in the country of Georgia, and taught four summers (and continuing) at a university in Japan. I am now tutoring research fellows at a think-tank in Berlin and working online for Georgetown University supporting the ELF Program.

-- Carla Mortenson, MA TESOL alum