In the online Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program, you will learn how to empower diverse populations of English language learners with sensitivity toward sociopolitical, economic, cultural, and educational contexts. You’ll deepen your understanding of the Bible and gain a rich balance of linguistic knowledge, pedagogical skill, cultural competency, research proficiency, and spiritual development. Your M.A. in TESOL will help you advance to the next level of teaching in colleges, universities, mission organizations, and language schools around the globe.

Ways to study

Graduate | Online | On-campus

Course plan

2-year

Application deadlines

Online Learning with an In-person Teaching Experience

This online program includes 30 weeks of teaching practicum so that the theories, methodologies, and strategies you learn online are practiced in person. For beginning teachers, these experiences provide rich opportunities to gain valuable teaching experience in the classroom for you to start impacting lives before graduation.

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Example Courses

The courses listed below are some of our featured core classes that will be a part of your educational journey here at MU. Take a look at each course for a small preview.

This course is designed to explore the influences between language and culture through the field of sociolinguistics. It will lead students to examine how learning experiences can be affected by cultural tendencies and expectations, and how learning about a target language culture enhances successful second language acquisition. This course will also review the diversity of comparative educational systems. These themes will all be connected to practical teaching strategies and implications.

Exploring the elements of authentic language skill assessment will be the focus of this course. Components of this course will include theoretical foundations of authentic assessment, the development of valid and reliable assessment instruments, and methods of implementing and maintaining on-going evaluation of student learning.

The course will examine general issues in first language acquisition but will spend the majority of time focusing on second language acquisition processes. Topics will include language development through the preschool years, the role of the first language in adult second language acquisition (SLA), interlanguage, error analysis, individual differences, learner strategies, language universals, and the role of instruction in second language learning. It is recommended to take LIN 556 concurrently with LIN 554.

The practicum serves to give students teaching experience in an authentic English-language learning classroom. Students will also meet with faculty and classroom teachers to assist in processing and integration previously learned material with their present experience. This practicum can be completed on-campus through our community ESOL classes. It can also be fulfilled through other teaching assignments including area colleges, community organizations, on-campus English & culture camp, or a study abroad experience.

Degree Requirements

Here you will find everything you need to know about what is required to successfully complete your degree.

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Career Placement

Whether you are looking to teach overseas or in the U.S., the demand for highly trained English language teachers is on the rise. With your Master of Arts in TESOL, you will be equipped for a variety of roles, such as:

• ESOL Instructor • Teacher • Academic Advisor
• ESOL Program Director • Missionary • Teacher Abroad
• Textbook or Materials Writer • Government Agency Advisor

Explore more opportunities within our TESOL Program

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