Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) (Licensure, M.A.)

The Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) program will prepare you to teach students in the United States and throughout in the world. A campus-wide focus on cultural diversity will introduce you to a community of learners in a local context. You will learn the intricacies of linguistics and teaching from specialists who have lived, worked and taught throughout the world. You will have the opportunity to put your skills to work in a graduate assistantship at St. Cloud State's English for Academic Purposes program or the Intensive English Center, a program that trains more than 100 English language learners from more than 15 countries each year. These two centers offer 50 assistantships each year. 

Program Requirements Department of English Graduate Assistantships

Program Highlights

• Courses available in the on campus and online.
• The licensure program is available on campus or online with a previous Minnesota license, the K-12 ESL licensure program course can be completed online. 
• 22 percent students are from diverse U.S. backgrounds and 28 percent are international students. 
• Graduates receive professional credentials.
• The on-campus program can be taken in conjunction with a K-12 ESL licensure for the state of Minnesota.
• Emphases offering in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and K-12 English as a Second Language Licensure 
• 50 graduate assistantships available for qualified applicants. 
• The federally-sponsored TEACH Grant program offers up to $4,000 per year for students seeking K-12 ESL licensure​.
• 1+1 options offered in conjunction with partner institutions in Korea. 
• A Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages graduate certificate also available. 

Program Distinctions

• ​Graduates have gone on to teach throughout the United States and 19 other countries.
• ​The program's nine faculty hold the highest degrees in their fields and have a combined 100 years of teaching experience.
• Tuition costs less than $15,000 for on-campus Minnesota and reciprocity students or less than $17,000 for online students.
• Opportunity to participate in a graduate assistantship at the on-campus English for Academic Purposes program or Intensive English Center. 

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