Complete admission and program requirements are found in the University Catalog.
The Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) program has two major pre-requisites:
If you have met both of these pre-requisites and all your application files are complete, you can be admitted to the program without any conditions. If you have not met one or both pre-requisites, you can be admitted to the program on the condition that the pre-requisites are met as soon as possible. After the pre-requisites are met, Graduate Studies will regularize your admission by removing the conditions.
If you have not completed an introductory course in linguistics, you can take English 361: an introduction to linguistics online at St. Cloud State. You can also take this course at another university and transfer the credits. Without completion of this course, you are not allowed to enroll in English 564, 566, 663, 664 or 666, the major linguistics courses in the program, but could take other courses in the program simultaneously with English 361.
For the second language requirement, you can meet this requirement by having taken one year, two semesters or three quarters, of one second language or two years of high school second language can count as one year of college second language. Please note that American Sign Language would count as a second language.
Program length will depend on program choices. For the TESL MA: Thesis or stared paper option, the TESL MA: TEFL emphasis and the TESL MA: K-12 ESL licensure emphasis for second licensure, full-time students can complete the program in four semesters or two years.
For the TESL MA: K-12 ESL emphasis for initial licensure, the program can take six semesters with some summer courses or in three years.
Part time enrollments could double the program length.
Unless special arrangements exist, Graduate Studies allows only 10 credits to be transferred.
These courses must:
Two other arrangements do exist:
Under these agreements, students at partner universities could complete the St. Cloud State master’s by adding 15 more credits or five courses and a six credit thesis to 15 credits or five courses of TESOL MALL course work.
All transfer courses have to have been completed within seven years of when the student’s TESL degree is awarded.