TESOL MA

This degree may be of interest to anyone who would like to teach English language learners in the U.S. or abroad. In particular, it may appeal to those with language and culture-oriented bachelor’s degrees. Students with bachelor’s degrees in Education, International and Area Studies, English, Foreign Languages, Linguistics, Anthropology, and Letters are excellent candidates for this degree. Students from disciplines such as these bring high levels of intellectual understanding and communication skills to any workplace, but they may not have immediate prospects in any one specific employment area.

During the admission process, the Steering Committee examines applicants' GPAs from previous degrees, statement of purpose, resume (if provided), and letters of recommendation for excellence, relevance, and appropriateness for the TESOL program. 

This is an intensive program designed for working professionals, meaning all courses are scheduled to begin in person after 5:30pm, or, in rare cases, on Saturdays.  However, students must be aware that the program requires a significant time commitment to classes, homework, projects, and an internship.

For the full time, 14-month track, students will have class 3 nights per week, for roughly 3 hours per class, throughout the program.  

For the part time, 24-26 month track, students will have class 1-2 nights per week in the fall and spring semesters with each class lasting roughly 3 hours. During the summer semesters, students in the part-time track will have classes 3 nights per week, roughly 3 hours per class, for 1-3 months of the summer (May-July).

Students taking the internship course in a spring semester must complete approximately 10 hours of internship work per week.

Students must maintain a work schedule that allows them to regularly attend classes and complete assigned work.  

We encourage applicants to consider their schedules and make necessary accommodations in their evenings and weekends to complete the courses and coursework. 

For questions regarding full vs. part time tracks, please contact Jie Zhang or Dylan Herrick

The program tuition & fees cost is $10,240. This cost is divided by the number of credit hours per semester, and students will pay for the credit hours as they go, again by semester. The cost per credit hour is $320. This per-credit-hour cost is the same for full-time and part-time students.

Books, living expenses, and personal expenses are not included in the program cost, but there will be no other university-charged fees or costs beyond the $10,240. Books cost around $300 total for the program. The program cost is subject to change based on approval of the OU Board of Regents.

The 2025-2026 cohort's classes will begin in June 2025. The preferred application deadline is February 1, 2025.

The part-time track is available to non-international applicants only. This is because of F-1 visa enrollment requirements. 

Applicants interested in the part-time track should contact Jie Zhang or Dylan Herrick, and we will meet to plan your part-time schedule.

The online application for the cohort beginning in June of 2025 opens in September. When the application site prompts you for Program and Entry Term, choose "TESOL MA" from the drop down menu and Summer 2025 as the first enrollment term. 

The application deadline is February 1, 2025 for both domestic and international applicants.

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Jie Zhang or Dylan Herrick with questions about the program.

1. Official transcripts from all previous degree-granting institutions, including evidence of a completed bachelor’s degree. The MA in TESOL Steering Committee prefers GPAs from previous degrees to be above 3.0, but will consider applicants with lower GPAs if work and other relevant experience otherwise indicate likely success in the program and motivation to teach English.
2. A statement of purpose and goals. The statement of purpose is your chance to tell the Steering Committee why you want to be part of this program, what your career goals are, and a little bit about yourself. It would also be appropriate to describe your experiences that have led you to this degree. Also, be sure to highlight relevant training and background that you have had for this degree's content.
3. Two letters of recommendation. The strongest letters will be from those persons, typically faculty or direct supervisors, with whom you have worked most closely and most recently. Please ask your recommenders to be as specific as possible as to the aspects of your character and performance that could make you successful in this degree program. The committee appreciates a recent academic reference, if possible. 

This program is open to highly-advanced English users, for whom English is an additional language. Admission preference is given for applicants with a valid TOEFL composite score of 100 or higher or a valid composite IELTS score of 8.0 or higher. Scores for these tests are valid for 2 years after the test date.

No, students will not be able to apply transfer work. All students will take all the courses listed above.

Because of the flat-rate pricing for this program, tuition waivers, including faculty/staff tuition waivers, do not apply to this program. Also, this program does not offer any graduate teaching assistant (GTA) appointments.

However, admitted cohort members can apply for GTA positions offered by other programs on campus. In the past, some cohort members have taught Chinese, French, German, Spanish, and English as a Second Language as well as served as Writing Center consultants. They received a stipend and insurance but not a tuition waiver. Note these positions cannot be guaranteed and are based on the need of the individual programs.

This program does not offer any graduate teaching assistantships (GTA), although admitted cohort members are welcome to apply for GTA positions in other units and on-campus jobs, based on their experience and skills.

For information on financial aid resources, visit the Student Financial Services website.