• Who Are Our MA Students?
  
  
• What Are the Career Options for Our Graduates?
  
  
• Description of Our MA Program
  
  
• Advising for Our MA Students
  
  
• Degree Requirements
  
  
• Recommended Sequence of Study
  
  
• Course Descriptions

Description of program leading to the Master of Arts in Linguistics
Our main course of study leads to a MA in Linguistics: TESL. In this program, you experience a two-semester internship rather than write a thesis. In addition to courses involving linguistic theory and practice, you will take graduate coursework in ESL/EFL/ESOL methodology, curriculum and testing, second language acquisition, cross cultural issues, sociolinguistics, etc.
 
The Master of Arts in Linguistics requires 39 semester hours total. To pursue the degree on a full-time basis, you will enroll in 9 credit hours, or 3 classes. To study on a part-time basis, you must still enroll in at least 6 credit hours, or 2 classes. This is the minimum enrollment for our MA students, and may be one reason why we have a 98% graduation record.
 
The Linguistics Program seeks to embrace the study of all major aspects of human communication. It is anticipated, therefore, that students may come to graduate study in Linguistics from a variety of backgrounds, and therefore, may be unprepared for graduate level work in one or more of the core areas. To assist students in remedying this problem, we offer LIN 5700, Applied Linguistics, as an intensive, accelerated course in Linguistics for graduate students with little or no previous background.
 
All students must enroll in LIN 5700 the first term it is available. LIN 6081, Introduction to Graduate Study in Linguistics, must be taken during your first term of enrollment as a graduate student, or during the first term it is available, if not offered during the first term the student is enrolled.
 
You may not drop either LIN 5700 or LIN 6081, except under extenuating circumstances where you are forced to withdraw from all work attempted in the term. In such a case, you must contact the program advisor or director and inform him/her of the decision to withdraw.
 
With all your admissions and first-year requirements attended to, you can look forward to your internship. Your internship takes place over two semesters. During this period, you gain increasing experience as your responsibilities likewise increase. You will have full responsibility for an ESL/ESOL class in the second internship. You are mentored by a TESOL professional, an individual carefully matched to your needs. Internship and mentorship assignments help you stretch your abilities and bring "head knowledge" to life in the class you teach.
 
You are a paid employee if you intern in our English Language Institute for the second internship. Earnings are typically a stipend and a partial tuition waiver for the second internship semester. Off-campus internships are a possibility for interns who already hold an ESL/ESOL teaching position. The ELI cannot pay off-campus interns, of course, but these interns benefit by earning course credit for their regular work.

As a part of the M.A. program requirements, you must successfully complete the Exit Assessment. The Exit Assessment consists of three parts: the Linguistic Analysis, the Treatment Plan, and the Portfolio. The Linguistic Analysis provides you the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts to the analysis of authentic learner language. Language data from an English language learner is collected and analyzed to draw conclusions about the language learning processes, problems, and achievements of the learner. After the Linguistic Analysis is completed, a Treatment Plan is devised. The Treatment Plan allows you to address pedagogically the linguistic issues that emerged in the Linguistic Analysis. The Treatment Plan is supported using relevant second language acquisition theory and research. Finally, the Portfolio consists of materials generated throughout your entire graduate program and may include materials presented in individual courses and the internships.
 
Before graduating, you will satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement. You can document your L2 proficiency in various ways. The L2 proficiency proof is an exit requirement, but you should attend to it as early as you can, so you do not delay your graduation. Please read the Handbook for details. (The Handbook can be downloaded from the Resources section of this site.)

1. Six hours of approved electives at the graduate level (these may be inside or outside the program)
2. Six hours of internship through enrollment in TSL 6945
3. Completion of the Linguistic Analysis
4. Completion of the Treatment Plan
5. Completion of a final portfolio
6. Foreign language proficiency at Novice-High level, as detailed in the Handbook