“I didn’t have any thought of working toward this degree when I took the first few courses. But the subject matter captured me. My greatest surprise was finding so much joy in becoming a student again with a life’s worth of experience to bring to the task. And now I’m using the knowledge and my degree in a new job -- developing an Intensive English Program at Western Carolina University.”
- Connie Hanna, TESOL Alumnus and Director of WCU I.E.P.
The M.A.Ed program in TESOL caters to those students who are currently licensed and teach within the public school system, and who now seek a graduate degree in teaching ESL. The M.A.Ed TESOL degree at WCU is similar in structure to those at other universities.
It is a 36-credit hour degree, with 12 hours of professional core courses; 15 hours of teaching methods and clinical experiences (TESOL methods ENGL 616, 626, 627, 628, 656); and 9 hours of linguistics (ENGL 615, 625, 635).
The requirements of the program are as follows:
A. 9 hours of linguistics courses:
1. Linguistic Perspectives: Sociolingusitics (ENGL 615)
2. Introduction to Linguistics (ENGL 625)
3. Grammatical Foundations (ENGL 635)
B. 15 hours of TESOL methods and clinical experiences:
1. Foundations of ESL and Language Learning (ENGL 616)
2. ESL Methods and Materials Development: Listening and Speaking (ENGL 626)
3. ESL Methods and Materials Development: Reading and Writing (ENGL 627)
4. ESL Curriculum and Program Administration (ENGL 628)
5. TESOL Practicum (ENGL 683)
C. 12 hours of Professional Core courses:
1. Methods of Research (EDCI 602)
2. The Teacher Leader (EDCI 613)
3. Advanced Educational Psychology (PSY 621)
4. Education in a Diverse Society (SPED 620)