Curriculum

Requirements for Admission

Applicants must comply with Murray State University's general admission requirements (see the Graduate Bulletin). Following are the additional requirements for unconditional admission to the TESOL graduate programs:

• an undergraduate major in English or a modern foreign language or approval by the TESOL Advisory Committee;
• at least 6 semester hours in one modern foreign language or demonstrated proficiency at that level (permission may be granted to complete this proficiency during the program; for non-native speakers, language may be English);
• for non-native speakers of English, a TOEFL score of 20 for each section of the iBT, an IELTS score of 6.5 with no band lower than 6.0 or a previous degree earned from an accredited U.S. institution or successful completion of Level 6 of the MSU ESL program.
• Students who have a minimum of 18 for each section of the iBT, an IELTS score of 6.0 with no band below 5.5, or successful completion of an in-house language exam (decided on a case-by-case basis), but meet all other conditions for admittance may be admitted conditionally by the TESOL Advisory committee. Under these conditions, students will have their English language skills assessed by the director of the TESOL program immediately after they arrive on campus to determine if further classes are needed to develop English language proficiency. After assessment the students may be assigned to full-time language study in the English as a Second Language Program, may be permitted to take graduate-level classes on a conditional basis along with further designated language study, or may be permitted to begin graduate study without further restrictions.
• All students must submit an internship proposal by the end of the semester before they will enroll in that class. Students must meet the specified guidelines indicated below for each internship before proposals will be considered. Each proposal must be approved by the TESOL Committee. Note that the default internship course will be TSL 690: Internship: Teaching Focus. Only students who have met very rigorous requirements, as noted below, will be allowed to enroll in an optional Internship course.

Note: Admission to the program does not guarantee graduation. Students are expected to hold to the ethical standards expected of the teaching profes­sion, and unethical conduct, such as violations of the MSU Academic Honesty Policy, may result in dismissal from the program.

Non-Thesis Only

Total Course Requirements (30 hours)

• CORE Program Requirements (21 hours)
  • TSL 600 Methods and Materials for Teaching ESL/EFL¹
  • TSL 605 Teaching ESL/EFL Writing¹
  • TSL 609 Foundations of Second Language Acquisition
  • TSL 615 Curriculum Design in Language Learning and Teaching
  • TSL 623 Testing and Evaluation in Second Language Teaching¹
  • TSL 634 Language and Culture¹
  • TSL 653 Integrated ESL/EFL Skills Seminar¹
• Limited Electives (9 hours)
  • Choose two of the following:
    • TSL 601 Materials and Methods of Online Language Teaching
    • TSL 610 Applied Linguistics and Professional Practices
    • TSL 620 Computer Assisted Language Learning¹
    • TSL 680 Practicum¹
    • TSL 695 Special Topics (May be repeated with different focus) 
  • and one of the following:
    • TSL 690 Internship: Teaching Focus¹
    • TSL 691 Internship: Research Focus
    • TSL 692 Internship: Materials Design Focus

¹ Field Experience Required

Other Degree Requirements

Formal evaluations during the course of the program will include submission of a summative portfolio and will include a one-hour oral exit examination.

Optional Internship Focus

The default internship course will be TSL 690: Internship: Teaching Focus. Only students who have met very rigorous requirements, as noted below, will be allowed to enroll in an optional Internship course.

TSL 691 Internship: Research Focus*

*Note that permission to enroll in this course as a substitute for TSL 690 requires teaching experience; TSL 610; approval by the TESOL Committee based on a superior score of the TSL 610 final project and research proposal, using an external rubric; and recommendation of TSL 610 professor.

TSL 692 Internship: Materials Design Focus*

*Note that permission to enroll in this course as a substitute for TSL 690 requires teaching experience; TSL 615; approval by the TESOL Committee based on a superior score of the TSL 615 final project and materials proposal, using an external rubric; and recommendation of TSL 615 professor.

The listed requirements provide an example of what is applicable to most students entering Murray State University at the present time. Criteria as they may relate to individual students may vary. The primary source is the Murray State Bulletin applicable at the time of the student's enrollment.