Best choice for an MA/MEd in English/TESOL

Greetings to everyone on the degreeinfo board. I've been lurking here for a while and have read all relevant posts but am still scratching my head trying to decide on a graduate program that will be appropriate for me.

I'm an English teacher in Korea and am looking to upgrade my professional skills by earning a Master's Degree in either English (my major as an undergrad) or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).

Here are some schools I've looked into:

1. Institute of Education, University of London (IOE, UOL)
MA TESOL
£3355 per year over two years, roughly US$11,000 total
(might be wrong about the fees)
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/study/masters/PMM9_TES9ID.html

2. University of South Africa (UNISA)
BA Hons in TESOL (2 years, 10 modules) followed by an MA in TESOL (1-2 years, full thesis [dissertation in South African English])
about US$6000 to US$7000 total for both degrees over three to four years
http://www.unisa.ac.za/contents/courses/docs/Linguistics_Applied_Linguistics_and_TESOL_2010.pdf

3. Fort Hays State University (FHSU)
Master of Liberal Studies with a concentration in ESOL
(18 credits in ESOL and Education + 10 credits in liberal arts + culminating experience = 31 credits)
about US$7000 over two years
http://www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/degrees/Masters/liberal-studies/

4. Fort Hays State University (FHSU)
Master of Science in Education with a concentration in ESOL
(18 or 20 credits in Education + 18 credits in ESOL = 36 credits)
about US$8500 over two years
may need a certified teaching license to even apply, something i don't have
http://www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/degrees/Masters/education/

5. University of Missouri
Master of Education in learning, teaching and curriculum with an emphasis in learning and instruction and a focus in TESOL (M Ed)
(21 credits in TESOL + 12 credits in Education = 33 credits)
about US$10,300 over two years
http://www.mudirect.missouri.edu/degprog/ed-TESOL/_details.shtm

6. University of Massachusetts Boston - UMass Online
MA in Applied Linguistics
(30 credits in TESOL and Applied Linguistics)
about US$14,000 over two years
http://www.umassonline.net/degrees/Online-Degree-Master-Applied-Linguistics.cfm

7. Western New Mexico University (WNMU)
MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) with concentrations in Bilingual Education and English
(18 credits in Bilingual Education + 18 credits in English)
the WNMU Bilingual Education concentration includes a number of TESOL courses
about US$6000 over two years
http://www.wnmu.edu/VirtualCampus/InterdisciplinaryMasters.htm

8. Northwestern State University Louisiana (NSULA)
MEd in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in English Education
Professional Studies track, for students without teaching certification
(24 credits in Education + 12 credits in English Education = 36 credits)
about US$7000 over two years
http://ensu.nsula.edu/master-of-education-in-curriculum-and-instruction/

9. Northwestern State University Louisiana (NSULA)
MA in English (with at least six hours in Linguistics/Writing)
(24 credits through coursework + a 6 credit thesis = 30 credits)
about US$6000 over two years
http://ensu.nsula.edu/master-of-arts-degree-in-english/

Whew! That's a long list!

Now, here's my question: Which school or degree should I choose?

I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say, especially if

a) you feel strongly for or against studying at a particular school
b) you have personal experience with one of the schools I'm considering
c) you can suggest another alternative school/program
d) you have any other advice that might be helpful in one way or another

Thanks in advance!

 

I don't really have anything to add, other than to thank you for this list. This is something I have pondered myself.

 

Even though I'm from the US and am leaning towards an American degree just in case I decide to return home and teach, I'd also like to hear from people who have experience with other British/Australian programs...

These are the programs I know about currently:

in the UK:
1. University of Birmingham
2. U of Nottingham
3. U of Portsmouth
4. U of Reading
5. U of Exeter
6. U of Manchester
7. U of Leicester

in Australia:
1. University of Southern Queensland (USQ)
2. U of Tasmania
3. Macquire U
4. U of New England
5. Charles Darwin U

 

I taught in Japan for a few years. From the first list you mentioned, UoL would have the most name recognition overseas. Though for the most part I found that most employers really didn't care where the degree was from. Experience and ability was usually more important. If that is the case in Korea, I would probably go with one of the cheaper ones, like WNMU or NSULA.

I knew several people in the Leicester TESOL program. It has been around for a while. Everyone I knew really enjoyed the program and strongly considered doing it myself.

I think you will find any British degree program to be very high quality. For using the degree to teach in the US, you would need a transcript evaluation done by a company like WES.

 

In the past, I looked at a few and found a couple in NZ, as well. I think it was Auckland and Christchurch? In the US, there's also Indiana University and Shenandoah University.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of a

1. University of Missouri MEd w/ a focus in TESOL
2. Fort Hays State University MLS/MEd w/ a concentration in ESOL
3. Western New Mexico University MAIS w/ concentrations in Bilingual Ed & English
4. Northwestern State University MEd w/ a focus in English Ed./MA English
5. UNISA BA Hons TESOL + MA TESOL

 

They all look good to me. I would just keep in mind that bilingual education and TESOL are not the same thing. I am pretty sure in Korea you are not speaking in Korean for half the class, and then English for the other half to help them learn both languages. Your employer may not care, but I would just say the program at WNMU may not serve you as well as the other programs. The same is true with the English degrees. Since most English degrees are heavily literature based, that does not train you to teach English as a grammatical system to non-native speakers.

You might try getting a MA in English and then getting a graduate certificate in TESOL from a university. That way you can take advantage of a cheaper MA in English degree program and get some formal training in teaching English as a second language. An Applied Linguistics program gives you the type of training that helps a lot.

From my experience with working with Asian language speakers in the US, knowing English grammar, especially the rules, phonetics, etc. is extremely helpful because the language systems are so incredibly different, and they will ask you "Why can you say _________________ and not ____________" and if you don't have the linguistics training, saying "That's just how it is," will not do.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the advice Farina.

As far as I know, the WNMU Bilingual Ed concentration includes a fair number of TESOL courses (such as those in Applied Linguistics) but obviously would not prepare me for a teaching career as well as an MEd from U of Missouri or FHSU.

I am also considering a combination of three concentrations in Bilingual Education, Education and English from WNMU. The price is hard to beat and the ability to have two or more concentrations is also highly attractive. What worries me is graduating with an MAIS (Interdisciplinary Studies) instead of an MEd or MA in either straight-up TESOL or English.

How have you found the classes at WNMU?

 

Interesting point Farina.

As far as I know, the Bilingual Ed concentration at WNMU includes several TESOL-related courses such as Linguistics I & II, ESL Methods, etc... Needless to say, my future employment prospects would probably be better served by an MEd or an MA in TESOL/Applied Linguistics.

What appeals to me about WNMU is cost of tuition and the ability to combine two or more concentrations in a single degree. I want the best of both fields (in both English Lit and TESOL/Linguistics) but I'd rather not spend all my money in the process.

Ah, if only WNMU had a TESOL concentration...

I'm also slightly worried about graduating with an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies vs a straight up MA TESOL/English.

How have you found WNMU?
(I'm curious about how the courses are structured as well as how much interaction you have with classmates and professors.)

 

This seems too high for UNISA. Are you sure the costs are correct?

Another program you may want to consider is the MA in English/TESL at St. Cloud State University. The program is split evenly between TESOL and linguistics.

I am currently back and forth between the Missouri and St. Cloud programs. Missouri appears more "education" focused, while the St. Cloud appears more "applied linguistics" focused. Missouri is quite a bit cheaper, but the St. Cloud faculty have research interests and experiences in common with my own.

 

Time is running out. I have to decide.

It looks like it's going to come down to one of these three choices:

1. UNISA (University of South Africa)
BA Hons TESOL + MA TESOL
5-6 million won over three years

2. University of Missouri
MEd Curriculum & Instruction with a TESOL concentration (21 credits)
12 million won over two years

3. Western New Mexico University
MA in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Bilingual Education and English
6-7 million won over two years

FYI: my BA is in English Lang & Literature and I hope to stay in the field long-term

Any advice?

 

WNMU in my opinion is top notch. My concentrations are English, Writing and Bilingual Education. The latter I decided on because I already have a grad certificate in TESOL, so I transferred in two courses; therefore, I only have to take one more course at WNMU to get the concentration. The professors are great and easy to communicate with. I've had no problems. WNMU is a small school and they are growing their distance education program; however, the administrator over distance learning is very helpful if you do encounter some issues. There are a few of us on here who are studying with WNMU, so you can find others to give you some feedback.

As you've stated, the fees are terrific. In addition, when you apply, there is no application fee.

Have you checked out American College of Education? They have a MED in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in TESOL or Bilingual Education for $6,950 and their coursework is accelerated.
www.ace.edu
Here's the thread about it on here if you haven't read it already.
http://degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?t=32890&highlight=american+college+education

Good luck!

 

Best Choice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellenbosch_University

http://www.sun.ac.za/university/Nagraads/postgrad.html

http://www.sun.ac.za/university/Nagraads/PostgraduateProspectus2010/Arts.pdf

In the latter link, have you checked out the MA in Linguistics for the Language Professionals or the MPhil in Second Language Studies? Both can be done by distance learning.

 

I have an answer to the original question but then I have a question of my own.

You should choose the least expensive program that fits your needs. If the cost of two (or more) programs are essentially the same then you should choose the one that provides the most suitable delivery method for your learning style. If there's still a tie then you should choose the school that has the best female soccer team

I am curious about something. When a person earns a Masters degree in TESL, where do they teach? Elementary school? High school? College? All three? Some other alternative?

 

The TESL degree is very flexible. In Florida, California, New York, Illinois and the list goes on, there is a high population of people who are non native English speakers enrolled in K-college, so there is a need for language specialists to help them learn academic English. There are so many modules of second language learning and each state decides which module or modules they will use (push-in, pull out etc.).

If you get an MED in TESL, you can be a kindergarten teacher working with children who speak another language other than English at home, or a high school teacher doing the same. At the elementary level you might have to be certified in Elementary Education and TESOL, but the requirements vary by state.

Colleges employ teachers with TESL in their background to help with the international students who enroll in US schools, but who may not know enough academic English to excel in classes for their programs. You can also work as a TESL program director for the state. There are many possibilities.

 

You may want to take a look at this web page from the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Inc. for additional university DL options:

http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/seccss.asp?CID=1776&DID=9333

 

So I have a question: As it pertains to employability, do you get a Masters in English (Lit) and then a cert in TESL or do you get the Masters in TESL?

I'm guessing that the grad degree plus the cert = +employability. Could I be right?

 

What did you decide on gyeongbuk pride? Like you, I have had my eye on this board for a while: I taught in Japan for 15 years and am taking some years off here in the States doing something else and have just decided to return to Japan (I miss teaching) with my Japanese wife but this time with an MA TESOL in hand. Certainly distance learning is attractive for the cost and ease (and this thread has been helpful - thanks!) but the wife would like a year or so in Hawai'i so I am considering brick and mortar at Hawaii Pacific University. Any thoughts anyone?

 

have you asked this question over at dave's esl cafe ?

that is THE place for esl info

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