MA possibilities for someone without a BA...but 5+ years of exp? (MA TESOL)

Hi everyone.

I'm VERY interested in finding a legitimate school which might accept me into a distance Masters' program for teaching English as a second language (MA TESOL).

I have over 5 years of experience and a teaching certificate, plus a good reputation at my school.

I understand that most schools require a BA as a prerequisite, but I would hope that some institution would see my experience as being able to 'bypass' having an unrelated BA. (Not undermining the importance of a BA, but really in this case, I think my experience would be more valuable).

I sent my CV to Leicester university, but just received a rejection letter.

Any advice or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

Good luck. Unfortunately any BA isn't really unrelated because it is proof that you can accomplish educational goals and should have a good understanding of the way college works and how to write at least on a basic level. With a MA being a "graduate" degree it means you are moving on from an undergraduate for advance study. Again, good luck.

 

My first recommendation would be to try Leicester. Sorry they wouldn't go for that.

Since you already have the teaching certificate, another option you might want to consider is doing an MBA from Heriot-Watt University. Edinburgh Business School: Distance Learning MBA and Online Business Courses They do not require a BA. Along the way, you can get a postgraduate diploma. At they very least, that might help you get admitted to the Leicester program.

I know a few TESOL teachers in Japan who went this route. The MBA combined with the TESOL certificate helped them get a lot of business English teaching gigs.

 

You don't mention your timeframe or your budget, but you could potentially spend months and months finding a way to "bypass" the pre-reqs and settle for any MA program that will accept you, or do a quick BA from one of the Big 3 and then find the MA program that you want to accept.

If you have a lot of time and are close to testing centers you could potentially knock out your bachelor's in well under a year if you are dedicated. Total cost if you get used textbooks, etc. should be around $5K or so. At that point you have your undergrad and nobody can take it away from you.

From what I've heard about HW (aside from it being a good school with a good MBA program), the exams are notoriously difficult. Also, if you decide midstream that you're not happy with it you have invested time in a dead end.

Just a thought...

 

Check out the MA TESOL from Open University Australia/Monash University.

 

JBjunior - understandable.

edowave - Yeah I spoke to a representative from the MA TESOL program from Leicester, and she informed me that my experience wasn't sufficient. She mentioned that 10 years would PROBABLY be enough, providing that the application process was successful.

The MBA is an option, though honestly I have very little interest in the world of business. If I were to put a significant amount of money into an MA, I'd want to make sure it's directly related to field in which I entered. I'm sure it would open doors, though I don't think doing such a course would improve my teaching skills. Thanks though

guitarmark2000 - My time frame and budget are fairly flexible, as I'm able to save a good amount of money teaching in Vietnam (perhaps surprising to some!) I'm still relatively young as well (28). One 'obstacle' is that I would like a change from Vietnam, and would ideally like to move on within the next couple of years.

I have completed a few courses through Athabasca, though I couldn't imagine completing a BA in a year (heck even 2!) Athabasca has been a good experience, though it's fairly costly. Would completing a BA from one of "the big 3" be much cheaper - or more importantly, quicker?

japhy4529 - Thanks I will! A tough question, but would you have any idea how much experience they would require? I've worked at my school for almost 6 years, but if need be, I'm sure I could 'add' a couple of extra years (I'm friendly with those in HR).

Would this be a respectable program? Would it be recognized in North America (IN CASE I ever chose to teach there)?




Thanks guys!

 

Thanks guys.

Left a fairly lengthy reply around 5 hours ago. Perhaps it takes a while to be monitored.

I'll wait it out.

 

Hmmmmm maybe it was rejected :/

 

sbr said:
japhy4529 - Thanks I will! A tough question, but would you have any idea how much experience they would require? I've worked at my school for almost 6 years, but if need be, I'm sure I could 'add' a couple of extra years (I'm friendly with those in HR).

Would this be a respectable program? Would it be recognized in North America (IN CASE I ever chose to teach there)?
____________________________________________________________


You should have no problem getting into OUA. The degree is awarded by Monash University. Monash is a very respectable Australian University. However, with that said, if you intend to teach in North America, then you will definitely need a BA/BS degree (not necessarily in education). It shouldn't matter in which order you obtain each degree (i.e. MA then BA or vice versa), but of course you should verify this with each prospective country. The OUA/Monash MA in TESOL is only six units, so perhaps you could complete the MA first and then pursue a BA later down the road if required/desired.

Also, check out this recent thread from a gentleman who is in a similar predicament as yourself.


Best,

 

sbr,

Please check out this site, Lawrie Miller's BA in 4 Weeks. Online degrees by distance learning. BA degree and graduate degrees - Accelerated Master Degrees by Distance Learning..

While you probably won't be able to complete the program in 4 weeks, for individuals with a lot of life experience, a BA from the big 3 can take MUCH LESS time than is commonly thought. Most of your credits could be earned through tests such as CLEP and DANTES (similar to AP exams from high school). Also, the strategy listed in the above website assumes that you are starting from zero. It is highly likely that you will get some additional undergraduate credits at the very beginning, with your TOESL certifications and other life experiences.

Do you speak any Vietnamese, or any other languages that you may have picked up in your travels. there are multiple ways to get several hours worth of credit for each language you speak.

I highly recommend that you at least talk to the folks at Excelsior, TESC, and COSC about completing a bachelors. I have a buddy who dropped out of college 20 years ago and had never heard of these programs. After Excelsior evaluated all of his certifications and some classes he had taken 20 years ago, he was almost 3/4ths done with his BA.

My recommendation is to read everything on that site, and if anything sounds false, inaccurate, or deceptive, just check with the guys on this forum.

 

Yup...this is who I want teaching me. You flat out say you are willing to lie about something and have an "HR Friend" back it up and you are worried about a "respectable program".

 

japhy4529 - thanks again! Very helpful

mcjon77 - I'll definitely look through that link more thoroughly! I did attend college for a year, and I'm sure I could transfer some of my credits as well.

As for my Vietnamese, yes I do speak 'some', though I'm no where close to fluent (I became somewhat complacent here, and became comfortable with what I know). Yes I've been here for 6 years, but that was never expected 8 months (original plan) + 1 year + 1 years + etc....if ya know what I mean.

I've traveled a lot through Asia, though I've only learned 'bits and pieces' of other languages.

Randell1234 - I find your post very judgmental, but I don't want to have it out with you.

I usually get positive feedback from my students, as well as my school. This is what's important to me, and makes me feel in good standing to partake in an MA in TESOL.

Truthfully, I was never even seriously considering going through with this (even though 'I'm sure I could')...but even if I was....what's a year or two? (considering I already have 6).

Lighten up....

 

Well good luck in your search but I think you are looking at this backwards. 5 years experience in a field plus an industry certification would be more equivalent to what a master's would be all about: completely focused, specialized training in an area so that one might work directly in that field.

A bachelor's is nothing of the sort. Usually about 70% of your bachelor's credits aren't in your major. It's to show a broad exposure to many topics while getting you through all the basics of one topic. Totally different than 5 years working in one field.

Search this site and degreeforum.net for "BLS": bachelor's in liberal studies. Look for Excelsior, Thomas Edison State and Charter Oak College. If you are disciplined, have a decent amount of random trivia floating in your head and/or are fairly well-read you can easily do this degree at one of these schools in less than 2 years. Again, good luck!

 

I agree - there are many ways to earn credit for the Excelsior BS in Liberal Studies. You can include up to 59 units of professional courses so you could perhaps find challenge exams in education or obtain credit via portfolio.
This Excelsior degree is probably the most flexible RA degree in terms of content.
https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/School_of_Liberal_Arts/Bachelors_Degrees_in_Liberal_Arts

 

Why is everyone trying to push the OP into pursuing an undergrad degree? Why does everyone get their feelings hurt when someone tries to do something a bit unconventional (at least from an american standpoint)? Let it go!

 

Some non-undergrad options were suggested. But the OP did ask about cpmpleting a BA:

 

I am glad you took it the way it was meant. If you have over 5 years experience I really do not see the point in "adding" some years.

 

Thanks again guys.

I understand that a bachelor's degree has value, but I'm still more interested in pursuing an MA TESOL.

Yes I do have quite a bit of in-class experience Kaz, BUT I haven't taught much at the adult level, and wouldn't call myself a true expert at this point.

This program would definitely benefit someone like me more than someone who had a BA and no experience (I've been told this by many)....which is why a lot of programs DO require some in class experience (and for good reason I think). It allows you to put all the theory into practice, and assess what you've been doing up until now

I'll consider getting a Bachelor's degree if I have to though, but for now I have my heart set on the Master's

 

And Randell1234 I see what you're saying, but (if by the slight chance) a program required 7 or 8 years of experience (a year or two on what you had) would you not be willing to 'bend' a little?

Perhaps not.

By the way, I have already sent out inquiries to various universities, and stated my ACTUAL level of experience.

I guess this makes me free of sin

 

Best of luck to you. In my opinion, no one can ever catch you in the "the truth" like they can catch you in "a lie".