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Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), MA
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 Return to: Master’s Programs
Linguistics Department, College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Master of Arts in Linguistics
The Stony Brook Linguistics Department, in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a leading center for research and training in all areas of modern linguistics. The Department offers graduate training that leads to the M.A. and Ph.D. in Linguistics, the M.A. in Computational Linguistics, and the M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
The department has a long-standing focus on theoretical linguistics, with core research areas in syntax, semantics, morphology, phonology,phonetics, and language acquisition, and particular strength in Computational Linguistics. Departmental research includes both theoretical issues— how the human language capacity is organized — and computational ones – how language is processed and computed by humans and what the computational complexity of natural language is. In addition to the full range of theoretical and computational areas of linguistics, faculty have expertise in a wide range of languages/language areas including, East Asian, Germanic, Romance, Semitic, Slavic and signed languages.
The MA in TESOL is designed to prepare students to become professional teachers, teacher educators, and curriculum designers. The program offers courses in theoretical linguistics and its applications as well as pedagogy. Graduates of the program are successfully employed in public and private schools at K-12 levels, colleges, and universities in the United States and abroad. The requirements of the MA TESOL program satisfy a substantial portion of the requirements for New York State certification in TESOL.
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Admission Requirements
LINGUISTICS (LIN) Deadlines (for Fall admission): For admission to all graduate program in the Department of Linguistics, the following, in addition to the minimum Graduate School requirements,are normally required: - Baccalaureate Degree: Students must present evidence that such a BA or BS degree will be awarded by the time they begin graduate work. A final transcript is required prior to registration.
- Minimum grade point average of 3.0: A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (or its foreign equivalent) on a 4-point scale is required.
- Recommendations: Three letters of recommendation are required.
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE): The GRE is not required for the MA LIN, the MA CompLing, the MA TESOL, and the PhD in Linguistics.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Writing Sample:
MA LIN and PhD: The writing sample should be a paper written for a previous course taken in linguistics, or if that is not available, a paper on any subject is acceptable. MA CompLing: The writing sample may take one of two forms: (a) a short paper written for a previous course, ideally related to language,mathematics, or computation, or (b) a 2-page document describing a completed or ongoing programming project, including a link to an online repository hosting the code. - Foreign Language Requirement:
PhD program: Proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to two years of college work is required. MA programs: Native speakers of English must provide evidence of at least one year (or six credits) of study of one language other than English at the college level with a grade of C or better. Students who are seeking New York State certification will need to satisfy additional requirements for foreign language study before receiving certification. - English proficiency (for students whose native language is not English):
- PhD, MA LIN, MA Comp Ling: 250 (computer), 90 (iBT TOEFL) or 6.5 (IELTS).
- MA TESOL:
- Minimum total score: 90 (iBT TOEFL) or 6.5 (IELTS).
- Minimum speaking component scores: 22 (iBT TOEFL) or 6.5 (IELTS).
Please note that non-native speakers who are seeking New York State certification must achieve a speaking component score of 28 (iBT) or the equivalent. Note: For all programs, students who do not meet the above requirements may be admitted conditionally. Their status will be reviewed after their first semester of graduate study. Degree Requirements
The MA in TESOL is a Master’s program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Master of Arts in TESOL (48 credits)
The 48-credit track is designed for those who have little or no previous coursework in education or formal classroom teaching experience and leads to the MA-TESOL degree and the initial New York State certification for teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (preK-12).The MA-TESOL consists of approximately four semesters of study (excluding summer session) for the full-time student and a somewhat longer period of time for the part-time student. Coursework
This degree and certification program consists of 48 credits distributed among the areas listed below. All courses are three credits except for theone-credit fieldwork courses (LIN 579 taken twice, and LIN 578 ). Linguistics and Foundation (15 credits):
and two of the following (6 credits):
Professional Preparation (18 credits):
Field Experience and Clinical Practice
Students are required to complete 100 clock hours of field experience (LIN 579 ) related to coursework prior to student teaching. These experiences include ESOL classroom observations, practicing skills for interacting with parents, and experiences with students who are English language learners. Supervised Student Teaching (9 credits):
Notes:
Teacher Candidates are placed in partner schools and are required to complete 75 days of full-time student teaching under the supervision of a NYS Certified Cooperating Teacher. During this experience, candidates assume the professional responsibilities of the teacher. Students are responsible to provide their own transportation to local school districts. See this webpage for more information about the student teaching requirement for initial certification. LIN 574 , LIN 581 , and LIN 582 are co-requisites and cannot be taken until completion of all other course and ancillary requirements. As part of LIN 574 , LIN 581 , and LIN 582 , students are required to submit the TCWSSL (Teacher Candidate Work Sample for Student Learn in Final Project
Students are required to submit a professional portfolio at the completion of the program. Teacher Certification
In order to be recommended for New York State certification, students must complete all courses required for the MA and achieve a minimum grade of B in all pedagogy courses. In addition, transcripts must indicate completion of at least two years (12 credits) of college-level study of a language other than English. Non-native speakers who are seeking New York State certification must achieve a speaking component score of 28(iBT) or the equivalent. All teacher candidates must complete the following NYS Teacher Certification Exams: Educating All Students (EAS) Content Specialty Test (CST) - ESOL See this webpage for more information about the current New York State initial certification requirements. Application Procedure for the MA TESOL 30 credit track and 48 credit track Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree in a liberal arts or science major with a minimum GPA of 3.00 in the overall bachelor’s degree. Applicants must demonstrate, through their application and recommendations, that they possess the temperament and disposition to be an effective teacher. Applications and instructions are available on the MA-TESOL program website (https://linguistics.stonybrook.edu/TESOL/ma-tesol/requirements-2). A completed application consists of: Completed Graduate School application with a non-refundable application fee; Three letters of recommendation; Official copies of all previous college transcripts; Curriculum Vitae (Resume); A statement of purpose. English proficiency (for students whose native language is not English): - Minimum total score: 90 (iBT TOEFL) or 6.5 (IELTS).
- Minimum speaking component scores: 22 (iBT TOEFL) or 6.5 (IELTS).
Non-native speakers who are seeking New York State certification must achieve a speaking component score of 28 (iBT) or the equivalent. Admission is competitive and no single factor will exclude anyone from being admitted. Similarly, no single factor will ensure admission. Applications and supporting documentation for the fall semester must be received by June 1. International students must apply by April 15. |
Return to: Master’s Programs
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