Master of Arts in TESOL (online with short residencies in Vermont)

This program comprises online coursework; two three-week summer sessions on SIT’s campus in Vermont; an Interim-Year Teaching Practicum; and an Independent Professional Project (thesis), for a total of 34 credits.

• Core Coursework (22 credits)
  • Approaches to Teaching Second Languages – 3 credits
  • Language Analysis for Lesson Planning – 3 credits
  • Intercultural Communication for Language Teachers – 3 credits
  • Teaching the Four Skills – 3 credits
  • Second-Language Acquisition – 3 credits
  • Curriculum Design and Assessment – 3 credits
  • Sandanona Conference Presentation – 1 credit
  • English Applied Linguistics – 3 credits

• Interim-Year Teaching Practicum (6 credits)
  The Interim-Year Teaching Practicum takes place in your classroom in the academic year following the initial summer session. An integral part of the program, the practicum is best described as an eight-month seminar through which you develop a reflective practice where you are teaching. An SIT faculty member will travel to your classroom to engage with you in a one-on-one format. This intensive period of mentorship is designed to support you in your professional development as a teacher by offering you reflective and interactive feedback. It is a meaningful, collaborative time to examine your work and to act purposefully to improve your effectiveness as a teacher. You are encouraged to build the skills and awareness for describing what happens in your classroom, separating observation from judgment, finding valid explanations for what happens, and devising informed and workable solutions to enhance your learning and improve your teaching. You will continue with your coursework online throughout the practicum period.
   
• Independent Professional Project (6 credits)
  The Independent Professional Project, or thesis, is the final component of this program. In addition to being a significant personal achievement, the project should be of interest and value to others in the profession and of publishable quality.

Projects may take a variety of formats to allow students to focus on a topic that will benefit them in their development as a second-language teacher:

• An academic research paper
• A classroom-based action research project
• A materials development project

Review past Independent Professional Projects completed by students in SIT’s MA in TESOL programs.

2017 Residency
The 2017 program begins on June 1, 2017 with online coursework. The on-campus session will be held on our Vermont campus from July 22 to August 12, 2017 for new students (returning students should arrive on July 23).

Degree Requirements
This is a two-year program. Students will complete the program, including the Independent Professional Project (thesis), within the two-year timeframe. If this deadline is missed the student may petition for an extension.

View the current academic calendar.

Apply the skills and reflect on the knowledge you acquire through the program’s coursework in your own classroom under the guidance of a TESOL expert.

After the initial summer session, you will meet with your supervisor to develop a plan for the practicum period based on your goals for the interim year.

What really impressed me about my supervisor was the way she brought compassion to her work. She assured me that in her role as supervisor she was not here to judge me, but to serve my learning. I hadn't had an experience like that before. Every teaching evaluation I'd ever had was just that: an evaluation .… Through SIT’s style of education, I've found a new way to do things, and I am excited about the possibility of assisting and serving new teachers in the way that [my supervisor] served my learning.

Cooper Howland

The practicum site is your place (or places) of employment following the first summer session. Your teaching load must consist of at least five hours a week of classroom English language teaching, for a minimum of eight months. You must be the primary teacher, and the minimum class size is five students.*

The practicum is intended to be a time of significant professional growth and reflection and a time for you to experiment with new skills, attitudes, knowledge, and awareness in your own classroom with mentorship from your SIT supervisor.

The practicum provides a way for you to evaluate your teaching competencies, for your practicum supervisor to assess strengths and weaknesses, and for you and your supervisor to determine areas for improvement and growth. You will communicate regularly throughout the year with your supervisor in a variety of ways: telephone calls, emails, and reports.

Onsite mentorship

At a predetermined time during that year, an SIT faculty member will spend a number of days with you — wherever you are in the world — to observe your teaching. During this period, you will have the full attention and support of your supervisor, who will work with you to enhance your teaching and advance your goals as a teacher. The onsite observation is intended to be an intensive, highly productive period of engagement and observation.

This personalized onsite mentorship is a core element of the program.

*Other arrangements must be approved in advance by the MA in TESOL program academic chair.

SIT has been a leader in the field of TESOL education for nearly 50 years. Employers look for teachers who have been trained at SIT. Graduates have access to World Learning’s international network of educators. The program prepares working professionals to be leaders in the field of TESOL in a variety of capacities.

As a graduate, you will become part of a network of more than 3,000 alumni working throughout the world. The list below provides examples of the diverse careers of some of our alumni:

• Regional English Language Officer (RELO) in Asia, U.S. State Department
• ESL Instructor, Milwaukee Technical College, US
• ESOL Professor, Lone Star College-Kingwood, US
• President of IATEFL
• President of TESOL
• Director of English Language Studies, New School
• Chief of Staff and Chief Learning Officer, Marlboro College
• Director, American English Language Center, Morocco
• Head of Language Acquisition and Project Based Learning, MiSK International School, Riyadh
• Acting Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
• U.S. State Department English Language Specialist                    
• TESOL Training Manager, World Learning, Washington DC
• Founder, Centro Espiral Mana, Teacher Training and  Education Center,  Costa Rica
• Director of International Programs at WIDA
• English Language Fellow, Argentina
• Visiting Professor, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea
• ESOL Professor, Dulwich College, Suzhou, China
• Professor of Intensive English, Kansai Gaidai University, Japan
• ESL Instructor, University of Texas Austin, US
• English Language Fellow, U.S. State Department and Georgetown University Center for Intercultural Education and Development, Washington, DC, US
• English Teacher, Universal American School, Kuwait
• MA TESOL Program Chair, Marlboro College Graduate & Professional Studies, Brattleboro, VT, US
• Language Training Specialist at Peace Corps

Core Faculty

Adjunct Faculty and Guests

• U.S. bachelor's degree 
• A minimum of two years of second-language teaching experience
• Demonstrated English language ability (see details below)
• Intercultural experience
• Excellent communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to use experience as a source of learning
• Experience or familiarity with instructional technology, distance learning, and/or independent learning
• Demonstrated capacity for self-directed learning
• An understanding of the structure and philosophy of the program

Students must also have a job teaching ESOL for the period September to June between the two summer coursework sessions.

English Language Ability

Applicants whose first language is not English and who did not graduate from an English-speaking institution in a country whose official language is English must submit test scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or the PTE (Pearson Test of English). (Applicants can access free TOEFL and IELTS  practice tests online.)

• Applicants taking the TOEFL must receive a minimum score of
  • 600 on the paper-based test (PBT)
  • 250 on the computer-based test (CBT), or
  • 100 on the internet-based iBT.
• Applicants taking the IELTS must receive a score of Band 7.0 or higher.
• Applicants taking the PTE must receive a minimum score of 68.

These scores are considered the minimum proficiency needed to undertake graduate-level work. Scores must be dated within two years of the start date of your academic program at SIT.

Our admissions staff works one-on-one with every applicant to facilitate a highly informed and multidimensional admissions experience: applicants are encouraged to attend an on-campus or virtual open house, talk with SIT faculty and staff, and hear from current students and alumni. As applicants become familiar with the attributes of an SIT education — grounded in the experiential learning model and focused on social justice and leadership skills in intercultural environments — they determine for themselves in what ways SIT can help them meet their educational and career objectives.

SIT welcomes students from all economic backgrounds. Students commonly fund their SIT degree through a variety of sources including federal and private loans, SIT grants and scholarships, scholarships from other sources, and personal and family funds. SIT Graduate Institute’s Financial Aid Office provides information on all aspects of funding an SIT degree.

We recommend that you begin the process of applying for financial aid as soon as possible, even before you are accepted for admission. Click here for more information on financial aid.