Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), MA

About the Program

The MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL) program is designed especially for teachers, paraprofessionals, and pre-service teachers who have English Language Learners (ELLs) in their classrooms and want to know how to better serve those students. Educators working with individuals, small groups, or whole classes of ELLs will benefit from this program. Teachers who have a teaching license from the Colorado Department of Education may use this opportunity to seek a MA TESOL.

Focus of Study

This program prepares teachers to better understand and support their students who are learning English as a second or additional language. Courses focus on understanding the stages of language and literacy development as well as methods and materials of instruction and assessment that support multilingual learners. Coursework focusing on the English language strengthens the foundational language knowledge of teachers. Additionally, coursework stresses the importance of family and community engagement for the multilingual students.

Program Requirements

The MA TESOL degree requires 10 courses (30 credit hours). 

The first 8 courses (24 semester hours) are applicable to the Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Endorsement (CLDE) through the Colorado Department of Education. The last 2 courses are the core/research classes that complete the MA in TESOL.

Program Coursework

Courses are offered on a cohort basis, beginning every even-numbered summer semester.