Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Program Description

UMBC offers a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL) and a 4-course Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (TESOL PBC) through the Department of Education in cooperation with the Division of Professional Studies.  The TESOL program prepares prospective and experienced teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). It provides students with a strong theoretical and practical foundation in educational linguistics, language acquisition, ESL/EFL methods, assessment, cross-cultural studies, and curriculum development. The MA TESOL includes general, P-12 certification, and thesis options.  Both the master’s degree and the certificate can be taken completely on campus, completely online or as a combination of on campus and online courses.


Degrees Offered:

Master of Arts in TESOL
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in TESOL

Tracks/Concentrations:  There are four options for the MA TESOL: General, thesis, P-12 certification, and thesis with P-12 certification

Department:  Education

Part-Time or Full-Time:  Full-time, Part-Time

Online or On Campus: On Campus, Online (the MA TESOL and TESOL PBC are both offered online and on campus.)

Accelerated Program


Admissions Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA
  • Letters of recommendation (three for the MA TESOL; two for the TESOL PBC)
  • Statement of purpose explaining your interest in the field
  • Second language speakers of English must submit one of the following scores:
    • 213+ on the computer-based TOEFL
    • 80+ on the internet-based test TOEFL
    • 6.5+ on IELTS
    • 53+ on PTE Academic

Term of Admission: Fall, Spring, and Summer

Domestic Application Deadlines: August 1 and January 1
Summer Term (Domestic Only): May 1

International Application Deadlines: April 1 and November 1


Contact Us

Main Contact Info:
410-455-3061, tesol@umbc.edu

Graduate Program Director:
Dr. Francis M. Hult, fmhult@umbc.edu

Online/Off-Campus Program Coordinator:
Mary Tabaa, 443-278-3096, tabaa@umbc.edu

Back to Top