Master of Arts for Teachers (of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Degree Requirements

This pages includes degree requirements and information about the Master of Arts for Teachers (of English to Speakers of Other Languages) degree, including:

Requirements: For students entering the program in or after Autumn Quarter 2025

The requirements for the Master of Arts for Teachers (of English to Speakers of Other Languages) degree include at least 55 credits of coursework, and intermediate-level competence in a language other than English.  

Coursework

The MATESOL Program prepares language educators and advocates as they develop their English teaching practices in ways that are rooted in and promote antiracist, anticolonial language learning. Located on the homelands of the Coast Salish peoples, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations, the program prioritizes respectful relationships among students, families, community partners, and colleagues.

Students are engaged in theoretical and practice-based coursework exploring the racialized and colonized history of language acquisition and language teaching theories, critical and anti-oppressive approaches to language pedagogies, theories and methodologies for language-related research, antiracist language assessment, practicum experiences in the university and local communities, raciolinguistic pedagogical grammar, and related interdisciplinary areas.

In addition to having opportunities to engage with local communities within and beyond the university, our students reflect on and learn about the ways Englishes exist around the world and in relation to transnational communities.

A grade of 3.0 or above must be earned in each course applying toward the MAT(ESOL) degree. The required total of at least 55 credits must include the following:

  • Six Core TESOL Courses (30 Credits)
    • ENGL 571 (5) Theory and Practice of TESOL
    • ENGL 572 (5) Methods and Materials for Teaching ESOL
    • ENGL 574 (5) Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition
    • ENGL 575 (5) Pedagogical Grammar 
    • ENGL 576 (5) Testing and Evaluation in English as a Second Language
    • ENGL 578 (5) Colloquium in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
  • Electives (15 Credits)  
    • Any course at the 400- or 500-level or above in English, Anthropology, Education, or Linguistics.  There is flexibility when it comes to electives, but substitutions from related courses in other fields must be approved.  Send a request for approval by email to the advisor, who will forward it to the program director.
    • *Students granted an Academic Student Employee (ASE) position are required to complete ENGL 567, which is a 5-credit course, in Autumn Quarter of the first-year in which they hold an ASE position.  The credits earned from successful completion of ENGL 567 will count toward 5 credits of the elective requirements.  
  • Practicum (10 Credits)
    • ENGL 570 (5) Practicum in Teaching English as a Second Language
    • The practicum involves a supervised teaching experience and seminar attendance. The instructional experience may be gained in a variety of settings. 
    • Students complete two different iterations of ENGL 570 during their time in the program. 
  • Competency in Linguistics
    • Students entering the program must have completed linguistics coursework as an undergraduate or will be required to complete LING 400 during their time in the program, which will count toward 5 of the elective credits described above.  

Language Requirement

  • Students must have completed one year of coursework or its equivalent in a language other than English with a 3.0 or higher as an undergraduate before entering graduate studies at UW, or:
    • pass a language exam administered by the University of Washington Educational Assessment Center; or
    • complete one year of coursework in a language other than English while enrolled in graduate studies at UW; or
    • demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English in a manner approved by the MATESOL Program Director.

Requirements: For students entering the program in Autumn Quarter 2024

The requirements for the Master of Arts for Teachers (of English to Speakers of Other Languages) degree include at least 50 credits of coursework, and intermediate-level competence in a language other than English.  Students entering the program in Autumn 2024 have the option to complete the program according to the degree requirements listed below, or they can choose to complete the program based on the new degree requirements for students entering the program in or after Autumn 2025, which are listed in the above section.  

Coursework

The MATESOL Program prepares language educators and advocates as they develop their English teaching practices in ways that are rooted in and promote antiracist, anticolonial language learning. Located on the homelands of the Coast Salish peoples, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations, the program prioritizes respectful relationships among students, families, community partners, and colleagues.

Students are engaged in theoretical and practice-based coursework exploring the racialized and colonized history of language acquisition and language teaching theories, critical and anti-oppressive approaches to language pedagogies, theories and methodologies for language-related research, antiracist language assessment, practicum experiences in the university and local communities, raciolinguistic pedagogical grammar, and related interdisciplinary areas.

In addition to having opportunities to engage with local communities within and beyond the university, our students reflect on and learn about the ways Englishes exist around the world and in relation to transnational communities.

A grade of 3.0 or above must be earned in each course applying toward the MAT(ESOL) degree. The required total of at least 50 credits must include the following:

  • Five Core TESOL Courses (25 Credits)
    • ENGL 571 (5) Theory and Practice of TESOL
    • ENGL 572 (5) Methods and Materials for Teaching ESOL
    • ENGL 574 (5) Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition
    • ENGL 575 (5) Pedagogical Grammar or LING 461 (5) Syntax 
    • ENGL 576 (5) Testing and Evaluation in English as a Second Language
  • Electives (15 Credits)  
    • Any course at the 400- or 500-level or above in English, Anthropology, Education, or Linguistics.  There is flexibility when it comes to electives, but substitutions from related courses in other fields must be approved.  Send a request for approval by email to the advisor, who will forward it to the program director
  • Practicum (5 Credits)
    • ENGL 570
    • The practicum involves a supervised teaching experience and seminar attendance. The instructional experience may be gained in a variety of settings. 
  • Practicum Elective (5 Credits)
    • ENGL 567: Students granted an Academic Student Employee (ASE) position are required to complete this 5-credit course in Autumn Quarter of the first-year in which they hold an ASE position.
    • ENGL 570: Students who do not hold an ASE position during their time in the program will take an additional ENGL 570 practicum course to satisfy the practicum elective requirement
  • Competency in Linguistics
    • Students entering the program must have completed linguistics coursework as an undergraduate or will be required to complete LING 400 during their time in the program, which will count toward 5 of the elective credits described above.  

Language Requirement

  • Students must demonstrate intermediate-level competency in a language other than English by completing one year of coursework or its equivalent as an undergraduate with a 3.0 or higher no earlier than three years before entering the MATESOL program. A student who has not fulfilled the language requirement at the time of admission will be need to satisfy this requirement by:
    • completing one year of coursework (or its equivalent) of a language other than English with a grade of 3.0 or higher at UW; 
    • a passing score on a language exam administered by the University of Washington Educational Assessment Center; or
    • approved professional verification of intermediate or highly proficient ability in another language.

Requirements: For students who entered the program prior to Autumn Quarter 2024

The requirements for the Master of Arts for Teachers (of English to Speakers of Other Languages) degree include at least 39 credits of coursework, and intermediate-level competence in a language other than English.

Coursework

The MATESOL Program prepares language educators and advocates as they develop their English teaching practices in ways that are rooted in and promote antiracist, anticolonial language learning. Located on the homelands of the Coast Salish peoples, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations, the program prioritizes respectful relationships among students, families, community partners, and colleagues. 

Students are engaged in theoretical and practice-based coursework exploring the racialized and colonized history of language acquisition and language teaching theories, critical and anti-oppressive approaches to language pedagogies, theories and methodologies for language-related research, antiracist language assessment, practicum experiences in the university and local communities, raciolinguistic pedagogical grammar, and related interdisciplinary areas. 

In addition to having opportunities to engage with local communities within and beyond the university, our students reflect on and learn about the ways Englishes exist around the world and in relation to transnational communities.

A grade of 3.0 or above must be earned in each course applying toward the MAT(ESOL) degree. The required total of at least 39 credits must include the following:

  • Five Core TESOL Courses
    • ENGL 571 (5) Theory and Practice of TESOL
    • ENGL 572 (5) Methods and Materials for Teaching ESOL
    • ENGL 574 (5) Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition
    • ENGL 576 (5) Testing and Evaluation in English as a Second Language
    • ENGL 575 (5) Pedagogical Grammar or LING 461 (5) Syntax  
  • Competency in Linguistics, which may be satisfied by
    • LING 200 (5) Introduction to Linguistic Thought or
    • LING 400 (5) Survey of Linguistic Method and Theory or
    • Equivalent (0-5)
  • Two courses selected from the following:
    • Engl 471 (5) Theory and Practice of Teaching Writing
    • Engl 478 (5) Language and Social Policy
    • Engl 479 (5) Lang. Variation and Social Policy in North America
    • Engl 560 (5) Nature of Language
    • Engl 562 (5) Discourse Analysis
    • Engl 564 (5) Current Rhetorical Theory
    • Engl 567 (5) Approaches to Teaching Composition
    • Engl 568 (5) Topics in Composition Studies
    • Engl 569 (5) Topics in Language and Rhetoric
    • Engl 578 (5) TESOL Colloquium
    • Ling 432 (5) or 532(5) Sociolinguistics I
    • Ling 433/Anth 433 (5) Sociolinguistics II
    • Ling 452 (5) Phonology II
    • Ling 457/Psych 457 (5) Language Development
    • Ling 462 (5) Syntax
    • Ling 464/Anth 464 (3) Language Politics and Cultural Identity
    • Ling 550 (5) Phonetics
    • Ling 551 (5) Phonology I or Ling 451 (5) Phonology I
    • EDC&I 453 (3) Teaching the Bilingual/Bicultural Student
    • EDC&I 458 (3) Content Area ESL Instruction
    • EDC&I 528 (4) Foundations of Language, Literacy and Culture
    • EDC&I 537 (4) Classroom Discourse
    • EDC&I 540 (3) Immigrant Schooling
    • EDC&I 545 (3) Multilingual Socialization and Development
    • EDC&I 547 (3) Sociolinguistics
  • Elective. Any course 400-level or above in English, Anthropology, Education, or Linguistics, including those listed above, or in any language other than English not used to fulfill the language requirement may fulfill the elective requirement. An elective may also be approved from related courses in other fields.  There is flexibility when it comes to electives, but substitutions must be approved.  Send a request for approval by email to the advisor, who will forward it to the program director
  • Engl 570 - Practicum in Teaching ESL (5-10)
    The practicum involves a supervised teaching experience and seminar attendance. The instructional experience may be gained in a variety of settings. Students who are granted teaching assistantships should also elect the Practicum during their first quarter as a T.A. The normal requirement for ENGL 570 is two quarters, five credits for each quarter. Students with substantial TESOL teaching experience may petition for exemption from five credits of the practicum. When such petitions are approved, the total number of credits for the program is reduced.

Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate intermediate-level competence in a language other than English. A student who has not fulfilled the language requirement at the time of admission should do so as early as possible. The requirement can be satisfied by:

  • completing one year of coursework (or its equivalent) of a language other than English with a grade of 3.0 or higher; the requirement may be met by a course taken no earlier than three years before entering Graduate School at the University of Washington; or
  • a passing score on a language exam administered by the University of Washington Educational Assessment Center; or
  • approved professional verification of intermediate or highly proficient ability in another language.

Timeline

The program is usually completed in five or six quarters. Completion within eight full-time quarters (or their part-time equivalent) is acceptable for satisfactory progress.

Advising

Students in the MAT(ESOL) program are advised by the MAT(ESOL) Adviser, with whom they should meet before registering for first-quarter courses. The Adviser will review degree requirements and assist in the choice of coursework. Throughout the student's program, the Adviser will continue to provide advice on matters of scholarship and professional preparation and in planning further coursework.

Faculty and advisors provide our students with continued professional development support in various forms.  Past examples include:

Employment

Students who have graduated from our program have gone on to work in a variety of teaching environments, both domestically and internationally:

  • They have found employment in community colleges, at the UW International and English Language Program, and in K-12 settings.
  • They have taught abroad in countries such as Austria, Brazil, Burundi, Colombia, Denmark, Georgia, Guatemala, Hungary, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Moldova, Spain, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, and Vietnam.
  • Our international students have found employment in their home countries of Brazil, China, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Korea, Turkey, and Taiwan.
  • Many of our students have been awarded an English Language Fellowship from the US Department of State, serving as teachers and teacher trainers throughout the world.

PhD Opportunities

Many of our MATESOL graduates have continued on for a PhD degree here at UW or at other institutions. If you are interested in applying to pursue a doctoral degree at UW once you graduate from our MATESOL program, you will have the opportunity to work with several highly respected scholars both within our program and in the Language and Rhetoric unit of the Department of English. You will also be able to work with faculty from other programs and colleges within the university. More information about the Department of English's MA/PhD program can be found here: MA/PhD in English Language & Literature.

Applying for the Degree

A student applying for the Master of Arts for Teachers (of English to Speakers of Other Languages) degree must submit that application to the Graduate School within the first two weeks of the quarter in which the degree is to be conferred and must be registered during that quarter.

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