TESOL Master of Science in Education degree (Option 1)

Total Credit Hours for Program Completion: 36

Requirements for Admission to the Program without Deficiencies

Requirements for Admission to Fredonia’s TESOL Program (Option 1)

The requirements for admission to Fredonia’s TESOL program without deficiencies are:

• Completion of a baccalaureate degree in an area of arts, science, or education.
• Undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or above.
• Current NYS Teaching Certificate
• Completed Graduate Application submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies including:
  • (a) two current (within six months) letters of recommendation which include contact information as the TESOL Program Coordinator has the option of contacting anyone who has submitted a letter on your behalf; and
  • (b) official academic transcripts from all prior undergraduate and graduate institutions (except Fredonia).
• Language Proficiency Requirements:
  • for Native Speakers of English:
    •  A statement of your background and goals in addition to a resume (maximum 3 pages)
    • A graduate-level 800-1,200 word short essay in English which addresses the following question:  “Describe your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in TESOL and support your rationale with specific information pertinent to your desired degree.”
    • 12 post-secondary credit hours in a Language Other than English (LOTE), or an approved equivalency, in a single language.
    • A satisfactory intermediate-level 800-1,200 word short essay in a language other than English (LOTE).  Candidates may be accepted conditionally into the TESOL program without the LOTE essay.  Matriculation into the TESOL program is contingent upon the satisfactory evaluation of this essay.
  • for Non-Native Speakers of English:
    • A statement of your background and goals in addition to a resume
    • A graduate-level 800-1,200 word short essay in English which addresses the following question:  “Describe your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in TESOL and support your rationale with specific information pertinent to your desired degree.”
    • A graduate level 800-1,200 word short essay in the candidate's native language.  This can be any academic paper (e.g., a paper from a college course).
    • Further stipulations as listed below under “Additional requirements for non-native speakers of English to the TESOL program”

Additional Requirements for Non-Native Speakers of English to the TESOL Program:

1. The TESOL graduate program requires that non-native speakers of English show evidence of English proficiency by providing scores which are different from those required of the Graduate College.  Proof of proficiency may be shown by achieving the following test scores[1]:
   • TOEFL: 550 (paper), 213 (computer), or 79 (internet)
   • IELTS (with no subsection below 6.0): 6.5 
2. Fredonia's school code for reporting the TOEFL and IELTS scores electronically is 2539.   International students who have been awarded a prior degree from the U.S., U.K./Ireland, Australia, Anglophone Canada, New Zealand, Anglophone Africa, Singapore, and the Commonwealth Caribbean prior to applying to Fredonia are not required to submit TOEFL or IELTS.
   
   International applicants must provide official copies of all previous degrees/diplomas and transcripts issued in the original language with a literal English translation of each. Proof of an official certification of the award of any and all degrees must be provided.  Include documentation describing in which language the courses were taught.  The latter can be included in a separate document as a chart or statement.
3. International applicants must also have transcripts translated and evaluated by WES (www.wes.org) or a similar agency against the American 4.0 standard.

Additionally, all International applicants must meet the requirements outlined by the Graduate Studies website which is as follows:

International applicants must submit the following additional materials, available in the downloadable forms section of the online application and at the International Student Home section of the Graduate Studies website (http://www.fredonia.edu/gradstudies/prospective/international.asp):

• FSA-3 form; English Proficiency Report: International students must show proof of English competency. Applicants whose native language is English are exempt.

• FSA-4 form: Financial Statement: All international applicants must submit evidence of full financial support for all expenses at Fredonia as a condition of being issued immigration documents for F-1 or J-1 status (i.e., the Certificate of Eligibility, form I-20AB or IAP-66). The FSA-4 form must be signed by both the applicant and the applicant's financial sponsor. The submitted form must contain an original signature.

• Proof of financial support: Applicants must submit an original bank statement from the financial sponsor verifying the available funds. Only original financial documentation with original signatures and seals will be accepted.

While an admission decision can be made without the financial documentation, the I-20 or DS-2019 forms cannot be issued until all documents are received.

Applicants may upload the FSA-3 form to the online application, but he/she must send the FSA-4 form and supporting documentation directly to the Fredonia Graduate Studies Office at the following address:

Office of Graduate Studies
E230A Thompson Hall
The State University of New York at Fredonia
Fredonia, NY 14063
[phone]
[phone] (fax)

Persons who have further questions about these requirements should contact the Fredonia International Education Center at [phone], or send the office an inquiry from the International Education Center's website at http://www.fredonia.edu/internationaleducation/.

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[1] SEM will be taken into consideration.  In other words, if your scores do not meet the requirements here but are close (within the SEM), you may still apply to Fredonia’s TESOL program.  The TESOL Program Coordinator then has the discretion to evaluate your scores in relation to your full application at that time.

Degree Requirements

Program Completion Requirements

EDU 570	Using Educational Research to Improve Instruction	3
EDU 518	Second Language Acquisition and Development	3
EDU 519	Curriculum Theory for the Second Language Classroom - ESL I	3
EDU 521	Practicum in TESOL, I	0
EDU 538	Cultural Literature	3
	or
EDU 563	Cultural Perspectives	3
EDU 540	Content Area English as a Second Language	3
EDU 541	Praticum in TESOL II	0
EDU 564	Linguistics for ESL Educators	3
EDU 565	Language and Learning: Psycho- and Sociolinguistic Considerations for Educators of ELL Students	3
EDU 568	Foundations of Bilingual Education	3
EDU 569	Assessment and Evaluation of English Language Learners (ELLs)	3
EDU 567	Practicum in TESOL, III	0
EDU 671	ESOL/BE Practicum & Supervision 20 Day	3
EDU 660	Conducting Educational Research	3
EDU 690	Master's Thesis/Project	3-6

EDU 570: must be completed within the first 9 credit hours of graduate study.

As of December 31, 2013, candidates in all education programs are required to complete training under the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). Beginning in the Fall 2013 semester, the training required under the Dignity for All Student Act (DASA) will be included in EDU 303 at Fredonia. Undergraduate candidates planning to graduate after Fall 2013 who have already completed EDU 303 on campus or taken a workshop as a substitution for EDU 303 must also complete the EDU DASA workshop prior to graduation.