Teaching English as a Second Language, MEd

Program at a Glance

Build the foundation to work with learners from diverse linguistic, educational, and ethnic backgrounds. Our 30-credit program emphasizes language, literacy, applied linguistics, and second-language teaching approaches, with hands-on preparation for teaching at different levels. You’ll simultaneously work toward your MEd and your New Jersey certification in ESL and/or bilingual/bicultural education. Courses are offered in a hybrid format; most classes run from 5–7:30 p.m. weekly on a weekday evening.

Program Coordinator : Yiqiang Wu, wuyiqian@tcnj.edu

Who Should Pursue This Program?

This fully accredited program is ideal if you’re a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and want to pursue an advanced degree as well as ESL and/or bilingual/bicultural certification. You’ll learn to develop instructional materials, assess ESL students, and expand upon your cultural awareness and sensitivity. Complete program and state requirements to earn your MEd and be eligible for one or both certifications.

Careers

Many graduates teach in U.S. K–12 schools, while others teach internationally. Graduates hold supervisory positions in ESL and bilingual/bicultural education and world languages; work as researchers or curriculum developers; and pursue further studies in areas such as education leadership, international education, elementary education, linguistics, education psychology, and literacy.

For your application to be considered complete, you must submit the online application and all supplemental documents.

National Standardized Admission Test Requirement: Applicants to non-degree TESL or Bilingual programs who do not already hold a CEAS or standard certificate must provide official GRE scores with a minimum composite Verbal and Math score of 310 and a Writing score of 4 or pass the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators exams. Applicants to the MEd TESL program (who hold the above-required certificate) are required to take the GRE unless they meet the criteria of the waiver policy. Applicants should request that a score report be sent to The College of New Jersey (Code #R2519). The test scores must arrive by the application deadline and may not be over five years old. Graduate Admission Testing Information and Waivers
Prerequisite Courses: Applicants to TESL programs must present an undergraduate major (or 30 semester hours) in a liberal arts and science major or 60 semester-hour credits in liberal arts/sciences coursework. The undergraduate program must include English—two college-level courses minimum; Mathematics—two college-level courses minimum; Science—two college-level courses minimum; Social Studies—two college-level courses minimum (one of the courses must be U.S. History). An educational psychology course is a prerequisite for individuals who do not already hold a teaching certificate. Applicants must possess proven oral and written proficiency in the English language. All students who attend a non-U.S. Institution must have all their educational documents translated into English and evaluated on a course-by-course basis by an accredited agency regarding the U.S. equivalency of their coursework.
Copy of Teacher Certification: Applicants to TESL programs must provide the specified teaching certificate.

See graduate application requirements