MA/MS in Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language

This online graduate program prepares teachers to work with students who are learning English as an additional language. Graduates can teach or lead programs in American K-12 schools or in international settings. Students study different approaches to teaching and learning a second language, along with the vocabulary of linguistics and methods for assessing language ability. They put theories of how people acquire language, and how society shapes speech, into practice through lesson plans, curriculum design, syllabus design and needs analysis. Technology and computer-assisted instruction are woven into the planning work. Courses run in a seven-week format. A specialist certificate in ESL can be finished in three semesters, while the full master's degree takes five. The program is described as a response to growing linguistic diversity in classrooms.