Looking to pursue certification for K-12, to teach English abroad or to encourage those who do not speak English in the US? Try SAU Online’s Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). You’ll receive the experience you need to successfully help others in ministry and community settings.

Why the Master’s Degree in TESOL at Spring Arbor University Online?

• Complete your degree in just 33 credit hours
• Prepare to teach English abroad or in ministry and community settings
• Pursue endorsement for use with your teacher certification
• Apply what you’re learning in our field-based lab experiences.

Choose the track that best fits your goals:

MA in TESOL (K-5 or 6-12 education) is a 33-credit program. Michigan teachers seeking the ESL endorsement through this program will also need to pass the MTTC test for ESL (NS), meet English proficiency requirements, and provide evidence of the study of a foreign language (one semester at the undergraduate level, two semesters in high school, or extensive time living or working in a non-English speaking country).

Certified teachers from other states are required to have a BA or BS from a university in the United States, England or Canada with a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. If the BA or BS was obtained at a non-USA university and the candidate is a non-native speaker of English, the candidate must have a TOEFL score of 100 iBT or its equivalent or IELTS 6.5. Candidates can also opt to take the Michigan Basic Skills Test to demonstrate English proficiency.

MA in TESOL in Adolescent and Adult Education is suited for students with a BA or BS degree with a major in a wide variety of subjects from accredited institutions but without K-12 teacher certification. Students in this track may be interested in teaching English abroad in middle schools and high schools in some countries or in after-school English Language programs for elementary children in non-English speaking countries. Graduates may also teach in ministry-based settings primarily with adult students in the USA or abroad, or in university settings with college-age students in the USA or abroad. The AAE track preparation does not allow candidates to teach in K-12 schools in the USA, but may allow them to teach in middle school or high school settings as conversational English teachers in some countries.

The MA in TESOL-AAE requires a BA or BS degree from an accredited institution in the United States, England, and Canada or from an institution where the language of instruction was 100% in English. The minimum accumulative GPA in the undergraduate program must be at least a 3.0 average on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent. Native English speakers are required to show evidence of at least one semester of a foreign language at the undergraduate level, or two semesters in high school, or evidence of extensive time spent working and living in a non-English speaking country. Non-native speakers of English with a BA or BS degree from an institution in a non-English speaking country where the language of instruction was not English must have a TOEFL score of 100 iBT or its equivalent or an IELTS 6.5 within the last six years. If the candidate has spent significant time in the United States, England or Canada, the candidate may request to demonstrate proficiency in English through professor observation of listening and speaking, as well as a college-level reading comprehension assessment and writing assessment.