Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

UMBC offers a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL) and a 4-course Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (TESOL PBC) through the Department of Education in cooperation with the Division of Professional Studies. The TESOL program prepares prospective and experienced teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). It provides students with a strong theoretical and practical foundation in educational linguistics, language acquisition, ESLEFL methods, assessment, cross-cultural studies, and curriculum development. The MA TESOL includes general, P-12 certification, and thesis options. Both the master’s degree and the certificate can be taken completely on campus, completely online or as a combination of on campus and online courses.

The Graduate School recommends applicants have at least a 3.0 GPA or “B” average when applying.For transcripts from schools abroad, the UMBC Graduate School will accept official WES (World Education Services) ICAP Course-by-Course evaluations but note that these evaluations are not required.Students who are unable to meet the minimum GPA standards may still be admitted to graduate study by demonstrating outstanding performance on one or more of the graduate aptitude tests or by providing letters of recommendation from evaluators who can speak to the applicant’s performance as a student or in a professional capacity.Standards for admission to a doctoral program are generally higher than those for admission to a master’s program. The terms of this admission are based on specific recommendations made by the applicant’s department in conjunction with the Graduate School.