COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master of Arts in the Teaching of Languages (MATL) with a Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) emphasis at The University of Southern Mississippi is a 33-credit-hour graduate program designed to prepare educators for advanced teaching roles in English language instruction for multilingual and international learners. In addition to the university’s standard graduate admission requirements, applicants must submit a current résumé, three recommendation letters, and a 300–500 word statement of purpose written in English explaining their professional goals, academic interests, teaching experience, travel abroad experiences, and motivation for pursuing graduate study in language teaching. International applicants whose native language is not English must provide official TOEFL scores with a minimum Internet-based score of 83 and no section below 19, or an IELTS score of at least 6.5 with no sub-score below 6. Students in the TESOL emphasis whose first language is English must also satisfy a foreign language requirement by completing at least nine undergraduate credit hours in a foreign language or demonstrating equivalent proficiency with an average grade of “B” or higher. The program combines theoretical foundations with practical instructional training through coursework in second language teaching methods, applied linguistics, second language acquisition, and sociocultural and sociolinguistic perspectives in language learning. Students also complete a supervised practicum that provides real-world teaching experience in second or foreign language educational settings. In addition to the core courses, students complete four additional TESOL-focused courses and six hours of electives that allow them to explore specialized areas related to language education and multilingual instruction. Instead of a traditional written comprehensive examination, students must successfully defend a professional portfolio demonstrating their academic achievement, instructional competence, and professional growth throughout the program. The TESOL emphasis is especially valuable for educators seeking careers in English language teaching, international education, multilingual classrooms, adult language programs, or ESL instruction in schools, colleges, and community organizations. Through its combination of linguistic theory, practical teaching experience, cultural understanding, and professional development, the program equips graduates with the expertise and instructional skills necessary to effectively teach English to learners from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.