English as a Second Language, K-12 (M.Ed.)
The ESL program is designed for those wishing to teach students in grades K-12 who are learning English as a second language. Coursework includes required applied linguistics and grammar courses taught by faculty in the School of Education and Human Services as well as the School of Arts and Sciences. Six credits of a modern foreign language are required for licensure in addition to the graduate program requirements. This program is designed to meet initial licensure requirements in Virginia for teaching ESL in grades K-12. A total of 39 credits are required for degree completion and licensure.
Core Requirements for Licensure
Thirty-three (33) credits are required as follows: (ED 502 and ED 503 are required as the first courses in this program since they provide the foundation for all other courses.)
- ED 502 Foundations of Education field experience: 10 hours)
- ED 503 Curriculum: Theory and Practice (field experience: 10 hours)
- ED 522 Reading, Language Development, and Remedial Strategies (field experience: 10 hours)
- ED 543 Fundamentals of Language Arts, or EN 550 General Linguistics
- ED 553 Teaching English as a Second Language (field experience: 10 hours)
- ED 563 ESL/ESP: Curricula, Materials, and Tests (field experience: 10 hours)
- ED 565 Cross-cultural Education and the Language Arts (field experience: 10 hours)
- ED 570D Student Teaching: ESOL Students (field experience: 14 weeks)
- PS 505 Advanced Study of Individuals with Exceptionalities (field experience: 10 hours)
- ED 554 Computers and Technology in the Classroom
Additional Requirements for M.Ed.
Six additional credits are required, three of which must be in applied linguistics:
- ED 561 Teaching Language Pragmatics
- EN 552 Applied Phonology
- EN 554 Applied Grammar: Syntactic Structures
- EN 558 History of the English Language
- Education elective