Admission and degree requirements

Admission requirements and procedures

Applicants for the MA in English as a Second Language (ESL) complete two parts. The applicant first files an application with the Toulouse Graduate School (available on the UNT Graduate School web site). The applicant then submits the following to the College of Information Advising Office:

• a 300–500 word personal statement describing the applicant’s interests, career plans and purpose in working toward an MA; and
• a current vita or resume.

To be eligible for admission to the MA with a major in ESL, applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate semester credit hours prior to receiving a bachelor’s degree or a 2.8 GPA on all undergraduate work. The applicant must also submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants accepted into the MA with a major in ESL have presented verbal scores ranging from the 50th to the 99th percentile and analytical writing scores ranging from 4.0 to 6.0. Applicants whose native language is not English must also submit a score on the TOEFL examination. Scores on the computer-based TOEFL examination have ranged from 231 to 255.

Financial support

Beginning full-time students who meet all qualifications may apply for financial assistance in the form of the academic assistantship; those who have already completed 18 graduate hours in an area offered by linguistics may apply for a teaching fellowship. Applications for both may be requested from the linguistics program director.

Foreign language requirement

All candidates pursuing a master’s degree in ESL must have a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language. As evidence of such foreign language, a student may present the results of a standardized examination or have completed the sophomore year of a foreign language, or the equivalent, provided that the grade point average on all language courses is 2.75 or higher. A student who has permission to write a thesis or to enroll in LING 5920-LING 5930 and LING 5950 or in TECM 5950 will not be allowed to register for these courses until the foreign language requirement has been met.

Degree plan requirement

During the second term/semester of graduate work toward the master’s degree, the student is required to file a degree plan. Students should obtain an appointment as soon as possible after the registration period during their second term/semester’s work.

Comprehensive examination

All candidates for the MA with majors in ESL must pass the master’s comprehensive examination. This examination is given every Spring and Fall. Students must register for this examination and consult with the graduate advisor early in their programs to learn of the specific nature of the comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination may be taken twice. If a student fails the examination on both occasions, then permission for any retake of the examination must be granted by the graduate committee.

Candidates for the MA programs in ESL or linguistics who choose Option I or II must pass an oral defense of the proposal as well as a defense of the completed project (thesis or two scholarly papers).

Application checklist

Applicants should send the following materials directly to the Toulouse Graduate School:

1. A completed graduate application form with the intended major indicated in the appropriate blank.
2. Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores sent from the Educational Testing Service. Candidates applying for all MA programs in linguistics must take the GRE verbal and analytical writing sections.
3. Official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination for students whose native language is not English.
4. Official transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate academic work.

Applicants for the MA with majors in ESL should send the following materials directly to the College of Information advising office:

1. a 300–500 word personal statement describing the applicant’s interests, career plans and purpose in working toward an MA; and
2. a current vita or resume.

Candidates also applying for an academic assistantship or teaching fellowship should send the following directly to the linguistics program director:

1. A teaching fellowship/academic assistantship application.
2. Three letters of recommendation that assess the candidate’s potential both as scholar and as teacher.
3. Writing samples comprising two polished pieces (e.g., a research paper, manual, proposal, or other piece of technical communication).

Degree requirements

The MA with a major in English as a second language is a 36-hour program. Course requirements include 21 hours of core courses, 6 hours of foundation courses, 6 hours of electives, and a 3-hour research seminar taken during the last 9 hours of course work. Students who elect to write a thesis will take 6 hours of thesis LING 5950  in lieu of 6 elective hours.