Master of Arts in Teaching - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages online

Unlock the power of language. As an English-language educator, you’ll be prepared to embrace cultures and languages worldwide, empower students of all ages and work toward educational equity in your community.

The USC Rossier School of Education offers a Master of Arts in Teaching – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages online (MAT–TESOL online) degree program that will prepare you to teach English, both in the United States and internationally, using rigorous and culturally responsive teaching strategies.

By completing additional requirements, students in the online program may also pursue a California Preliminary Single Subject Teaching Credential in the area of English Language Development (ELD).

MAT–TESOL online Overview

The MAT–TESOL online program is designed to prepare equity-minded language educators who embody exceptional language teaching, critical inquiry and transformative advocacy. Our graduates are:

  • Ambitious language teachers who facilitate language learning experiences that are engaging and effective for all students.
  • Curious and reflective practitioners who engage in ongoing inquiry to ensure their instruction is relevant, effective and culturally sustaining.
  • Committed to positive social change and work with others to close opportunity gaps and address injustices related to languages and language learners around the world.
24 Units

With the option to add additional competencies

2 Paths

Full-time or part-time
paths available 1

1-3 Years

You can earn your MAT–TESOL online in as few as 12 months.

In the MAT–TESOL online program you will:

  • Earn a teaching degree from a top-ranked education school. 2
  • Attend weekly, live online classes, complemented by dynamic self-paced coursework.
  • Hone your teaching skills through field experiences in or near your community.
  • Prepare to earn your teaching credential online (for those pursuing a credential). 3

By completing additional requirements, students in the online program may also pursue a California Preliminary Single Subject Teaching Credential in the area of English Language Development (ELD).

Curriculum

The MAT–TESOL online program offers the same academically rigorous curriculum as our on-campus program.

The curriculum is designed to prepare you to teach rigorously and think critically and innovatively to identify and close opportunity gaps for underserved students around the world. As you advance through the program, you will acquire knowledge and skills in four broad categories:

  • Instructional approaches
  • How languages are acquired
  • How languages are structured and used
  • The importance of social context in learning and teaching

Program Goals

As an MAT–TESOL online student, you’ll be equipped with critical and innovative thinking skills in combination with rigorous teacher training so you can close opportunity gaps for underserved students around the world. Our program is shaped by three program goals:

Exceptional Teaching

We develop critically ambitious language teachers who facilitate highly engaging learning experiences that are effective for all language learners.

Critical Inquiry

We produce graduates who routinely employ multiple strategies to deepen their understanding of their learners, the teaching context and their own practice.

Transformative Advocacy

We equip our teachers to be transformative intellectuals who work with others to correct injustice affecting languages, language education and language learners.

Make a Difference in Students’ Lives

Credential and Certificate

USC Rossier offers two options for enhancing your MAT–TESOL online degree.

English Language Development (ELD) Credential (California residents only)

Students who pursue the ELD Credential add-on will complete an additional 4 units of coursework for a minimum of 28 units. Students who live domestically must reside in California in order to be eligible to pursue an ELD credential. International students may also pursue the California ELD Credential track.

Please note that both domestic and international students pursuing the MAT–TESOL online credential track may need to travel more than 20 miles for an eligible site/ELD credentialed master teacher, depending on the placement location.

Gifted Education Certificate

The Gifted Education Certificate is designed to help educators develop the specialized knowledge and skills needed to recognize and respond to individual differences among gifted and talented students and to address the varying needs, interests and abilities of all students.

The certificate requires 6 units of additional coursework and is available as an add-on for students.

Courses

Sample TESOL master’s program courses include:

  • Applied Linguistics for English Language Educators
  • Theories of Language Learning and Teaching
  • Assessment and Instruction for Diverse Language Learners
  • Social Foundations of Language Education
  • Approaches and Strategies for Language Teaching
  • Technology Enhanced Language Instruction Design and Practice

View complete course descriptions.

Become an English-Language Teacher

Fieldwork

For students pursuing a credential, you will complete a 600-hour clinical practice seminar over the course of two terms at a placement site at a school in or near your community. You will also complete a teaching practice course in which you will hone your skills in curriculum development, lesson planning, instruction and classroom management.

Learn more about fieldwork.

Your Teaching Career Begins Here

The MAT–TESOL online program prepares graduates to teach English to a diverse set of students of all ages, from elementary to university levels or beyond traditional educational settings.

As an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, you will have the flexibility to advance your career in the United States or internationally. Graduates of the MAT–TESOL online program pursue teaching positions in a variety of settings and locations around the world. Examples include:

  • Private language school teacher
  • Language tutor
  • Instructor in college- or university-level language program
  • Education consultant for international students
  • Curriculum developer
  • Language education business employee
  • PhD students in applied linguistics, bilingual education or other related areas for a career in academia

Learn more about what you can do with an MAT–TESOL online degree and how USC Rossier can support your goals.

Student Experience

Our MAT–TESOL online experience is rigorous, hands-on and collaborative. You’ll form meaningful relationships with classmates and a worldwide community of educators — and you’ll see what it means to be part of the legendary #TrojanFamily.

Help Close the Gap

Learn more about the USC Rossier MAT–TESOL online program by filling out this form.

1 Full-time students can take 8–10 units per term. Part-time students can take 4–5 units per term. Return to footnote reference
2 Best Education Schools (2019) U.S. News & World Report Retrieved August 13, 2019. Return to footnote reference
3 The MAT–TESOL online degree is an academic credential and does not in itself constitute a teaching license. Graduates of the MAT–TESOL online program are eligible to take the California teacher licensing examination and will receive a California Level I Preliminary Credential upon passing the examination. Regardless of the state in which students are seeking their credential, students are required to satisfy the California-based program requirements of the USC MAT–TESOL online program by successfully passing the edTPA during the student teaching course. Return to footnote reference