In Short
Be better prepared to teach the increasing number of multilingual learners in schools today.
- Top 10 languages spoken by Massachusetts students are: Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Cape Verdean Creole, Arabic, Khmer, Russian, and French
- While total student enrollment has dropped since 2000, the number of ELL students has almost doubled to over 90,204 students, or 9.5% of the student population. 90% of school districts have at least one ELL student, 19% of districts have 100 or more ELLs. (2019)*
This program offers current and future educators an opportunity to be equipped with the knowledge of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). With this knowledge, you can be better prepared for the increasing diversity in our schools.
Massachusetts educators can use the knowledge gained through this coursework to prepare for the ESL MTEL exam.
*According to LanguageOpportunity.org
Curriculum and Other Information
- Pedagogy and Learning, TESL - Program information from the University Catalog.
- Plan of Study (PDF)
- Students will develop as a reflective, student-centered educator.
- Students will develop culturally responsive teaching skills to effectively meet the needs of all learners in diverse environments.
- Students will effectively articulate and apply educational theory and research in the field of education.
- Students will apply second language acquisition theory to planning, implementing, and assessing instruction.
- ESL teacher
- K-12, Adult, International school setting
- ESL paraprofessional
- Educational consultant
- English language institutes
- ESL tutor/private instructor
Completed applications are reviewed on a rolling admission basis. Admissions requirements are as follows:
- An official transcript of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
- Professional resume
- Three letters of recommendation
- A personal statement (maximum 300 words). The statement should describe your goals and reasons for applying to this program and should include information about previous coursework, training or work experience related to the program.
- Graduate application and fee
Still have questions? We're here to help!
We know you're busy, so we've given you a few different options to conveniently get the answers you need. You can…
- Email an enrollment counselor gce@fitchburgstate.edu or call 978.665.3182
- Attend an information session
- Watch a webinar