Concurrent B.A. in Linguistics and M.A. in TESL/Applied Linguistics

Program Description

A concurrent B.A. in Linguistics and M.A. in TESL/Applied Linguistics offers well-qualified students the opportunity for accelerated study, achieving both degrees within a 5-year time frame. A student enrolled in this program pursues a graduate M.A. degree while simultaneously completing the requirements for the B.A. in Linguistics. Completing the concurrent degree program would enable students to enter the workforce one year earlier than through the traditional M.A. degree pathway. Up to six credits can be double-counted toward the requirements for both degrees. Students applying for the concurrent degree program should be motivated, focused, and able to handle a 16+ credit hour/semester schedule.

Eligibility (all qualifications must be met to apply)

• A minimum 45 credits in undergraduate program completed
• Two years of ISU foreign language study or bilingualism demonstrated by an approved language test (completed or in progress)
• At least 12 credits of Linguistics courses completed with a major GPA of 3.2 or higher
• A minimum cumulative ISU GPA of 3.0

Timeline

Students should know by the middle of their sophomore year if they are interested in pursuing the concurrent program. We recommend that students plan ahead and notify the Director of Linguistics (lingdirector@iastate.edu) as soon as they know of their intent to apply for the concurrent degree; if possible, the linguistics director should be notified of intent to pursue the concurrent degrees by the end of the 4th semester.

Students interested in concurrent enrollment should talk with the Director of Linguistics about plans to apply for the concurrent program by no later than the end of the 6th semester) by submitting the concurrent enrollment application materials (listed below).

If accepted into the concurrent enrollment program, students should begin taking graduate courses (by the onset of the fourth year of study). Students accepted into the concurrent enrollment program will continue to work with the undergraduate Director of Linguistics until the BA degree requirements are met. By the onset of the fifth year of study, students should have identified an area for their thesis/creative component and established an Academic Plan Committee (including a major professor).

Students become full-time graduate students upon acceptance into the concurrent degree program and are assessed graduate tuition and fees. Students are eligible for research assistantships upon entry into the concurrent degree program, although it should be noted that these opportunities are rare. Students are eligible to apply for a teaching assistantship early in the student’s 8^th semester once it is determined that all requirements for the BA degree will be met by the end of the spring semester. The TA application deadline for current students in English Department graduate programs is January 15^th for the fall semester. TA selection will follow the standard procedures for the department.

Admission Criteria

The admission criteria are generally the same as those required for all graduate students in the department. Application materials are reviewed by the Director of Linguistics and/or graduate faculty in linguistics, the department’s Director of Graduate Education (DOGE), and the department chair. Their recommendations are forwarded to the ISU Graduate College.

Application deadline and how to apply

As early as possible (no later than the end of the 6th semester), talk with the Director of Linguistics about your interests and plans. The application fee is $60 for domestic applicants and $100 for international applicant’s.

The following components make up a student’s application and must be submitted by the end of their 6^th semester:

1. Complete a new graduate application in your Admissions MyAccount. Login here to begin.
2. The following documents are required to be uploaded to your application via action items that will appear and the upload option:
   • Statement of purpose, usually 1-2 pages, explaining why you want to pursue the MA TESL/Applied Linguistics degree
   • Three (3) letters of recommendation. List three names and email addresses in the application to receive email requests to submit their recommendations
   • Curriculum vitae including educational background, awards, accomplishments, etc.
   • Create a curriculum plan with the Director of Linguistics who works closely with members of the graduate faculty
   • Expository writing sample (5–20 double-spaced pages) demonstrating critical analysis and research skills in the intended major; applicants typically submit an essay they produced for an undergraduate or graduate course in English or a related field written for an undergraduate course at ISU

Any questions can be directed to englgrad@iastate.edu about the application process and requirements.

Once an admissions decision is made by the program, you will be notified and your application processed accordingly with our recommendation. If approved, the Admissions Office processes the application for graduate study. Upon admission, applicants will receive departmental admission letters and official ISU admissions letters the same as other graduate program applicants. Official enrollment and fee payment will be as a graduate student beginning that term of entry into the concurrent program.

Degree Requirements and Curriculum Plans

Curriculum plan BA in Linguistics

 

Curriculum plan MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics

 

Five-year plan for Concurrent BA in Linguistics and MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics

Curricular Policies and Guidelines

Transferring concurrent credits

Language Requirement

Satisfying the MA TESL/AL Language Requirement may require additional coursework. The spirit of this requirement is that students, before they graduate, will have had a language-learning experience either in the recent past or concurrent with working toward their degree. All students are required to submit a Language Requirement Form indicating how this requirement is to be met or has been met signed by your assigned program advisor/major professor and submitted to the Graduate Program Administrative Assistant (englgrad@iastate.edu) for approval by the Director of Graduate Education in order to receive acknowledgement on your official academic record that a language requirement has been met.

Native speakers of English

The following are the most typical ways for native speakers of English to fulfill the requirement. Students who believe they have fulfilled the requirement in other ways should write a petition to DOGE explaining their situation. To satisfy the language requirement, students must

• have completed one year (or its equivalent) of college-level study in a single foreign language with a grade of B or higher, as shown on a transcript, no more than ten (10) years before beginning graduate work in the TESL/Applied Linguistics program; students who finished at least one year of college-level language study more than ten (10) years before beginning graduate work in TESL/Applied Linguistics must complete one semester of college-level study of any foreign language with a grade of B or higher, concurrent with working toward the degree OR
• complete one year or its equivalent of college-level study in a single foreign language, with a grade of B or higher in the second semester, concurrent with working toward the degree OR
• demonstrate proficiency in a single foreign language by means of a CLEP exam available through the College Board equivalent to one year of college-level study OR
• provide clear evidence of a bilingual background

Nonnative speakers of English

Nonnative speakers of English must pass the English Placement Test (EPT) as a graduate student or qualify for one of the EPT exemptions (see exemption information on their website); if students fail the EPT, they will be required to take and pass English classes.

All graduate students in the TESL/Applied Linguistics MA program whose first language is not English are required to pass the OECT as part of their program requirements. To pass, students must achieve a Level 1 certification or may be exempted from taking one or both of the OECT components. Check the OECT website for further information.

The Academic Plan Committee and Academic Plan

Students should begin establishing their Academic Plan Committee and Academic Plan (Concurrent MA) as soon as possible to meet a department established deadline for master’s students in their second semester. See the English Department Graduate Program Handbook, Section 2.6 for more details and information on the Academic Plan Committee requirements and deadline for forming your committee and submitting the Academic Plan.

Thesis or Creative Component options

In your last semester as an MA TESL/Applied Linguistics student, you will complete either a traditional thesis or a creative component. Students should refer to Guidelines for Thesis and Creative Component, Section 2.7 as soon as they begin to establish their Academic Plan Committee and share their research interests

Final Oral Defense of the Thesis or Creative Component (Final Oral Examination)

See the section on Program Completion/Graduation, Section 1.10 for more details and information on finishing up as well as resources with links to very helpful information.