Graduate Program Admissions

Program Emphasis

The M.A. in ESL is a graduate degree with a dual emphasis on practical language teaching and on providing tools for research in the areas of teaching methodology, language analysis, materials development, second language acquisition, and language assessment. Graduate students in the SLS program are expected to do independent and creative work in one or two of these areas with the aim of developing a more complete understanding of the issues facing professionals in the field of ESL today. In addition, the M.A. program provides a semester of supervised teaching experience, working in one of the programs or courses for international students at the University of Minnesota or in other ESL programs in the Twin Cities. We consider all applicants for financial aid. There is no separate form to fill out for this departmental aid. If you would like to apply for a student loan, contact the University of Minnesota Office of Financial Aid (200 Fraser Hall, 106 Pleasant St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455-0422; phone, 612-624-1655, or toll-free at 1-800-400-8636) or visit their website at http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/financialaid.html

Background of Applicants

Applicants should have a broad background in the liberal arts or sciences, including experience in writing research papers, training in independent and analytical thinking, experience in critically evaluating ideas, and exposure to areas of thought beyond their major. It is expected that candidates will have developed good oral and written communication skills and that they will have an interest in the theoretical as well as the practical aspects of language learning and teaching. While previous training or experience in linguistics, ESL, or language learning and teaching is advantageous, it is not necessary for admission to the program.

Applying to the Graduate Program

STUDENTS ARE ONLY ADMITTED TO THE M.A. ESL PROGRAM FOR THE SUMMER OR FALL SEMESTER OF EACH YEAR.

The documents listed below must be received in our office by the application deadline of February 15.

1.

Complete Graduate School Application Form online at http://www.grad.umn.edu/prospective_students/apply_online.html using a credit card (send transcripts separately). For the Personal Statement, please explain your interest in the M.A. ESL program at the University of Minnesota, including experiences that led to this decision to apply (teaching at home or abroad, learning foreign languages, etc.). Please also describe your plans after obtaining your degree if you are accepted into our program.

As part of the online application, please also provide the following supplementary information:
a. Please upload a current CV.
b. Please upload a writing sample of 1500 words or fewer, explaining its source (course paper, final exam, publication, etc.).

   
2. Official transcripts of all college work
   
  Applicants who are admitted usually have maintained a grade point average of 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale) in undergraduate coursework.
   
  Send transcripts directly to:
Graduate School
309 Johnston Hall, 101 Pleasant Street S.E.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0421 		Send copy to ESL Program:
ILES
214 Nolte Ctr, 315 Pillsbury Dr. S.E.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0421
   
3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
   
  Send Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the general aptitude test (verbal, quantitative, analytical writing), taken on or after January 2007. 
Use the following code numbers:
University of Minnesota - 6874.
English as a Second Language/Foreign Language - 3907.
   
 

Send GRE scores to:
Program in ESL, ILES
214 Nolte Center, 315 Pillsbury Drive S.E.
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0421

Please note we must receive these test scores by the February 15 deadline. We cannot consider applications that are missing GRE Scores.

   
4. Letters of Recommendation (at least 3)
   
 

The Graduate School at the University of Minnesota has gone to an online letter of recommendation system. Instructions for how to use this system are included in the online application through the Graduate School website. We strongly prefer that recommenders submit online letters, although we will still accept hard copy letters that follow the online format. Applicants can print this form and mail it to their recommenders.

Submit at least three letters of recommendation that discuss the applicant’s ability to do academic graduate work. One letter should address (preferably recent) academic performance and one should address the applicant’s teaching skills, if this applicant has experience teaching. We strongly prefer that applicants have prior English language teaching experience; you should document the nature of that experience in your application materials.

Online letters are submitted automatically; if you will be submitting paper copy letters, mail them directly to:

   
 

Director of Graduate Studies in ESL
ILES, 214 Nolte Center
315 Pillsbury Drive S.E.
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0421

All letters must be received by the 2/15 deadline. It is your responsibility to check that all letters are in your application file by this deadline.

   
5. TOEFL or IELTS Score (for non-native speakers of English only)
  TOEFL score of at least 100 (internet-based), 250 (computer-based), or 600 (paper-based) with a TWE score of 5 OR an IELTS score of 7. Test scores must be less than two years old, taken on or after January 2007.
 
 

The University of Minnesota code is 6874.

Send TOEFL or IELTS scores directly to:
Graduate School
309 Johnston Hall, 101 Pleasant Street S.E.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0421		 Send copy to ESL Program:
ILES
214 Nolte Ctr, 315 Pillsbury Dr. S.E.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0421

Sometimes the English language proficiency level of  an applicant may be in doubt. In such cases, non-native speaker applicants may be admitted for a year of professional development coursework in the ESL program, and if their English skills improve during the course of the year, they will be admitted to the M.A. Program.  At the end of a year, if their English language proficiency is still considered too low, they will be judged inadmissible to the MA ESL Program at the University of Minnesota.

   

Further information about the M.A. program in English as a Second Language at the University of Minnesota are available from:

English as a Second Language
ILES, 214 Nolte Center, 315 Pillsbury Drive S.E.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0421

Phone: (612) 624-3331
FAX: (612) 624-4579

website: www.iles.umn.edu/esl
Email: Professor Anne Lazaraton lazaratn@umn.edu

 

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