Creating Certified Professional Educators

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Kennesaw State University is designed for individuals holding a bachelor's degree without prior education experience or teacher certification. This program equips graduates to teach P-12 students from diverse social, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. Upon successful completion of the coursework and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC), graduates qualify for initial teaching certification. The program involves intensive field placements within schools, providing hands-on teaching experience, and furthers our mission to create educators who can meet the diverse needs of students in today's world.

Program Overview

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The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is a degree for those with a bachelor’s degree, but no education background or teacher certification. Successful completion of program coursework and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) approved content pedagogy assessment, qualifies graduates for initial teaching certification.

The MAT TESOL focuses on teaching P-12 students with varying social, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.  Core courses include curriculum development, collaborative practices, and content area reading and writing.

Teachers who currently hold a valid teaching certificate, and who are interested in a TESOL master's degree program, should go to the  TESOL M.Ed. website.

How long will it take to complete?
Students complete the 36 credit hours of course work over a period of approximately 4-7 semesters (including courses in the summer). The final two semesters include intensive field placements within schools.

Program of Study

Summer I
INED 7781: Cultural Issues for ESOL Teachers (3 credit hours)
EDUC 6240: Psychological Foundations of Education (3 credit hours)

Fall I
INED 7782: Applied Linguistics for ESOL Teachers (3 credit hours)
INED 7783: Methods and Materials for Teaching ESOL (3 credit hours)

Spring I
INED 7779: Collaborative Practices with Families, Schools & Communities (3 credit hours)
INED 7787: Content Area Reading and Writing for English Learners (3 credit hours)

Summer II
INED 7750: Language, Power and Pedagogy (3 credit hours)
INED 7763: Curriculum Development for Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Learners (3 credit hours)

Fall II
EDUC 6610: Introduction to Yearlong Clinical Experience (F2F) (0 credit hours)
INED 6650: TESOL Yearlong Clinical Experience I (F2F) (3 credit hours)
INED 6400: Effectively Supporting Students with Exceptionalities in Inclusive Settings (3 credit hours)

Spring II
INED 6660: TESOL Yearlong Clinical Experience II (F2F) (6 credit hours)

TOTAL 36 Credit Hours

Program Admission Requirements

Must possess the following beyond the general KSU Graduate College Admission Requirements:  

  • Degree – Bachelor’s degree.
  • Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment – Uploaded to graduate application. Information may be found on the GACE Ethics website.  You may print a copy of your completion certification from the GACE Ethics test taker website.
  • Professional Resume – Uploaded to graduate application.  Should document education, any teaching experience, volunteer and service accomplishments, and record of leadership activities.

* Please note: International Students (Visa and Green Card Holders) Please visit KSU’s International Graduate Admissions site for additional requirements. Additionally, KSU’s International Student and Scholar Services provides assistance. 

Deadline

Enrolls Summer - May 1 deadline

Contact Us

For more information about this program please email Dr. Jayoung Choi at ined-info@kennesaw.edu.

For more information on graduate admissions, please email DegreeUp@kennesaw.edu.

M.A.T TESOL Frequently Asked Questions

  • For more information regarding the MAT in TESOL, please contact Dr. Jayoung Choi, the program coordinator, at jchoi44@kennesaw.edu.
  • Review of applications takes several weeks and begins after the application deadline has been reached. You will receive an email from the graduate school notifying you of your acceptance. In that email you will also receive information about proving your US citizenship, orientation detail and registration instructions. After this, a formal letter will be sent to your home address detailing your acceptance as well.
  • You are able to transfer up to 9 credit hours of course work based upon review and approval by the program coordinator. This coursework cannot be older than 5 years.
  • To determine if you are eligible for financial aid, please visit http://graduate.kennesaw.edu/admissions/apply/online-application.php for information relating to options available for graduate students. Since TESOL is a critical shortage area, you may also be interested in learning more about the TEACH grants. Please contact Donna Tuitt, KSU Graduate Financial Aid Coordinator, at 678-797-2044 for more information.
  • Students complete the 39 credit hours of course work over a period of approximately 4-7 semesters (including courses in the summer). The final two semesters include intensive field placements within schools.
  • Currently, all courses are offered online. When courses are offered F2F, various late afternoon and evening courses are offered in order to better suit our candidates' schedules.
  • Information regarding current tuition and fees can be found by visiting http://fiscalservices.kennesaw.edu/bursar/tuition-fees/tuition-fees.php.
  • Each semester consists of two to three courses, while candidates could decide to take more or fewer courses each semester depending on their goals and needs.
  • No.
  • If your undergraduate degree was in a field other than education you are still be eligible to apply for the MAT program.
  • No, you do need a valid teaching certificate in order to be accepted in to the program.

Testimonials

roseann gapusan
My name is Roseann Gapusan and I am a summer 2021 MAT ESOL graduate of KSU. I became aware of the program through Cobb County School District. CCSD and KSU started a program where qualified paraprofessionals could get their teaching certificate in 4 semesters and have their full-time work count as clinical experience in many instances. At the time I was transitioning out of another career. I felt the education profession calling me. This gave me the perfect opportunity. I was able to keep my paraprofessional job and meet the requirements of the MAT ESOL program. My class was the first cohort of Cobb paraprofessionals completing this program. It was intense and gratifying at the same time. A core group of paraprofessional-MAT candidates gave each other support and guidance throughout this program, that happened to be during the COVID lockdowns and virtual teaching.

My favorite aspect of the program was learning about pedagogy, and historical and current developments in advocating for English Learners. It is something I deal with every day. What I am most grateful for is the study of instructional strategies and knowing the data behind these strategies. It has been incredibly helpful in my practice.

For anyone looking to enter the education profession, I recommend this program. The faculty are high caliber when it comes to knowledge of content, instruction and real-life guidance. The office staff was also very helpful in guiding me through the requirements of the state and county certification process.

Currently, I am an ESOL Environmental Science teacher at Pebblebrook High School in Cobb County. I am certified at the professional level in ESOL K-12 and Broad Based Science 6-12. I always aspired to work in a Title 1 and Title 3 school. The MAT ESOL program at KSU helped me achieve that goal. Everyday I feel that my work matters, makes a difference and that I am equipped to support and teach my students.

testimonial