Second Language Teaching - MSLT

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College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies

The Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) degree program is designed for students desiring additional training at the graduate level in an integrative, interdisciplinary program combining coursework in the field of Foreign Language Education, Bilingual Education, and ESL/EFL Education. Attainment of the degree requires the completion of a minimum of 30 credits of coursework in the MSLT program. The program leading to the MSLT consists of a core curriculum of 18 credits and a professional curriculum of 12 credits. Courses in the core curriculum are designed to respond to the program’s emphasis areas in language, literacy, and culture. Courses in the professional curriculum address teaching methodology, curriculum preparation, materials development, and testing. A Master’s Project in the form of a substantial, cumulative Master’s Portfolio is also required. The Master’s Portfolio will include a comprehensive statement of the candidate’s philosophy of second language teaching and learning and how this philosophy will be applied in a professional environment. This project will be defended at the end of the degree program. All candidates must take a series of research courses in the professional curriculum designed to aid in preparing the Portfolio Project.

This master’s degree program does not lead to licensure by the Utah State Board of Education. Individuals who do not have Utah State Board of Education licensure and wish to obtain that credential must take the three-semester Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) in the Secondary Education Program of the School of Teacher Education and Leadership (TEAL) in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.

Program Requirements

What are the eligibility requirements for the MSLT program?

Eligibility requirements for the MSLT program are simple. If prospective applicants have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, have a minimum GPA (grade point average) of 3.0, and have passed the general aptitude section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Tests (MAT) with a score in the 40th percentile or higher, they are eligible to apply for admission to the MSLT program. Teaching certification is not required to be admitted into the program. Students in the MSLT program interested in obtaining state teaching certification need to contact the College of Education.

Prospective international applicants will also need to schedule and take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. Passing scores for the TOEFL are as follows: minimum required score for Internet-based TOEFL test: 79; minimum required score for paper-based TOEFL test: 59. Passing scores for the IELTS exam are as follows: minimum required score: 6.0 (and a minimum score of 5 on each subscale). Please note that TOEFL or IELTS scores that are more than two years old are not accepted. International applicants with English proficiency scores below Utah State University’s (USU) minimum required scores will be denied admission to USU. Also note that the MSLT program no longer accepts USU’s Intensive English Language Institute’s (IELI) English language placement exam results nor English language course completion in the IELI program as a way to satisfy the English proficiency requirement; only official TOEFL or IELTS scores can be used to demonstrate proficiency when applying the MSLT program.

Course Requirements (30 credits)

Required Courses (21 credits)

LING 6010 - Research in Second Language Learning 3 credit(s)
LING 6400 - Second Language Teaching: Theory and Practice 3 credit(s)
LING 6500 - Second Language Acquisition: Theory and Practice 3 credit(s)
LING 6520 - Technology for Language Teaching 3 credit(s)
LING 6820 - Second Language Pragmatics 3 credit(s)
LING 6900 - Culture Teaching and Learning: Theory and Practice 3 credit(s)
LING 6910 - Exploring the Portfolio 1 credit(s)
LING 6920 - Developing the Portfolio 1 credit(s)
LING 6930 - Finishing the Portfolio 1 credit(s)

Electives (9 credits)

FREN 6200 - French Linguistics and Phonetics 3 credit(s)
GERM 6200 - German Linguistics and Phonetics 3 credit(s)
LING 6600 - Sociocultural Perspectives on Language Learning 3 credit(s)
LING 6700 - Foundations of Dual Language and Immersion Education 3 credit(s) (take 3 credits)
LING 6800 - Topics in Second Language Acquisition 3 credit(s)
LING 6810 - Current Issues in Teaching World Languages 3 credit(s)
LING 6830 - Sociolinguistics, Sociolinguistic Competence, and Second Language Acquisition 3 credit(s)
LING 6940 - Independent Study 1-3 credit(s)
SPAN 6200 - Spanish Linguistics and Phonetics 3 credit(s)
TEAL 6XXX-level course (offered by the Teacher Education and Leadership program; consult with MSLT Co-Directors before enrolling) (3 credits)
ITLS 6XXX-level course (offered by the Instructional Technologies and Learning Sciences program; consult with MSLT Co-Directors before enrolling) (3 credits)

Portfolio

The portfolio provides a way of tying together major themes, issues and perspectives the student has encountered and reflected upon over the course of the program. This needs to be cast in the light of what it means to the student, and for the student’s teaching situation. The portfolio is a capstone, and the writing of the portfolio is a process of making connections and making explicit the knowledge the student has gained over the time period that the student was enrolled in the program. The portfolio is a demonstration of the student’s professionalism and marks the beginning of the student’s new professional identity as a result of having gone through the MSLT program.

For more program information, including admission requirements, degree requirements, courses, and financial assistance, contact the departmental office or see the program’s website at https://chass.usu.edu/languages.