Department of Linguistics

Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching: Jeff Connor-Linton, Ph.D.
For questions about the MAT program, requirements and admissions, please contact lxgradprog@georgetown.edu.

The Department of Linguistics offers two degrees for the Master of Arts in Teaching:

M.A.T. in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)
M.A.T. In TESL and Bilingual Education (TBED)

Further details concerning requirements, standards and procedures for the MAT are given in the Linguistics Graduate Student Handbook and the Graduate Bulletin.

The requirements for both degrees are 36 credits with a Teaching Portfolio. Course requirements for Teaching English as a Second Language and TESL/Bilingual Education are the same except that Bilingualism (LING 651-01) is a required course for TESL/Bilingual Education. A course in General Linguistics is considered a prerequisite of the MAT program. Students with little or no prior linguistics coursework are advised to take General Linguistics during the summer prior to beginning MAT coursework. This course does not count toward the MAT degree requirements.

Required courses are divided among the following categories:

• Departmental Core Courses: 9 credits

• Applied Linguistics Concentration Courses: 18 credits

• Electives: 9 credits

• Non-native Language Proficiency:  Demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language.

Licensing and Certification

The MA-TESL and MA-TSL/BE degrees do not confer a license or certification for teaching in public schools in the United States.  Many of the courses offered in these degree programs meet specific elements of the TESL certification requirements of Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, but graduates of our MAT programs must request 'transcript review' when applying for a provisional teaching license in any state's public school system.  Each state's licensing requirements vary, and graduates of our MAT programs may need to take additional coursework to get a permanent teaching license in some states.  Some states, including the District of Columbia, grant licenses only through accredited degree programs; Georgetown's MAT programs are not accredited to grant teaching licenses.

For complete details on the required courses and all other M.A.T. degree requirements, please refer to our Linguistics Gradaute Student Handbook.  All courses are to be selected by the student with the advisor's approval.

In addition to our two MAT degrees, we offer a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Master's of Arts in Teaching

Information about the Language Requirement