Director of the Division: Eyamba G. Bokamba
Correspondence and Information: Director, Division of English as an International Language, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3070 Foreign Language Building , 707 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-1506
GRADUATE FACULTY
Professors: E. Bokamba, C.C. Cheng, W. Dickerson, H. Hock, B. Kachru, Y.
Kachru, C.-W. Kim, C. Kramarae, H. Maclay, S. Savignon, L. Zgusta
Associate Professors: L. Bouton, J.R. Cowan, G. Cziko, M. Mack, E. McClure
Assistant Professors: D. Cruickshank, F. Davidson, S. Gonzo, N. Markee, S. Taylor, M. Temperley
Emeritus Professor: K. Aston
GRADUATE PROGRAM
The Division of English as an International Language offers a master of arts in
the teaching of English as a second language (M.A.T.E.S.L.).
ADMISSION
In addition to meeting the Graduate College admission requirements, applicants
should present evidence of appropriate academic preparation in a relevant
discipline such as English, linguistics, a foreign language, or a
teacher-training curriculum in one of the above. Native speakers of English
must have studied at least one foreign language for four semesters or the
equivalent, or demonstrate an acceptable proficiency in a foreign language.
Non-native speakers of English must demonstrate an acceptable proficiency in
English by attaining a score of at least 570 on the TOEFL examination. All
applicants to the M.A.T.E.S.L. curriculum who are not native speakers of
English must take the TOEFL examination, even when the requirement for that
examination has been waived by the University itself.
MASTER OF ARTS IN THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
The program leading to this degree requires candidates to complete a minimum of
10 units of course work and either a written comprehensive examination or a
thesis. Usually candidates can meet all degree requirements in two years.
The M.A. program offers two separate curricula or tracks. One track is designed for candidates whose principal interests are in language pedagogy and related research. The other track encourages candidates to concentrate more heavily on applied research in various aspects of English studies, such as those listed below under faculty specializations. A detailed description of the two M.A. tracks is available upon request.
The doctor of philosophy degree, an option in applied linguistics and the teaching of English as an international language, is available through the Department of Linguistics and the interdisciplinary program in second language acquisition and teacher education (SLATE). Members of the graduate faculty of the Division of English as an International Language are available to serve on doctoral committees. Faculty specializations include neurolinguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, language testing, contrastive discourse, lexicography of English, stylistics, language processing, reading, literacy, pragmatics, computers in second language acquisition and learning, methodology of language teaching, curriculum design, and English in the world context. Applicants interested in working toward a doctorate in linguistics should write to the head, Department of Linguistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 4088 Foreign Language Building, 707 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801. Those interested in SLATE should write to the chair, SLATE Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3070 Foreign Languages Building, 707 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801.
FINANCIAL AID
Financial assistance is not usually awarded during a M.A.T.E.S.L. candidate's
first semester. Exceptions to this policy are sometimes made when an applicant
has had extensive experience in teaching English as a second language or has an
outstanding academic record. A limited number of University fellowships are
available for exceptionally qualified candidates. Teaching assistants teach
students in the division's ESL program and in the Intensive English Program,
which is a constituent unit of the division.
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