5.2 Concurrent BA in Linguistics and MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics Degree Program Requirements

6.1 About the Certificate Programs
6.2 Certificate in TESL/TEFL Program Requirements
6.3 The Certificate Academic Plan (COMING SOON)

A concurrent BA in Linguistics and MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics offers well-qualified students the opportunity for accelerated study, achieving both degrees within a 5-year time frame. A student enrolled in this program pursues a graduate MA degree while simultaneously completing the requirements for the BA in Linguistics. Completing the concurrent degree program would enable students to enter the workforce one year earlier than through the traditional MA degree pathway. Up to six credits can be double-counted toward the requirements for both degrees. Students applying for the concurrent degree program should be motivated, focused, and able to handle a 16+ credit hour/semester schedule.

5.2.1 Eligibility (all qualifications must be met to apply)

A minimum 45 credits in undergraduate program completed
Two years of ISU foreign language study or bilingualism demonstrated by an approved language test (completed or in progress)
At least 12 credits of Linguistics courses completed with a major GPA of 3.2 or higher
A minimum cumulative ISU GPA of 3.0

5.2.2 Timeline

Students should know by the middle of their sophomore year if they are interested in pursuing the concurrent program. We recommend that students plan ahead and notify the Director of Linguistics (lingdirector@iastate.edu) as soon as they know of their intent to apply for the concurrent degree; if possible, the director should be notified of intent to pursue the concurrent degrees by the end of the 4th semester.

Apply – Students interested in concurrent enrollment should talk with the Director of Linguistics about plans to apply for the concurrent program by no later than April 1 of their 6th semester) by submitting the concurrent enrollment application materials (listed below).
Concurrent enrollment – Students become full-time graduate students upon acceptance into the concurrent degree program and are assessed graduate tuition and fees the first semester of concurrent enrollment. Students should begin taking graduate courses (by the onset of the fourth year of study). Students accepted into the concurrent enrollment program will continue to work with the undergraduate Director of Linguistics until the BA degree requirements are met. By the end of the fourth year of study, students should have identified an area for their thesis/creative component and established an Academic Plan Committee (including a major professor).
Assistantships –
- Students are eligible for research assistantships upon entry into the concurrent degree program, although it should be noted that these opportunities are rare.
- Students are eligible to apply for a teaching assistantships early in the student’s 8th semester by January 15 for the following fall semester once it is determined that all requirements for the BA degree will be met by the end of the spring semester. TA selection will follow the standard procedures for the department.

5.2.3 Admission Criteria

The admission criteria are the same as those required for all graduate students in the department. Application materials are reviewed by the Director of Linguistics and/or graduate faculty in linguistics, the department’s Director of Graduate Education (DOGE), and the department chair. Their recommendations are forwarded to the ISU Graduate College.

5.2.4 Application deadline April 1 of 6th semester and how to apply

As early as possible, talk with the Director of Linguistics about your interests and plans.

The components of a student’s application must be submitted by April 1 of their 6th semester for concurrent enrollment beginning the following fall semester.

Complete a new graduate application in your Admissions MyAccount. Login here to begin.
The same document requirements apply that are available on our How to Apply website. Please review the instructions for all applicants carefully as well as specific instructions for the Master of Arts in TESL/Applied Linguistics
The curriculum plan, created with the Director of Linguistics who works closely with members of the graduate faculty, is an additional required document to be uploaded.

Any questions can be directed to englgrad@iastate.edu about the application process and requirements.

Once an admissions decision is made by the program, you will be notified and your application processed accordingly with our recommendation. If approved, the Admissions Office processes the application for graduate study. Official enrollment and fee payment will be as a graduate student beginning the term of entry into the concurrent program.

5.2.5 Degree Requirements and Curriculum Plans

Curriculum plan BA in Linguistics

	Courses	Credits
3000+ level undergraduate courses	Various	45
Core credits in the major	6 graduate credits can double count with graduate degree requirements	36
English communication		9
Foreign language		12-16
General education	9.0 credits in A&H 9.0 credits in SS 8.0 credits in NS 3.0 credits in Math	29
*Possible electives	3050, 2750, 2860, 3190, 3200 (not computers and language), 4220, 3090 Spanish LING, ASL LING, 3180, 3220, 3240, 3250, 4250
TOTAL CREDITS		120 CREDITS
*6 credits can count as electives in the BA degree

Curriculum plan MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics

Area of Coursework	Courses	Credits
PRE-/CO-REQUISITES (or their equivalents) These courses do not count towards degree requirement credits. Student who have not completed prerequisites upon entry into the program must complete them as soon as possible after admission. Previous coursework that meets pre-/co-requisites must be documented by submitting the appropriate form.	ENGL/LING 2200 or passing the 2200 test-out ENGL/LING 2190
LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS AND APPLIED ASPECTS OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION		15
	ENGL/LING 5120
	ENGL/LING 5190
	ENGL/LING 5240 or ENGL/LING 5250
	ENGL/LING 5370
	Choose one of the following: ENGL/LING 5880 or ENGL 5000 or SPCM 5130
ELECTIVES	Courses totaling 12 credits	12
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH	ENGL 6990: Thesis Research or ENGL 5990: Creative Component	3
TOTAL		30 minimum

Five-year plan for Concurrent BA in Linguistics and MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics

The table below is just one example of how the courses can be laid out in this five-year concurrent degree program.

	FALL	Credits	SPRING	Credits
First Year (Freshman)	Engl 1500 LIB 1600 LING 1190 PSYCH 1310 World Languages Gen Ed (Natural Sci)	3 1 3 1 3-4 4	ENGL 2500 Gen Ed (Statistics) LING 2190 World Language LING 1010 Gen Ed (A&H)	3 4 3 3-4 1 3
		Total 15-16		Total 17-18
Second Year (Sophomore)	LING 2200 LING 2070 World Language Gen Ed (Social Sci) Gen Ed (A&H) Other for Undergrad	3 3 3-4 3 3 3	LING Elec (3190 or 4220) LING 4130 World Langauge Gen Ed (Natural Sci) Gen Ed (Social Sci)	3 3 3-4 4 3
		Total 18-19		Total 16-17
STUDY ABROAD	A summer study abroad can add up to 9 credits. It is best if they can be transferred back as 3000+ level credits. This will ease the stress in one or more semesters if the student plans carefully.		A semester study abroad will ad 12+ credits. Again, keeping those credits at the 3000+ level is most helpful. To stay within the 5-year time frame, a student would need to take at least 15-18 credits.
Third Year (Junior)	LING 4200 LING 3000+ Elec LING 4370 Gen Ed (A&H) Other 3000+	3 3 3 3 3	LING 3710 LING 3000+ Elec LING 3200 (Comp Ling) Gen Ed (Social Sci) Other 3000+ Other for Undergrad	3 3 3 3 3 3
		Total 15		Total 18
Fourth Year (Senior/MA)	Other 3000+ Other 3000+ LING 5120, 5140 or 5000+ LING 5240 or 5250 LING 5120, 5140 or 5000+	3 3 3 3 3	ENGL 3140 Other for Undergrad Other for Undergrad LING 5190 LING 5120, 5140 or 5000+	3 3 3 3 3
		Total 15		Total 15
Fifth Year (MA)	LING 5370 LING 5880 (option: ENGL 5000 or SPCM 5130 if apply for TA) LING 5120, 5140, or 5000+	3 3 3	LING 5120, 5140, or 5000+ ENGL 5990/6990	3 3
		Total 9		Total 6
*5000+ refers to a graduate elective

5.2.6 Curricular Policies and Guidelines

Transferring concurrent credits

After admission to a concurrent program, all courses taken during the concurrent status are placed on the graduate permanent record (transcript). After each concurrent term, the student must complete an Internal Transfer of Courses Request in Workday (see this help article for instructions) which lists all courses to be transferred off the graduate permanent record to the undergraduate permanent record (transcript). The credits transferred are no longer available for use on the graduate program of study. However, the courses and grades will still appear on the graduate permanent record but will not be included in the graduate GPA. This request will route in Workday for appropriate approvals.

Students in concurrent degree programs may double count, subject to Academic Plan Committee and DOGE (Director of Graduate Education) approval, up to 6.0 ISU credits to fulfill the requirements for a bachelor’s degree and to a master’s degree. These graduate credits may only double count while the student is a concurrent student.

With approval of a student’s Academic Plan Committee, up to 6 ISU credits taken while in concurrent status may be applied to a bachelor’s degree and the graduate M.A. in TESL/Applied Linguistics that requires a minimum of 30 credits.

If a student does not yet have the BA degree, a graduate degree is not granted until the bachelor’s degree is awarded. The graduate credential will be awarded at the same time or after the undergraduate degree is conferred.

Language Requirement

Satisfying the MA TESL/AL Language Requirement may require additional coursework. The spirit of this requirement is that students, before they graduate, will have had a language-learning experience either in the recent past or concurrent with working toward their degree. All students are required to submit a Language Requirement Form indicating how this requirement is to be met or has been met signed by your assigned program advisor/major professor and submitted to the Graduate Program Administrative Assistant (englgrad@iastate.edu) for approval by the Director of Graduate Education in order to receive acknowledgement on your official academic record that a language requirement has been met.

Native speakers of English

The following are the most typical ways for native speakers of English to fulfill the requirement. Students who believe they have fulfilled the requirement in other ways should write a petition to DOGE explaining their situation. To satisfy the language requirement, students must

have completed one year (or its equivalent) of college-level study in a single foreign language with a grade of B or higher, as shown on a transcript, no more than ten (10) years before beginning graduate work in the TESL/Applied Linguistics program; students who finished at least one year of college-level language study more than ten (10) years before beginning graduate work in TESL/Applied Linguistics must complete one semester of college-level study of any foreign language with a grade of B or higher, concurrent with working toward the degree OR
complete one year or its equivalent of college-level study in a single foreign language, with a grade of B or higher in the second semester, concurrent with working toward the degree OR
demonstrate proficiency in a single foreign language by means of a CLEP exam available through the College Board equivalent to one year of college-level study OR
provide clear evidence of a bilingual background

Nonnative speakers of English

Nonnative speakers of English must pass the English Placement Test (EPT) as a graduate student or qualify for one of the EPT exemptions (see exemption information on their website); if students fail the EPT, they will be required to take and pass English classes.

All graduate students in the TESL/Applied Linguistics MA program whose first language is not English are required to pass the OECT as part of their program requirements. To pass, students must achieve a Level 1 certification or may be exempted from taking one or both of the OECT components. Check the OECT website for further information.

5.2.7 The Academic Plan Committee and Academic Plan

Students should begin establishing their Academic Plan Committee and Academic Plan (Concurrent MA) as soon as possible to meet a department established deadline for master’s students in their second semester. See the English Department Graduate Program Handbook, Section 2.6 for more details and information on the Academic Plan Committee requirements and deadline for forming your committee and submitting the Academic Plan.

5.2.8 Thesis or Creative Component options

In your last semester as an MA TESL/Applied Linguistics student, you will complete either a traditional thesis or a creative component. Students should refer to Guidelines for Thesis and Creative Component, Section 2.7 as soon as they begin to establish their Academic Plan Committee and share their research interests

5.2.9 Final Oral Defense of the Thesis or Creative Component (Final Oral Examination)

See the section on Program Completion/Graduation, Section 1.10 for more details and information on finishing up as well as resources with links to very helpful information.