MATESOL Degree Requirements

Students must successfully complete thirty-six (36) credits for the master's in TESOL, as follows:

Required (28 cr.) and Elective Courses (8 cr.)

Capstone Paper

The Capstone Paper is an exit requirement for students who do not complete the PreK-12 Vermont Licensure Portfolio (an accumulation of relevant work completed during the program) or the Thesis Option (see below). 

Thesis Option

Students who desire the MATESOL degree with a thesis will take GSL 691 Thesis (2 credits). A prerequisite grade of A or above is required for GSL 506 Master's Seminar.  

The thesis is a research project on a topic pertinent to the field of TESOL/Applied Linguistics and must be written under the direct supervision of an MATESOL faculty member selected by the student subject to availability and specialization. Thesis options students will be required to defend their thesis before a committee.  

Under certain circumstances a grade of “XT” (Extended for Thesis work) may be given at the end of the semester to a student when work on the thesis will continue into the following semester. The student will pay one credit per semester for continuance of the “XT.” No more than 4 extensions may be given after the enrolled semester.

Students who do not pass or who withdraw from GSL 691 Thesis may write the Capstone Paper and receive the MATESOL degree without thesis if they have completed a total of 36 credits.

Practical Training

Students who wish to have practical training in the United States after graduation must notify Brenda Rousselle, Immigration Officer, brousselle@smcvt.edu, 802.654.2657, early in their studies.

For more information on program requirements, Capstone, or Thesis, contact:

Dr. Elizabeth O'Dowd
, Graduate TESOL Director
eodowd@smcvt.edu
802.654.2276