ACADEMIC MISSION AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (MA TEFL) and the Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (CTEFL) programs were established to meet the growing English language needs of Armenia and the region. The MA program is designed to give English language teachers necessary and up to date tools to teach English effectively. The Certificate Program is designed to address the growing importance of the English language in Armenia and to improve Armenia's preparedness for participating globally in the areas of science, technology, politics, commerce, and academia worldwide. Both the MA and the Certificate programs are designed to provide students with a strong foundation in theory and practice, including professional teaching skills at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

The Department of English Programs is affiliated with the Language Resource Program of the University of California at Los Angeles.

Marianne Celce-Murcia

Marianne Celce-Murcia, Ph.D., is the Dean of the Department of English Programs at AUA. She is Professor Emerita in the UCLA Department of Applied Linguistics and TESL.

MA TEFL PROGRAM

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission to a degree program is granted through the University Office of Admissions. In addition to the general University requirements explained in the Admissions section, students wishing to apply for this program must also meet the following criteria:
1. Successful completion of the AUA TEFL Certificate program (or its equivalent)
2. TOEFL Score of 600 or higher on the paper-based TOEFL exam (or 250 or higher on the CBT TOEFL), and to perform satisfactorily on the AUA essay entrance exam
3. Prior teaching experience and commitment to the field of language teaching will be considered strong factors in a student's application for this degree program.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

To graduate with a Master in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, students must complete successfully a set of graduate courses in advanced methods, discourse grammar, research design, curriculum design, and assessment. In addition to the coursework, students must complete a Master’s Thesis and present the results to the public.

CURRICULUM

TF300 Advanced Methods (4)

A critical examination of language teaching methodology focusing on the underlying social, cultural, and psychological factors that affect language learning/teaching.

TF302 Discourse Grammar (4)

A study of the structure of English discourse, written and oral, beyond the sentence level.

TF304 Research Design (2)

An introduction to academic research methods and the concepts needed to understand and appreciate research leading to the identification and design of individual research projects.

TF305 Advanced Research Design (2)

An in depth study of quantitative and qualitative research methods to enable the student to engage in scholarly research.

TF306 Curriculum Design (4)

A course in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of curricula and syllabi including policies that affect them.

TF307 Advanced Assessment (4)

A hands-on approach to the theoretical and practical aspects of designing, administering, and interpreting the results of testing instruments used for placement, diagnosis, achievement, or proficiency purposes.

TF308 Thesis Requirement (8)

Successful completion of the MA TEFL degree requires the satisfactory preparation and presentation of a thesis which constitutes an original contribution to the field knowledge related to the teaching of English language education; e.g. English linguistics, contrastive analysis, teacher education, curriculum development, language testing, sociological and psychological factors that impinge on language acquisition or other related topics in consultation with a designated faculty advisor. The typical thesis is approximately 50 pages in length including text, bibliography, but not appendices.

Faculty