Why you should consider this program

Make TESOL your career: Earn a professional degree in the field. Did you plan to be an English teacher?  Or was it that moment when you looked out at the beaming faces of your students and realized that they were eager to see you, willing to participate, keen to learn?  Billions of people worldwide are trying to learn English so that they can communicate with other people around the world.  Eastern Michigan University (EMU) alumni are teaching English not just in Michigan, but in China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Poland, and throughout the U.S.  Our students have moved from seeing TESOL as a fun job to viewing it as their profession.  EMU MA-TESOL students don’t just study: They participate. They join our professional organizations, present at conferences, host conferences, teach ESL, volunteer in the community, train ESL tutors, teach workshops for non-TESOL faculty, study and teach EFL abroad, all while they gain the knowledge of language and pedagogical methods needed to succeed. Step up your game.  Join one of the fastest growing professions in the world: TESOL.

Benefits for Coverdell Fellows

	Tuition/fees for Complete Program	Value of Coverdell Fellowship	Net cost *
In state	$ 30,418	$ 24,592	$ 5,826
Out of state	$ 52,676	$ 46,848	$ 5,828

* Net cost is equal to tuition/fees minus fellowship value. For some universities, the fellowship value includes non-tuition/fee benefits such as health insurance or housing—see the first point below for more details.

Where the cost savings value of the Coverdell Fellowship comes from

50% Graduate Assistantship + monthly stipend + in-state tuition/fee benefits

Fellowships awarded per year (average)

10

Annual cost of living (estimated)

$ 12,290

Application fee waived?

Yes

Internship

Washtenaw County has a mixed population of immigrants and refugees who have various needs for language support. Often, families seek ESL classes from community non-profit organizations in lieu of or in addition to what is provided by the school district.  EMU has joined with these nonprofit organizations throughout Washtenaw County to provide ESL teaching and tutoring opportunities for our Fellows (e.g., Washtenaw Literacy, Ypsilanti Community Schools, Jewish Family Services).

Fellows work directly under on-site supervisors to provide language support for children and adults. The 10-hour/week internship provides Fellows with the opportunity to put their learning into practice.  Fellows use their internships to make connections between the theory and practice of teaching throughout their 4-semester program.  Regular meetings with the program coordinator and their peers provide opportunities to compare experiences and to make sense of those experiences as they relate to university course content.  

The internship varies from one organization to another, but all of them have in common teaching ESL to underserved populations, and reflecting on those experiences informally outside of classes.  Teaching assignments require preparing lesson plans, preparing classes, organizing class materials, assessing students, and providing All Fellows can use their internship experiences as the bases for course assignments.

Jobs for program alumni

This is a new program.  MA-TESOL alumni have landed jobs:

• In administration in local non-profits,
  
• In administration in Independent School Districts
  
• Teaching K-12 ESL (only if they were already certified teachers) in Michigan and California
  
• Teaching ESL at community colleges
  
• Teaching at universities in the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Japan, Korea, and Poland
  
• Teaching in private language schools in China, Japan, Korea
  
• As administrators in the Michigan Department of Education
  

Other details

Program length

2 years

Application requirements

• College transcripts
  
• 2 letters of recommendation
  
• Statement of purpose
  
• Applicants wishing to pursue a K-12 ESL teaching endorsement must also submit a Michigan Teacher’s Certification

• Contact Dr. Wendy Wang, the Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Program Coordinator, at [email protected], to express your interest in becoming a Coverdell Fellow. Send her a copy of a signed copy of your DOS.
  

Admissions process

• Apply for the MA-TESOL program online at: http://www.emich.edu/graduate/apply/ 
  
• Write an email to the Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Coordinator Dr. Wendy Wang at [email protected]
  
• Apply for a TESOL GA position (search for the keyword TESOL) at: http://www.emich.edu/hr/working/employment/graduate-student.php
  
• Specify in all 3 letters that you are applying for the Coverdell Fellows program
  

Program begins

Early September or Early January

Year Coverdell Fellows partnership started

2017

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Contact

Dr. Wendy Wang, Professor of TESOL