Accelerated BA-MA

The Accelerated BA English–MA-TESL (Teaching Track) allows students to get both a BA in English and an MA-TESL degree in as few as five years.

Program overview

• Students meeting the admissions and academic requirements [BC1] may apply to the program upon completion of their sophomore or junior years.
• Students will complete the English BA requirements while taking  foundational MA-TESL classes after their junior year
• By the end of their senior year, students enrolled in this accelerated program will have 16 credits that count toward the MA-TESL degree (and one additional professional development credit, ENG 587)
  • Of the 16 credits, 12 can count toward the BA English degree
• In the fifth year of study, students will complete the remaining requirements for the master’s degree, including the writing requirement and a comprehensive exam (the latter to be taken in January or August of the fifth year of study)

How to apply

Applications should include:

• A letter of intent, 2– 3 pages in length, that states:
  • Why you are interested in pursuing the Accelerated BA English–MA-TESL program from Northern Arizona University; and
  • How you to use the MA-TESL degree upon graduation
• A copy of the student’s current unofficial NAU transcripts (with the application submission)

Program of Study for the Accelerated BA English–MA-TESL

*For a full list of BA degree requirements, see the Bachelor of Arts degree page.

**With advisor approval and per Graduate College Policy 100309, students are allowed to use up to 12 credit units of approved NAU coursework (400-level or higher) towards both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.

***ENG 587 and ENG 687 (one credit hour Professional Development Seminars) for first year MA-TESL and second year MA-TESL students, respectively, are required but do not count toward the degree.

Other MA-TESL Requirements

• Comprehensive exam (taken in January or August in the fifth year of study)
• Writing requirements (submitted before the spring semester of the fifth year)

General Admission Requirements to Accelerated Bachelor and Master’s Degree Programs for Current NAU Students

• Undergraduate students may apply for admission to an accelerated program available at Northern Arizona University after completing 60 semester hours of undergraduate coursework of which a minimum of 24-30 semester hours must be completed at Northern Arizona University* with a minimum NAU cumulative grade point average of 3.5/4.00. Acceptance into the graduate program is conditional based on performance at the undergraduate level and completion of the eligible undergraduate degree.
• Students must complete at least 12 earned undergraduate credits in their major with a grade point average of 3.50/4.00 at Northern Arizona University prior to seeking admission into an accelerated program. Receiving an Incomplete or completing a class graded as Pass/Fail or Audit will not count towards this 12 undergraduate unit requirement.
• Applicants must submit the online graduate application form and pay the required graduate application fee. Applicants must also submit all other materials required by the department. The application is reviewed by the appropriate person or committee in the department.   Full admission will be granted upon receiving the eligible undergraduate degree and meeting any other requirements as specified by the program at the time of admission.
• The Undergraduate degree should be completed at the end of the fourth year and no later than one semester before the student is eligible to have the master’s degree awarded.
• This program is only for current NAU students.

Academic Requirements

• The requirements for the bachelor’s and master’s degree of the accelerated program will remain the same as for the existing bachelor and master’s programs. A graduate program has the discretion to use no more than 12 hours of NAU coursework credit (400 level or higher) applied towards the undergraduate degree to satisfy requirements included on the master’s program of studies. Students must receive a grade of B or higher in this coursework used towards the undergraduate degree that will also be counted for graduate credit.
• The work required for the master’s degree program must be completed within six years from the time of first enrollment in courses which are included in the graduate program of studies.
• For non-native English speakers, an official TOEFL or IELTS score, taken within the last two years of their undergraduate degree, is required. Both total and minimum part scores (shown in the chart below) are taken into consideration.

Section	TOEFL iBT	IELTS
Total	92	7
Reading	25	7
Listening	22	6.5
Speaking	22	6.5
Writing	24	7