Master the art of teaching English to multilingual learners.
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Month Program
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Develop an understanding of the multifaceted nature of global education, the intersecting systems behind it, and the role of global education practitioners in K-12 and higher education internationalization. The Master of Arts in Global Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA in Global TESOL) prepares English language teachers to work with students from all backgrounds. Courses are offered 100% online and include a rigorous research-focused analysis of historical and current TESOL practices.
Note: This online Global TESOL degree program will not provide licensure in any state.
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You’ll get the personal attention and flexibility needed to reach your goals at your pace. Our invested professors and small class sizes will set you up for success.
Our Jesuit Catholic values are based on a vision of a world changed for the better, emphasizing service and community engagement in addition to academics.
We offer exceptional online programs at an affordable cost. Numerous financial aid resources are available for our online students, making education more affordable.
The Master of Arts in Global Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA in Global TESOL) program at Xavier University is a 36 graduate credit hour program. Transcript reviews are completed for each student to determine course requirements. In addition to courses, 50 hours of documented field hours are required.
This course offers an introduction in the form of theoretical insights while challenging their perceived notions about literacy. This course will engage students in lively discourse about various research frames and methodological approaches. As an online course, students will engage in virtual cross-disciplinary dialogue through spoken and written forms, the principles of multi-functionality of language, language ideologies, practice, and research processes in the evolution of language.
Structure of Language and English Grammar will introduce linguistic perspectives and methodologies for understanding the domains of language: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. This foundational course will explore these domains using English language examples but will also highlight features in languages other than English. The course will introduce the scientific process and methodologies of linguistic analysis, highlight terminology and metalanguage for describing language, and provide opportunities for problem-solving and discussion of linguistic features as related to the field of TESOL.
This course offers an introduction in the form of theoretical insights, methodological tools, and terminology/metalanguage. This course requires learners to critically reflect on the concepts we study, applying them to their own experiences as a language learner and language teacher. As an online course, students will engage in virtual cross-disciplinary dialogue through spoken and written forms, the foundational movements, theories, hypotheses, and shared vocabulary in the Structure of Language and English Grammar. This course offers an introduction in the form of theoretical insights, methodological tools, and ethnography.
Linguistic Anthropology and the Study of English provide graduate students rich tools and analyses of various social and linguistic practices. In particular, we will focus on issues in communication analysis to link interactional and institutional orders. This involves a critical reexamination of the mediated nature of “identity” regarding linguistic forms, material objects, persons, and collectivities. In our efforts to apprehend the cultural meaningfulness and systematic nature of language as a form of social action, we will develop a model for making sense of what has been called the “total linguistic fact”: structure, context, ideology, and domain. How does language produce social realities? How does language construct us as individuals and mark us as members of groups? What role does language play in socialization, globalization, and domination? This course offers an introduction in the form of theoretical insights, methodological tools, and ethnography.
This course will explore key concepts in linguistics and second language learning, including influential movements in the historical development of the field of Second Language Acquisition, language acquisition theories and hypotheses, learning mechanisms, learner variables, and sociolinguistic/sociocultural theory. We will engage in critical exploration of key research in SLA, identifying how movements grew out of and in contrast to one another and how studies contribute to our understanding of the role of the language, the role of the learner, the role of the teacher, and the role of the broader educational, institutional and social context in second language acquisition.
This course will explore instructional methodologies for teaching English. Participants of this course will learn about second language acquisition, cultural transmissions, legal requirements for serving English Language Learners (ELLs), explore international content standards for English Language Proficiency, and learn methodology such as Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol that teachers may utilize in instruction with ELLs.
This course provides current research on L2 learning, several language learning theories, a skills-based approach, and communicative language teaching and how those are embedded into curricular structures. Specifically, students will focus on conducting a needs analysis and how to incorporate the four domains into syllabus design intentionally.
Methods of Assessment introduces key definitions and constructs in assessment and shares guidance for both language and content area (where English is the medium of instruction) proficiency assessment. The course addresses critical issues in the testing and grading of ELLs and provides contextualized instruction in assessment differentiation.This course offers an introduction in the form of theoretical insights, methodological tools, and many examples of assessment tasks and supports.
The internship/fieldwork course offers the opportunity to develop practical experience in working with English language learners. The internship includes 25 hours of field work, proving the opportunity to apply the knowledge and practices you’re gaining through the program directly with English language students. The fieldwork can be completed in an approved location of your choice.
This course is intended for Master’s level students to create a Master’s Thesis project and to see it through to the first draft. In this semester, students will work with their thesis committee to make any necessary revisions to the thesis proposal and produce the first draft of the thesis. Students will work one-on-one with their thesis advisor and the thesis coordinator to identify times that they will meet and create a plan for communication throughout the process of completing the Master’s Thesis.
The Master’s Thesis is the culminating assessment in earning the degree of Master of Arts in Global TESOL at Xavier University. As such, it should be treated as a serious and academically rigorous component of the program. Each project is unique to the student completing it, and thus there is flexibility in scheduling, approach, and style that is up to the discretion of the thesis advisor. The thesis component of the M.A. in Global TESOL at Xavier University is meant to demonstrate advanced study and inquiry into a particular facet of TESOL in relation to the experiences of candidates in the program. The thesis is a work of original scholarship, designed with guidance from a thesis advisor and thesis committee. A copy of the final project is uploaded to the ProQuest Dissertation and Theses database and added to the College Archives.
This course is intended for Master’s level students to complete their Master’s Thesis project. In this spring session, students will revise their first draft to produce a defense draft, defend their thesis before their thesis committee, and make any required revisions before submitting their final draft. Students will work one-on-one with their thesis advisor and the thesis coordinator to identify times that they will meet and create a plan for communication throughout the process of completing the Master’s Thesis.
The Master’s Thesis is the culminating assessment in earning the degree of Master of Arts in Global TESOL at Xavier University. As such, it should be treated as a serious and academically rigorous component of the program. Each project is unique to the student completing it, and thus there is flexibility in scheduling, approach, and style that is up to the discretion of the thesis advisor. The thesis component of the M.A. in Global TESOL at Xavier University is meant to demonstrate advanced study and inquiry into a particular facet of TESOL in relation to the experiences of candidates in the program. The thesis is a work of original scholarship, designed with guidance from a thesis advisor and thesis committee. A copy of the final project is uploaded to the ProQuest Dissertation and Theses database and added to the College Archives.
US students seeking Ohio TESOL Endorsement must take EDTS 533 as their elective.
International applicants can find admission details on our International Applicants website.
To be considered for admission in the Montessori Education program, applicants should submit the following.
Get Started on Xavier University’s free online application. You can begin the process in just a few clicks.
One official transcript directly from all colleges or universities that you have attended for any undergraduate and graduate course work. Applicants must have a degree from a regionally accredited university. Send transcripts to:
Xavier University
ATTN: Admission Processing Center
3800 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45207-5131
For electronic transcripts, send to:
xugrad@xavier.edu
International students who attended university outside of the United States should submit their transcript for a transcript evaluation by an agency approved by NACES. The following transcript evaluators are recommended: World Education Services, Educational Credit Evaluators.
Letters of recommendation from 2 professional and/or academic references who are able to assess your potential for success in this program.
Xavier University is authorized to offer this fully-online program in most states.
View the complete list of approved states on the State Authorization page.
Per Credit Hour
Estimated Total Tuition
The amounts listed are for the 2025-2026 academic year, and include classes from Summer 2025 through Spring 2026. Tuition cost is per credit hour unless otherwise stated.
For the full, official listing, please visit xavier.edu/costs.
Xavier University reserves the right to correct any computational or clerical errors.
Delane Bender-Slack is Professor of Literacy, Director of the School of Education, and the Program Director for both Reading and TESOL at Xavier University. She is a teacher educator, teaching courses in English Language Arts methods, middle childhood, adolescent, and multicultural literature, content area literacy, process writing, and reading theories. She has been published in a variety of journals and has published four books She coordinated and implemented international experiences in Peru, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. She has been involved in planning and implementing Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) across campus, also collaborating with international colleagues in Peru, Mexico, Ireland, and Ecuador. She received a Global Teacher Education Fellowship and a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Her research interests include social justice teaching, global issues/perspectives, gender, critical literacy, curriculum, education abroad, and adolescent literacy.
Bethany Martens is a TESOL professor in the School of Education at Xavier University. She has a PhD in Teaching and Learning: Multilingual Language Education from The Ohio State University and a M.Ed.: TESOL from MidAmerica Nazarene University. She has taught English in K-12 and higher education settings internationally for over 10 years. She has recent publications in CALL Journal (Computer Assisted Language Learning), Applied Linguistics, Linguistic Landscape, an International Journal, and Journal of Global Literacies, Technologies, and Emerging Pedagogies. Her current research interests include teacher education, sociolinguistics, and technology use and implementation in TESOL education.
Margaret Martin has degrees in Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin. She is a Senior Teaching Professor of ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) and a COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) Champion at Xavier University, where she teaches in the Department of Classics and Modern Languages, the Liberal Arts Core, and the School of Education. Her interests are in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theory and pedagogy, sociolinguistics, and collaborative global learning. She has presented at conferences and facilitated trainings and workshops for faculty interested in the areas of COIL, intercultural development, active learning, culturally responsive pedagogies, and contemplative practices in higher education.
Vanessa M. Rigaud is an Assistant Professor at Montessori Institute in the School of Education at Xavier University. Dr. Rigaud received her Ed. D. in Executive Leadership at St John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. She has an MS in Elementary Education from Hofstra University and a BA in International Relations & Political Science from Long Island University. Her research engages with curriculum development, culturally responsive teaching, and the intersections between Montessori-based research and teacher education. Dr. Rigaud has presented at various conferences and published articles/books nationwide and internationally.
No, the degree is from Xavier University and is awarded on meeting coursework standards that are independent of course delivery.
The tuition rate for the online Global TESOL program is $599 per credit hour. The total cost of the Global TESOL degree program will vary, depending upon transfer credits awarded, additional fees and the cost of textbooks/materials. See the Tuition page for more information.
No, online courses charge the same rate as all other courses.
Some students believe that online courses will be easier than a face-to-face course. However, that is not true. Each online course at Xavier will have the same academic standards and content as a face-to-face course. You may find online learning to be easier because it suits your learning style, but the course content, the expectations for how much you will learn and the assessment of what you have learned will be just as rigorous as in a face-to-face class.
Students may find that they can get to know their professor/instructor and other students better in an online course than in a traditional face-to-face course. There are many options for interacting with your instructors and classmates in your online program, including discussion boards, video or audio files from your instructor, email and video conferencing. There may be additional opportunities for interaction available based on the course and instructor.
You will need to review the syllabus for your course to determine how to obtain materials (print and digital) you will need for your course. The Xavier Bookstore and/or Library will be happy to assist you in finding course materials. Some readings or media lessons may be posted digitally within the online course itself or in Xavier’s E-Reserves system.
If you are new to online learning at Xavier, we encourage you to go through the student orientation for online courses.
The Technology Services website offers great resources to support online students.