Admission Requirements for TESOL Certificate

Admission to the Certificate Program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) requires a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited institution of higher learning. Other qualifications and application materials appear below. Applicants should be mindful that meeting the minimum standards for admission does not guarantee admission.

Admission Qualifications and Application Materials

Applicants must have maintained an undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation.
Applicants must submit a written statement of approximately 250 words identifying the specific program to which he or she is applying, particular interests in the field, reasons for undertaking graduate study in this area, relevant work experience, and future career plans.
Applicants must submit the appropriate form and fees to the Graduate College. For the Graduate College Online Application, click here.

TOEL and TWE

Applicants who are not native speakers of English must submit a score on the TOEFL iBT, or TOEFL and TWE, or IELTS, as part of their application.

A graduate degree in English requires students to have a high degree of mastery of all aspects of English language proficiency. For this reason, the department requires standardized English proficiency test scores for all applicants whose native language is not English, even those who have previously received degrees from American universities. The following are the minimum English proficiency requirements for admission to graduate study in the Department of English. Minimum scores are mandatory and we do not offer conditional admission.

English Department TOEFL Reading and Writing Requirements

Paper-based TOEFL Students who take the paper-based TOEFL must submit both a TOEFL and a TWE (Test of Written English) score. The minimum recommended score for the TOEFL is 600 and for the TWE is 5.0.

TOEFL ibT Students taking the TOEFL iBT should demonstrate high scores on all sub-tests. The minimum recommended total score is 100, with minimum reading and writing section scores of 26.

TOEFL Institution code for Oklahoma State University is 6546.

IELTS

The department will accept IELTS scores in place of TOEFL scores. Students taking the IELTS should demonstrate high scores on all bands. The minimum recommended total band score is 7.0, with minimum reading and writing band scores of 7.0.

Spoken Proficiency for Employment

All persons for whom English is a second language are required to demonstrate an acceptable level of spoken English before being employed in an instructionally related capacity. For more information, consult theGraduate College International Admissions page.

Admission Checklist

1.) OSU's English Department requires three letters of reference, please contact your references prior to beginning your application, and obtain their email addresses.
2.) Apply to OSU Graduate College. Click here for the graduate application.
3.) You will complete your entire application electronically.
4.) Non-native English speakers must also submit TOEFL ibt, TOEFL and TWE, or IELTS scores to the Graduate College.
5.) Apply for funding through a teach assistantship, if desired. Click here for assistantship information and application.

Application Deadline

For fall admissions, January 5 is the Priority Placement deadline for applications. Applications received prior to January 5 will be given first consideration for assistantships and financial incentives. We will continue to accept applications until March 1, but the availability of assistantships and incentive packages diminishes after the Priority Placement deadline on January 5.

For spring admissions, the application deadline is October 15. Students admitted in spring are typically not eligible for departmental funding, including assistantships, until the following fall semester.

To apply to the OSU English Department Graduate program, click here.