ESL Licensure/Master's Degree Program (PK-12)

The FAST TRAIN English as a Second Language (ESL) Licensure/Master’s Degree Program (PK-12) is specifically designed for prospective teachers and educators who are working abroad or who plan on going overseas to teach and want a license and/or Master’s degree in ESL.

Curriculum
The ESL program course work consists of:

  1. Eight courses (24 credit hours) to obtain a Virginia teaching license
  2. Two additional courses (for a total of 30 credit hours) to obtain a Master’s degree (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction

For more detailed information about the course work, view curriculum/schedule

Program Schedule
Students in the ESL program take:

  1. Online courses in the fall and spring
  2. Complete one summer (two summers for those finishing the Master’s degree) of a five-week intensive summer study program at the Fairfax, Virginia, campus.

This program may be started at any semester. For more detailed information about the schedule, view curriculum/schedule.

Field Experience
Field experience is required for all licensure courses and most Master’s degree courses.

  1. Consists of 15 to 20 hours per course
  2. Includes observation, tutoring and working with students in small groups in a classroom
  3. Takes place in selected local schools or schools in overseas sites where students are currently working

Internship
A teaching internship is also required for ESL students. In lieu of a teaching internship, a student may teach for one year, full time, in an accredited international school as an ESL teacher (students can not teach locally).

Endorsement Requirements
ESL students must fulfill certain endorsement requirements.

  1. Six credit hours of a foreign language
  2. For those students whose first spoken language is not English, these six credits of study must be in English
  3. These requirements must be completed prior to student teaching.

Testing
ESL students must take one qualifying exam before obtaining a license, the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) exam. Students who plan on student teaching must have fulfilled this testing requirement prior to student teaching.