Application Procedures 

(5 Steps) 

NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

THIS WILL BE OUR FINAL COHORT.

Please follow these steps closely:

STEP 1:

Contact the Registrar of every college you have attended (even if you only took one course, and even if that course was transferred and is already on another transcript) and have them send official transcripts in a sealed envelope to the following address:

English Department

ACE TESOL Degree—Transcripts

Salisbury University

1101 Camden Avenue

Salisbury, Maryland 21801-6860

Also, have the Registrar of each college send you an unofficial copy of your transcripts. You will need these unofficial copies to complete your application (see later steps).

Important Note!  The November 17 deadline is fast approaching--if you haven't ordered official transcripts by now and would still like to apply for this year's cohort, ask the colleges/universities to expedite your request. Let them know the application deadline. Again, we need transcripts from every college/university you've attended, even if you only took one course and transferred it to another institution.

STEP 2:

Fill out Salisbury University’s application for graduate admissions forms: Residency/Domicile Information Form and Application for Graduate Program Admission (PDF forms). Print each of these forms and fill them out. These forms cannot be sent electronically because they must be signed. Make sure you fill out both forms; however, do not send in the “$45 nonrefundable application fee.” Follow the link below to the forms:

Graduate Application (PDF)

Residency Form (PDF)

STEP 3:

Fill out the English Department Graduate Admission Form. Disregard the teaching assistantship option (not offered under this program) and instructions concerning documents to submit (the required documents for our program are listed in Step 4 below). Again, do not send in the application fee. Follow this link to the form:

M.A. in English Application

STEP 4:

Gather the following documents:

1.  A résumé outlining teaching experience and other relevant academic and professional backgrounds.

2.  An unofficial copy of your transcripts. (All official transcripts should have been mailed separately according to the instructions in Step 1.)

3.  A copy of your Maryland teaching certificate/license.

4.  Copies of your Praxis scores (first two parts of the core battery of the Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers). If you took the GTE instead of the Praxis, include those scores.

5.  A detailed letter of intent demonstrating the extent to which you are a/an:

            a.  Educational innovator (give examples from your professional life to support this).

            b.  Self-motivated, autodidactic practitioner of education (give examples from your professional life).

            c.  Self-directed learner—a student who is willing to design an individualized learning contract that is

                targeted to the specific limited English proficient (LEP) population needs and concerns of your

                school/county.

            d.  Creative thinker who is committed to serving as an advocate for ESOL student populations.

                 Give support for this.

            e.  Committed scholar—one who demonstrates a commitment to the program of study. You will

                 have to demonstrate the extent to which you are capable of participating in an intensive

                 program of study as well as your commitment to the program. Since admission is competitive,

                 your letter has to demonstrate evidence of seeing the program to its completion.

6.  Two detailed letters of recommendation using the Department Form:

            a.  One from a school official (principal, vice-principal, content area supervisor, etc.) testifying to your teaching potential and classroom experience.

            b.  One from an individual qualified to judge your motivation, professionalism and ability to engage in sustained graduate study in English/TESOL.

STEP 5:

Mail documents as follows (follow instructions closely):

            a.  Double-check to make sure that your application package contains all of the following documents in this checklist, as explained in more detail in Steps 2 - 4. Do not mail application packages until you have obtained all of these documents:

Important: If any of the above documents is impossible to obtain, include a complete, separate explanation statement in your application package.

            b.  Place all of the above documents in an envelope and mail to the following address to be received no later than November 17, 2006:

English Department—ACE

Salisbury University

1101 Camden Avenue

Salisbury, Maryland 21801-6860

Note: If you prefer to hand carry your application package to Salisbury University, please bring the entire package to the Power Professional Building, Room 121. Call Bob Hoffman, the ACE Administrative Coordinator, in advance to ensure he will be available to receive the package (he works alone in the office most of the time): 410-543-6224.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE?

1.  A screening board will meet in November to review applications and select finalists.

2.  The selection board will conduct oral interviews with finalists by early December.

3.  The board will select candidates. All selected candidates will be contacted individually at some point before class begins in January.

4.  Selected candidates will sign a contractual statement which will include the following:

            a.  The candidate is required to serve his/her school or county for a minimum of one academic year after completing all ACE courses or refund all tuition and training expenses.

            b.  The candidate is required to submit a report as to how his/her school or county has attempted to implement the No Child Left Behind Act as it relates to LEP students. The ACE Project Director will provide full details on how to submit this report. Failure to turn in this report by March 31, 2008, will require a refund of all tuition and training expenses.

5.  Selected candidates will be required to attend an orientation session in December (date will be announced).

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ACE TESOL Degree

All admitted candidates will be held to the same academic standards of Salisbury University graduate students:

1)  Eligible applicants will have to fulfill all of the current eligibility requirements for entry into the graduate master’s program in TESOL at Salisbury University, and will be held to all the same academic standards of achievement of the already existent program.

2.  Transfer credit:  To expedite training potential, a maximum transfer of 9 graduate credits will be permitted. (With the approval of the Graduate Director of the English Department, up to 9 hours [3 equivalent graduate level courses] may be transferred from another institution.)

3.  No repeated enrollments will be permitted.

4.  No graduate assistantships will be permitted—only tuition waivers.

5.  Tuition: In-state tuition waivers.

6.  Students are required to maintain a “B” average to remain eligible for the scholarship. No more than two “C” grades are permitted for graduate students.

7.  Participants are expected to attend all class meetings and are expected to show up on time for each class. Unexcused absences, together with unsatisfactory work due to absence or incompetence, may result in exclusion from the program and will require a refund of all tuition monies.

The ACE TESOL Degree is fully funded by the United States Department of Education: Office of English Language Acquisition, under Project #T195N020104. The opinions expressed in this website do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of any office of the Department of Education.