Master of Arts in Adult, Professional and Community Education with an English as a Second Language (ESL) Concentration

Program Overview: 36-hour Program with 6 Courses Online

Non-Thesis Option (36 Credit Hours)

A 36 credit hour program, including 18 core hours with internship, 15 ESL concentration hours, and 3 elective hours leading to a Master of Arts degree with a major in Adult, Professional and Community Education. This program is designed to produce reflective practitioners who have the skills and knowledge to teach, develop, and manage ESL programs for adults in a variety of settings in the community. 

Thesis Option (39 Credit Hours)

To come up with an idea for a thesis it may be helpful to keep a thesis ideas folder as an aid in the development of ideas and keeping track of information as it comes available. The folder could include notes, references, journals, reflections, and course assignments that relate to the thesis. Students completing a thesis need to download a copy of the Texas State  Thesis and Dissertation Guide. The guide contains step-by-step procedures for writing a thesis. Also, the student will be under the guidance of a thesis committee. The committee will consist of the chair and two additional committee members. The student will enroll in ADED 5399A, the first in a series of two courses for the student who is pursuing the thesis option. While enrolled in ADED 5399A the student completes the thesis proposal, which consists of the first three chapters of the thesis. The student, who completes the proposal, successfully defends it, and makes recommended changes within the semester he/she is registered for ADED 5399A receives a grade of "PR" for progress. Following the successful completion of ADED 5399A, the student enrolls in ADED 5399B. Students must re-enroll in thesis every semester until the thesis and comprehensive exam options are successfully completed.

Who is the program for?

The program educates scholar-practitioners for diverse roles as teachers, staff developers, evaluators, and administrators. Graduates are found in government agencies, corporations, colleges and universities, the military, and community organizations including libraries, museums, parks, schools, workforce development foundations, NGOs, social services, religious organizations, adult literacy, adult basic education  and ESL programs.

Adult Literacy/ESL Education
Programs for providing education and training for adults in:

• Adult literacy
• Adult basic education
• GED
• Family literacy
• Workplace literacy
• Workforce development

Why Choose Texas State?

The Master of Arts in Adult Education program aims to prepare graduate students to teach and lead effectively in a way that provides graduates with tools to:

• Assess educational and related needs
• Design, implement, manage, and evaluate programs and services to effectively address those needs
• Structure participatory programs involving collaboration, development, and ownership of educational ends and means by the learners themselves
• Understand, analyze, and relate pertinent theories to practice.
• Design and conduct practical research aimed at enhancing effectiveness of educational programs
• Model excellence in learning and leadership as well as in personal, professional, and community networking and development, so that Adult Education program participants can meet their educational and related needs and goals; aspire to excellence in lifelong learning, critical thinking, and creative problem solving; and improve the quality of their lives.

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  The faculty members in this program have 20+ years of experience training ESL/EFL instructors in the United States and abroad. They publish ground-breaking research, establishing the connection between theory and practice relevant for researchers and practitioners. Their research has been published in top-tier journals such as Journal of Studies in International Education, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, The Modern Language Journal, Foreign Language Annals, Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal, Adult Learning, and New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.

Required Courses include:

Adult English as a Second Language Concentration Plan

All the core courses are offered fully online; ESL concentrations courses are offered on campus. Free elective course can be taken both online and/or on campus. 

Approved Electives - ESL Education Concentration

The following are titles of courses that can serve as electives for this concentration:

ADED 5334     Family Literacy

ADED 5337     Adult Literacy

ADED 5345     Current Issues in Adult, Continuing and Professional Education

ADED 5378     Problems in Adult Education

ADED 5379     Independent Study

* ADED 5343     Organizational Learning and Development

* ADED 5382     Foundations of Adult Education

ADED 5346     Adult and Nontraditional Students in Higher Education

ADED  5357     Advanced Studies in Action Research

ADED  5364     Team Development in Education

ADED 5389     Special Topics in Adult, Professional, and Community Education

*Note: Required courses for Workplace, Community, and Continuing Education (WCCE) Concentration.