The Undergraduate Major in TESOL

Abstract

Increasing recognition of the problems of language acquisition for nonnative speakers of English and growing attention to disadvantaged children and their language problems have brought TESOL into prominence as a profession. As undergraduates contemplating careers in this area examine the catalogues of universities and colleges across the country they usually find that undergraduate programs in TESOL don't exist-most schools offer programs on the master's level. These same catalogues feature undergraduate majors in such demanding subjects as physics, biology, English literature, mathematics, etc., but rarely a degree in TESOL. Must students possess a degree before they are qualified to approach the subject? Is the field so specialized and difficult that undergraduates can not understand it? Examination of the curriculum of many master's programs suggests that the answer to both questions is no. According to the TENES1 survey over 75% of the elementary teachers surveyed who are employed in TESOL have a baccalaureate degree, and somewhat more than half of the high school teachers. Certainly a master's degree is desirable but do program aims fit the needs? Typically, a master's degree program offers greater specialization and greater depth of knowledge, yet is this possible if there is no supporting undergraduate program such as is found in English literature, for example? The master's program of one well-known university seems to have a threefold objective: preparation of teacher-supervisors and teachers, instruction in materials development, and possibly research. While valuable, this is not the type of preparation needed by the typical classroom teacher in the public schools.