Master of Arts in the Teaching of Languages
Program Description
The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at The University of Southern Mississippi offers a Master of Arts in the Teaching of Languages program with an emphasis in Spanish, French, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
The MATL is designed particularly for the needs of elementary, middle, and high school teachers and for those who would like to teach at the community college level as our program offers the possibility of 18 graduate hours in the field of study for SACS accreditation.The focus of the MATL is on developing and enhancing the knowledge, skills, and theories in language, language acquisition, and language instruction that are essential for both effective teaching and successful learning.
This unique program can be completed in class or fully online. Summer and online students are charged in-state tuition; online students are also charged a $30 course fee.Tution and Fees.
The MATL program is one of the largest programs of its kind in the USA addressing language teachers' needs. The MATL program at the University of Southern Mississippi, with a summer site in Mexico brings together foreign language teachers and teachers-to-be from all parts of the United States and abroad. Students share their experiences and significantly enhance their professional and academic training in an enriching and stimulating, multicultural environment. In addition, over the past fifteen years of the MATL program’s existence, many qualified professionals have contributed their expertise through interactive, application-oriented instruction. Our curriculum and teaching practice have achieved the best combination between theory and classroom work. We are confident that our final professional portfolio assessment allows the candidates to be fully prepared for a job interview as well as for the preparation of National Board Certification.
We offer the MATL program year-round both online and in class for enrollment in fall, spring or summer semesters at our university campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as well as in Puebla, Mexico, for summer enrollment only. Each site is unique, offering a large variety of courses aimed to meet the multifaceted needs of today's language teachers. Students may select the site of study for each term, engaging in thus an even more rounded and culturally diversified and enriching experience. Summer course offerings are organized to present the greatest flexibility for students. In the summer, the MATL program offers online courses in addition to in-class possibilities ranging from ten days to four weeks in both Mexico and Hattiesburg. Students may take between 3-9 hours in the summer, depending on the site and offerings available. It is also possible for students to obtain additional hours through transfer work (6 hours total), research and study projects completed abroad, or through a combination of these options.