TESOL for MISSOURI Educators

Missouri ELL Certification & TESOL DegreE Options


Webster University is authorized by the state of Missouri (Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, or DESE) to offer the courses leading to Missouri English Language Learner (ELL) Certification.  Hundreds of Missouri K–12 educators have chosen Webster University to complete their ELL certification.  The majority of these teachers have also completed their MA in TESOL at Webster University.

Here a few photos of our program graduates and program faculty.

Missouri ELL Certification Requirements

DESE requires seven courses in TESOL and three pre-requisite courses for Missouri ELL Certification.  Many K–12 educators have already completed these three pre-requisite courses as part of their initial teaching certification.  If you do not have any of these pre-requisite courses, you may take these courses and use them as electives toward an MA in TESOL degree!

Note: DESE requires that candidates seeking the ELL Certification have a permanent Missouri elementary or secondary certificate. 

The 7 TESOL courses (21 credit hours) offered at Webster University are as follows:

DESE also requires that candidates have completed the following three pre-requisite courses: 

All students starting their Missouri ELL Certification or MA in TESOL at Webster University will receive a transcript review to let them know which courses they will need to complete both ELL Certification and the MA degree.

Listen to one of our program graduates

Sheila Turan completed her MA in TESOL and her Missouri ELL Certification at Webster University.  After working in Turkey for a year on a Fulbright, she found a full-time teaching position in Missouri.

MA in TESOL

Webster's MA in TESOL program is only 33 credit hours (11 hours).  All 7 TESOL courses taken for Missouri ELL Certification (21 credit hours, or 7 courses) can also count toward a master's degree.

Many Missouri educators choose to complete the full degree because it will help them move up on the pay scale in their district.  And if you already have a master's degree (and you are seeking master's plus 30), you may be able to complete your MA in TESOL with even fewer courses!  (See below for more information on completing a second master's degree with few classes.)

The 8 required TESOL courses (24 credit hours) offered at Webster University are as follows

Beyond these 8 courses, only 3 more elective courses are needed to complete an MA in TESOL at Webster University (unless you already have a prior master's degree).

Sequential MA in TESOL

Do you already have a prior master's degree (e.g., an MAT, an MEd, an MA in Reading)?  If so, then you may qualify for a sequential master's degree at Webster University.

If you completed a master's degree in the field of education at a regionally accredited university, then you will qualify for a sequential master's degree.  This means that you only need to take the 8 required TESOL courses for the degree.  This is the 7 courses for Missouri ELL Certification plus the course in Materials Development.

Many of our TESOL students have already completed a prior master's program and are able to complete their MA in TESOL more quickly by using their prior academic credentials in education.

TESOL Program Format

Webster University offers the entire MA in TESOL program in a fully online format using Canvas.  The TESOL program underwent a major curriculum revision starting in 2022 to update courses, to include relevant video content, to suggest additional readings, to strengthen the assessment process, and to diversify the program readings!

TESOL courses are offered in five 8-week terms (see Webster's Academic Calendar).  Courses are asynchronous, which means that there is not one fixed time every week that you need to be online (though participation is expected every week in the discussion boards, online activities, and assessments).

Working teachers greatly appreciate this flexibility for their schedule.  Teachers also appreciate that their class assignments involve designing activities, lesson plans, assessments, and instructional materials for their current teaching context.  (And a bonus...there are no exams in TESOL classes.)  

Many teachers develop materials that they can use in their current classes or develop materials that they will be able to use within the next year.  The practical application to today's classroom makes the assessments authentic and helps current educators develop the very skills most needed to meet the needs of English learners they serve in their schools today.

The course schedule for the program looks like this:

Recommendations for Program Completion

For currently working K–12 teachers, we recommend that you only take one course per 8-week term.  Start with the courses in the top row, and then move to the courses in the second row (taking any electives that you may need for ELL Certification and/or the degree during the second year).

This allows most teachers to complete this program in two years.  Many teachers apply for provisional ELL certification from DESE before they complete their Missouri ELL Certification.  This has opened up the opportunity to dozens of teachers to seek new employment opportunities (e.g., take on an ELL specialist position) before they complete their program!

If life gets busy and you need to take time off, your program advisor will work with you to adjust your program of study and help you complete when the time is right.

Also, you can start your program at the beginning of any of these 8-week terms.  This means that you can start your program in August, October, January, March, or June.

Practicum Options

DESE requires a practicum experience as part of the Missouri ELL Certification.  The MA in TESOL has the same requirement.

Webster University offers the opportunity to complete the practicum experience using a practicum by portfolio process.  If you currently work in a classroom that requires you to differentiate instruction for English learners, you may qualify for the practicum by portfolio option.  Many principals will help adjust teacher's schedules so that they are working with English learners to help them with practicum requirements and be able to complete their practicum through this portfolio process.

The advantage of the practicum by portfolio option is that it allows you to use your teaching experience toward the practicum hours, and this option costs less money than a regular three-credit course.

If you do not have access to English learners in your classroom(s), your program advisor will help you schedule a practicum experience.


What is the Cost for the Program?

The TESOL courses are offered at a reduced tuition rate compared to other graduate courses at Webster University.  The tuition and fees for the MA in TESOL program are listed online (see https://www.webster.edu/admissions/graduate/tuition.php).  Be certain to view the current tuition for TESOL - College of Humanities.

The current tuition for the 2023–24 academic year is $670 per credit hour.  At this rate, each three-credit course is $2010.  (Note that the tuition rate generally increases by approximately 3% every June 1.)

If you complete practicum through the portfolio option, you can expect to save approximately $1000 in tuition for the practicum course.

Special Note

Starting in 2022, Webster's TESOL program revised the TESOL courses so that students no longer need to purchase textbooks.  This comes at a savings of approximately $1000.  (Elective courses outside of the TESOL program may require the purchase of textbooks.)

Check with your district about tuition assistance or other professional development funds that may help you pay for graduate courses.  (Many of our TESOL students have used district funds to pay for some or all of their courses.)  For information on financial aid, please see our website at https://www.webster.edu/financialaid. 


Apply to the Program

Admission requirements for the MA in TESOL are that you have a bachelor's degree with a 2.5 GPA or higher.  Missouri ELL Certification requires that you also have your initial teaching certification for Missouri.

Applying to the program is easy!  Just go to http://www.webster.edu/apply. 

Learn More

See the rest of this website for more about Webster's TESOL program.  Also see this page on the Teaching English as a Second Language program on the College of Humanities and Social Sciences website.

For more specific information, please reach out to the program director Dr. DJ Kaiser (djkaiser@webster.edu).

A Note from the Program Director

It has been my greatest pleasure to be the director of Webster's TESOL program since 2011.  For more than a decade, I have had the opportunity to work with more than one thousand educators from Missouri, from across the United States, and from all around the world!  We have helped literally more than 200 Missouri K–12 educators complete their Missouri ELL Certification and MA in TESOL degree.  District administrators often comment that Webster TESOL graduates are more than ELL teachers, they are school leaders.  Let Webster help you advance your career!

DJ Kaiser, PhD, MATESL, MA