Graduate Programs, TEFL

Teaching English as a Foreign Language Program

What is the MATEFL Program?

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) at AUA offers a professional Master of Arts program in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (MA TEFL). Students represent diverse professional backgrounds, demonstrate a strong commitment to field of education and TEFL, and posses an exceptional capacity to learn and make a positive impact in the country and the region. MA TEFL graduates pursue rewarding careers and are well-positioned to transform educational systems and practices.

Why MATEFL at AUA ?

AUA’s reputation gives you a strong competitive edge in the job market in the country.
It is the only one in the country for its curriculum tailored to ESL/EFL teaching professions and benchmarked to top international programs in TESOL.
It prepares you for a wide range of expertise in TEFL: classroom and online teaching, curriculum design, assessment and other areas taught in electives, e.g. ESP, Young Learners, Leadership, Technology.
It is rigorous in research and academic skills and prepares you for a PhD abroad and research related positions.
You become eligible for financial aid up to 90% of your tuition.

Career Paths

The Program prepares graduates to address a wide range of TEFL needs including:

Teaching learners of different age groups and English proficiencies
Evaluating, designing, and improving curricula
Creating learning and teaching materials and textbooks
Integrating educational technologies into classroom, blended, and distance environments
Designing and administering assessments
Providing pre-service and in-service teacher training
Conducting qualitative and quantitative research

“To say that the TEFL program in AUA was a wonderful experience for me does not even explain how amazing the program is. The TEFL program helped broaden my horizons, professionally, globally and personally. The program helped me gain competent skills and experience teaching English in different settings! Having such opportunities gave me the insight and understanding of how intricate the process of language teaching is. Because of the TEFL program, I am confident that I have the necessary skills and knowledge to be a great EFL teacher!”

Angela Diloyan, MA TEFL 2019 Alumna
Lead Teacher, QSI International School of Yerevan

Curriculum

Most courses are scheduled during the morning and afternoon.

Requires courses:

Introduction to TEFL Methodology
Introduction to Language
English Grammar: Structure and Pedagogy
Teaching Languages Skills
Classroom Assessment
Teaching Practicum
Teaching Internship
Research Methods
Curriculum Design
Second Language Acquisition
MA TEFL Capstone

Elective courses:

English for Specific Purposes
New Technologies in TEFL
Teaching English to Young Learners
Vocabulary Teaching and Learning
Teaching Test Preparation Courses
Teaching Armenian to Non-native Speakers
Leadership and Management in Language Teaching
Endangered Languages and Biodiversity
Advanced Academic and Professional Writing in Applied Linguistics and TEFL Teaching

Degree Requirements

To graduate with a Master’s Degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language , students must successfully complete all required courses, including a capstone project and a university-wide 1-credit course in environmental science. Students pursuing full-time studies typically graduate in two years.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the AUA general graduate admission requirements and the TEFL-program requirements. For more information, please refer to the AUA Application Procedures.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate with a Master’s Degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (MA TEFL), students must:
successfully complete 43 credit units:

successfully complete 43 credit units:
- 33 units of required courses (11 courses total). This list includes any one of the three capstone options worth of 3 units:
  - Thesis (TEFL 392 – Capstone Project)
  - Design Project (TEFL 392 – Capstone Project)
  - Comprehensive Examinations (TEFL 393)
- at least 9 units of TEFL elective courses
- at least 1 unit of an environmental science course (e.g., ENVS 305 /TEFL 330 – Endangered Languages and Biodiversity)
have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Fees are calculated per credit unit, as https://catalog.aua.am/tuition/.
AUA provides need-based financial support to MATEFL students. Assistance may range up to 90% of the total tuition costs, according to the financial situation evidenced in the submitted documents. For more information, visit: Financial Aid.

Financial aid granted between Fall 2020 and Spring 2023:

69% of MATEFL students received on average 59% needs-based financial aid (ranging from 25% to 90%)

Academic scholarships awarded between Fall 2020 and Spring 2023:

9% of MATEFL students received 58% scholarship in average from Fall 2020 to Fall 2022 (ranging from 25% to 100%)

Scholarships can be awarded in addition to financial aid, based on academic performance.