General Information

General Description

The Master of Arts degree programs in Foreign Languages provides concentrations in French, Spanish and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). 

One of our primary aims is to serve the needs and interests of foreign language teachers in North Carolina and, through them, their students. In this era of critical teacher shortages, this program allows teachers to keep teaching while they upgrade their linguistic, cultural, and pedagogical skills. Because of its ongoing close professional relationship with teachers, its awareness of the need for graduate course material that can be applied to classroom realities, its state-of-the-art foreign language technology center, as well as the strong scholarly qualifications of its faculty, the NC State Department of World Languages and Cultures is uniquely qualified to provide this service to the state. We will offer most of our graduate courses in the late afternoons, evenings or in intensive summer sessions. Later on, we intend to offer some of our courses via distance education. In working with teachers we will emphasize practical classroom applications of subject matter and instruction in the use of the latest technologies.

Program Requirements and Curriculum

  • Admission requirements include a B.A. degree, a GPA of 3.0 or above, and proficiency in the target language. (Note: Students whose BA is not in the language of the program to which they are applying should consult with the DGP. They may be required to have 6 hours of 400-level or higher courses in that language, with a minimum grade of B or higher, prior to submitting their admissions application
  • A minimum of 24 hours of credit toward the degree must be taken at NC State. (Some of those 24 hours may be earned via inter-institutional credit).
  • Any transfer courses must have been completed within the last four years prior to enrolling in the program.
  • Up to six hours of 400-level classes may be accepted (with the approval of the Director of Graduate Programs). These courses must be in an area other than the student's major field of study, and must be taken as a graduate student (i.e. 400-level courses cannot be transferred into the program).
  • Courses in the program will be of three types: 1) Teaching methodology courses taught in English; 2) Content courses in literature/culuture, linguistics, and pedagogy according to the concentration. 
  • All students will submit a Culminating Project.
  • All students will submit an assessment portfolio.

Administration and Accreditation

The M.A. in Foreign Languages is currently administered by Dr. Jim Michnowicz, Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, along with the FLL Graduate Programs Committee. The DGP reports to the Department Head, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and the Dean of the Graduate School. The MA program is fully accreddited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Hispanic Linguistics Track

Students wishing to follow the M.A. concentration in Hispanic Linguistics take courses in Sociolinguistics and Applied Linguistics in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, as well as courses in Sociolinguistics in the Department of English M.A. program in Sociolinguistics.

Our graduates have been admitted to top Ph.D. programs around the country, or have obtained college or secondary teaching positions following graduation.


Ways to Finance your M.A.

Each year we offer approximately 13 graduate teaching assistantships to full-time students in French, Spanish or TESOL. To be considered for a teaching assistantship, applicants should select that as a funding option on their graduate school application form. Teaching assistantships are awarded for one year; they are renewable for a second year based on funding and the performance of the Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) during the first year.
Criteria: The stronger the admissions application--The higher the GPA, the stronger the recommendations, the higher the quality of the written and oral samples--The better the chances are that you will receive a teaching assistantship. Benefits for 2023-2024 are an $13,600 stipend, health insurance, and tuition. Other fees are not covered (~$1300/semester). Three assistantships in French, eight assistantships in Spanish and two assistanships in TESOL are awarded each fall for the academic year. Approximately 60% of those applying receive an assistantship. Decisions regarding TAships are typically made by March 1.
Principal duty: GTA's normally assist teaching with one class in the fall and spring of the first year as well as conversation/tutoring duties, and then teach two classes on their own during the fall and spring semesters of their second year. GTA's work an average of 20 hours/week. No additional employment during the fall/spring semesters is allowed without approval by the DGP. Visit the Graduate School Assistantships page for additional information.

You can find additional information on financing your graduate education through the Graduate School.