Frequently Asked Questions

The Director of Graduate Programs serves as your academic adviser for the duration of your time in the program. During your second year you will obtain a second adviser who will be the chair of your culminating project committee.

• Each year we offer approximately 12 graduate teaching assistantships to full-time students; refer to Question 10.
• Serve as a Residence Director; information is found here: housing.ncsu.edu/employment
• You can find additional information on financing your graduate education through the Graduate School.

Yes, we require a writing sample in the target language from each applicant.

Yes, each applicant is required to submit a speaking sample as part of the application for admission.

Except for our FL507 Teaching Foreign Languages at the College Level, we generally offer our classes in the late afternoon or evening, generally one day a week during the regular semester. The FL505 and FL506 courses are taught exclusively online and are intended for practicing k-12 teachers who have initial NC licensure. We also continue to increase our graduate-level online and summer offerings.

A student in good standing can request a leave of absence for up to one year. See the regulation and procedures here. Send to the DGP, via email, the justification for making the request along with a pdf of your unofficial transcript. The DGP will act on the request by submitting the Leave-of-Absence form to the Graduate School for consideration.

See the Forms List for full information, including the submission schedule.

There is a difference between International APPLICANTS and International STUDENTS. International APPLICANTS fall into three categories: Overseas, Currently residing in the U.S., or U.S. permanent residents. Depending on the decisions made your STUDENT status will be determined to be Domestic or International.

“International students are those who have neither United States citizenship nor permanent resident status in the United States.”

Applicants who are overseas internationals must send their paperwork to the International Admissions specialist at the Graduate School. Those applicants who are U.S. permanent residents or who are international students already residing in the U.S. must send their paperwork to OIS. The OIS staff members also provide immigration and cross-cultural assistance to students on nonimmigrant visas throughout their program at NC State. Administrative Handbook, 2.4.
If you have other questions, contact the Office of International Services.

Yes, you can take courses as part of the Non-Degree Studies program (NDS). You may then be able to transfer up to 12 credit hours to meet part of your course requirements for the M.A. degree. (See Administrative Handbook, 3.1.D, Transfer of Credits.)

The description is purposefully general, allowing you to choose your own topic. The writing sample is generally a term paper that an undergraduate student has written for one of his/her advanced literature or culture courses, as part of the BA degree. We do not want a descriptive essay, rather one that takes a thesis statement, develops the topic, references scholarly articles and the texts analyzed, and comes to a logical conclusion. Specific requirements can be found here.

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 better chance of getting a teaching assistantship–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 one. Benefits for 2023-20124 are a $13,600 stipend, health insurance, and tuition. Other fees are not covered (~$1300/semester). Approximately three assistantships in French, eight in Spanish and two in TESOL are awarded each fall for the academic year. Approximately 50% of those applying receive an assistantship. Decisions regarding TAships are typically made by March 1. Principal duty. GTA’s normally assist teaching with two classes in the fall and spring of the first year, and then teach two classes on their own during the fall and spring semesters of the second. GTA’s work an average of 20 hours/week. No additional employment during the fall/spring semesters is allowed without approval by the DGP. 

Put simply, all students must demonstrate English proficiency sufficient to facilitate success in the graduate program. There are a number of ways this can be done, as outlined in the Graduate Handbook, Section 2.3.

The topic/project you choose will generally dictate who will serve as your committee chair, and to a lesser extent, the other two committee members. Once you select your topic, determine which faculty member specializes in the topic you have chosen. Contact the faculty member, present your topic and see if he/she would be willing to serve as the committee chair. Select two more members, based on input from your committee chair. Receive the signatures of all committee members on the committee form. For more information see the Culminating Project page.

In theory it is possible, but summer course offerings are limited due to student demand. It is probably possible to take six hours the first summer, then 12 hours during the Fall and the Spring semesters and then another 6 hours for the remaining summer, but it would be difficult to find 12 hours of course work to take in one summer. It should be noted that 12 hours during the Fall and Spring are very heavy loads.

All international graduate students for whom English is a second language and who are either appointed as Teaching Assistants or who are required to teach undergraduates as part of their graduate programs. For full information on the SPEAK Test visit the SPEAK Test page. Signup and scores are handled at the Speak Web Site.

A student could earn three hours of credit by successfully completing the FLF/FLS675 course, the course taken while working on the culminating project, and choosing the professional portfolio option for the culminating project. The student must begin and end the portfolio while enrolled in the MA program. If a student already has National Board Certification upon entering the program he/she would not be able to choose that option.

That would depend on the program, but in general, you would be able to choose either route (Spanish, French or Education). Depending on the program, you might need to take more courses than other PhD students who come in with an MA in education; it would just depend on the program you choose.

You have six years in which to complete your MA course work. This includes any course work that you would like to transfer from other institutions. Courses taken more than six years prior to your graduation date will not count toward your course work for the MA. See the Time Limit section of the Graduate Handbook.

Yes, if you already have a license to teach in North Carolina. The specifics of the program have not been worked out and finalized, but it would involve taking methods courses plus additional courses at the 500-level as equivalents to the courses normally taken for ESL certification. See the ESL certification page with undergrad courses. A dual-concentration in TESOL is available to all graduate students in the department.

We offer several courses in translation, plus many courses in linguistics. However, we do not offer certificates in translation or interpretation at this time.

This is an “Option B” or non-thesis program. However, a culminating product of learning is required.

Yes, if you are a practicing teacher. You can use your NBPTS as the culminating project of learning, as long as you start and finish it while you are in the MA program.

A graduate student can complete two Master’s degrees at the same time. After completing half of the course work for the first Master’s degree the student requests permission to do a second master’s program. A second plan of work would be submitted with a memo from the first Master’s program. The plan of work would need to show which courses would be double counted toward the 2nd degree. Up to twelve credit hours can be double counted. You can also complete a dual concentration within the MA in Foreign Langauges, for example Spanish or French plus TESOL. Speak with the Director of Graduate Programs during your first semester if you are interested in a dual concentration.

“A student maybe be granted provisional status when he/she does not fully meet all the necessary requirements for admission to the Graduate School, but his/her circumstances warrant provisional admission.
“Students can attain full graduate standing after completing nine or more graduate credit hours with a minimum 3.00 GPA. Courses taken for S/U grade cannot be used as part of the minimum.” (Source)
You need to prove that you will be successful in the program. Be sure that you do not overload yourself so that you are able to complete your courses with a B or better.

Diplomas cannot be picked up for summer graduates.  They are mailed out. This  information is available at the Registrar Diplomas page
At the end of every semester, after the official graduate date, students may be held as degree candidates for up to 30 days for official clearance.
The date on which a graduate may order an official transcript varies according to how soon they are cleared for graduation.

Yes. It is called a master’s enroute. You will not be able to double count anything from the Ph.D. and the master’s program.

The FLF/FLS630 Independent Study can be taken under the following circumstances:
   a. All other course work offered in the intended semester will not work in the student’s Plan of Work.
   b. The student has identified a graduate faculty member with corresponding research interests (PDF) and who is willing to direct the independent study during the intended semester.
   c. The student completes the FLF/FLS630 Independent Study form (.DOC) and it is approved by the graduate faculty member and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Our program is a non-online degree. The GSSP pays for on-campus and DELTA course up to the tuition rate for 9+ hours. Visit the Cashier’s Office website for specific information. You would be responsible for anything beyond that.