Master's in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

In order to meet minimum University admission requirements, applicants must have:

• A bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA – An earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working towards a bachelor’s degree.
• GRE test scores*. Official test results are required from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). These scores are considered official only when they are sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the testing agency. Examinee copies are not considered official. Graduate Record Exam (GRE): http://www.ets.org/ – FSU Institution Code: 5219. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) does not retain scores longer than five years. If your test scores are older than five years, you may have to retake the test to have official scores sent directly to FSU from the testing agency. If you have the report that was mailed to your home address for older scores, then FSU will accept that report.
  • Target Scores: Verbal – 146+, Quantitative – 140+. Applicants who do not meet the minimum GRE requirements will be evaluated in other aspects of their applications, such as teaching experience.
  • The GRE requirement may be waived for applicants if the applicant meets at least ONE of the following criteria:
    • Three years of professional experience as a practicing educator or equivalent field provided that the candidate can provide evidence of Effective or Highly Effective teacher evaluations, OR
    • Successful completion of six graduate credit hours from the C&I program with a graduate GPA of 3.50 or higher, OR
    • Passing score on the General Knowledge Test of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination or an equivalent state certification examination.
    • Applicants must provide evidence to satisfy the criteria being applied; please send documentation to ste-gradcoord@fsu.edu. Approval of a GRE waiver does not guarantee admission. Prospective students must still apply and meet all other admissions requirements.
  • *NOTE: The GRE admission requirements for master's and specialist programs have been waived through Fall 2026.
• Language proficiency test (international students only) – FSU accepts scores from TOEFL (minimum 80), IELTS (minimum 6.5), MELAB (minimum 77), Cambridge C1 Advanced Level (minimum 180), Michigan Language Assessment (minimum 55), and Duolingo (minimum 120)
• Transcripts – Applicants must submit an official transcript from each college and/or university attended. Transcripts should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions electronically at graduateadmissions@fsu.edu or via mail in a sealed envelope:

  Florida State University
  Office of Graduate Admissions
  314 Westcott Building
  P.O. Box 3061410
  Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410

  • Admission to graduate study is a two-fold evaluation process. The Office of Admissions determines eligibility for admission to the University, and the academic department, program, or college determines admissibility to the degree program. University graduate admissions requirements are found at https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions. Academic programs have additional requirements.

  • Florida State University requires a course-by-course credential evaluation for all applicants that have degrees from a non-U.S. institution. International and domestic applicants with degrees earned from international institutions must submit their official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator for transcripts from a non-U.S. institution. SpanTran has created a custom application for Florida State University that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. See the “Transcript Requirement” section on The Graduate School website, https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions, for detailed information on University transcript requirements for graduate admission.

Applicants must upload the following REQUIRED supporting documents to the Admissions Application Portal:

• Statement of purpose (one page) – should describe your purpose for pursuing a degree, qualifications and long-term career goals.
• Two letters of recommendation
• One page resume/curriculum vitae
• Writing Sample – it is acceptable to submit a paper used in another class, or one that was published.

• Fall: July 1
• Spring: November 1
• Summer: March 1

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Master's Student Handbook

Information about tuition and fees at Florida State is available here. You can learn more about the scholarship and aid opportunities for College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences students here.

There is a high demand for TESOL teachers all over the world. Our TESOL online program prepares students for careers in ESL and EFL teaching, language assessment, teacher training, materials development, program administration, education consulting, and publishing.

A career in education can be very rewarding, and a typical path offers ample opportunities for professional development and growth. Educators make a difference in the lifelong learning experience of their students, as well as, the quality and standards of the programs they teach.

Click here to learn more about our faculty in the TESOL online program.

Veronica Houck