Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

The following are requirements for admission:

1. The applicant must possess a Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
2. The applicant must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 at the undergraduate level leading to the Bachelor Degree. The applicant who possesses a master’s degree prior to admission must have a graduate grade point average of at least 3.0 in any graduate level work undertaken before admission. All calculations are based on a 4.0 scale.
3. In rare instances, candidates who graduated from a non-accredited college or university or who do not meet the minimum grade point averages requirement for admission may be admitted based upon an evaluation of evidence submitted by the candidate. As a minimum, the evidence must address mastery of the knowledge prerequisite to the courses required by the program, acceptable writing skills, the ability to engage in critical thinking, and a personal commitment to completing the program. The evidence, very often including Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, must convincingly demonstrate the candidate's potential for success in graduate level work.
4. Admission decisions are not be made on the basis of race, age, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation or disability. 
5. Candidates who are not accepted for admission may reapply once they have addressed the weaknesses identified during their initial application review. During that period, such applicants may be encouraged by the program to enroll in appropriate course work to develop the knowledge, skills, and values deemed necessary for admission into the program, or to demonstrate that the applicant already possesses such qualifications. Whether such course work may apply to the degree program is left to the discretion of the program. Applicants may also be encouraged to take or re-take the GRE. Completion of recommended course work or the GRE does not guarantee admission into the program.
6. Advanced standing for a limited amount of course work taken prior to admittance to the program is possible. Course work completed 5 or more years prior to admission will not be applied to the requirements. To maintain active status in the program, students must register for at least 1 semester credit every academic year. 

The application is not complete, and cannot be reviewed, until the School of Education has received all of the following:

1. A cover letter clearly stating to which degree and program strand (i.e., K-12 TESOL or Adult/International) the application is being made.
2. A statement of the applicant's academic and professional goals, approximately two pages long. This writing sample will be used as one of the criteria for evaluating the application. The applicant should explain specifically what areas s/he would like to study so that an appropriate advisor may be assigned to the applicant if admitted into the program.
3. A resume relevant to academic and professional data. It should include the applicant's name, address, phone, email, colleges attended with degrees, dates conferred, and grade point average, employment history, professional experience, present employer, and names of references.
4. Three letters of recommendation from people familiar with the applicant’s academic and professional abilities.  At least one letter should be from a faculty member in higher education. Those writing letters should explain who they are, their relationship to the applicant, and what they know of the applicant’s academic and professional abilities. The applicant should be prepared to provide the recommenders e-mail addresses in the electronic application. Since recommenders are not prompted to submit their letters until the electronic application has been submitted, and application fee paid, it is wise to encourage recommenders to prepare their letters in advance so that they can upload them immediately upon receipt of the prompt.
5. Transcripts showing all undergraduate and graduate course work completed, including degrees granted and dates of degrees. Applicants whose previous degrees were earned at the University of Cincinnati may substitute "on-campus" transcripts.

Application Deadline and Procedures

Prospective students will complete the on-line application for their requested program by the posted application deadline.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials and support documents are successfully submitted.  Incomplete applications will not be processed or reviewed.

Transcripts:

Providing academic records during the application process. All applicants are required to upload their unofficial transcripts during the application process. The university defines “unofficial” transcripts as transcripts that have been in the hands of students, are typically printed on plain paper, and do not have a college seal or registrar's signature. Applicants should NOT send official transcripts as part of the application process.

Providing academic records after admission. Once an applicant has been extended an offer of admission to the University of Cincinnati and has accepted the offer, s/he must submit an official transcript showing conferral of a baccalaureate degree or higher as soon as possible to the address below. The university defines “official” transcripts as transcripts that have been received from a secure, authenticated issuing institution and bears validation (e.g., a seal, logo, or watermark), including a date, and an appropriate signature. Official transcripts MUST be sent forward in their original, sealed envelope. The absolute final deadline for submission of official transcripts is one week before the start of the student’s first semester. Students will NOT be allowed to complete a full semester without providing verification of an earned baccalaureate degree or higher. Any discrepancy later found between student-provided unofficial transcripts and official transcripts will be grounds for dismissal. Official Transcripts should be sent to one of the following addresses:

UC Alumni

Students who have received degrees from the University of Cincinnati do not need to submit official paper copies of their UC transcripts.

Students with degrees received in China

Applicants who have received degrees in China will upload their unofficial transcripts during the application process. The university defines “unofficial” transcripts as transcripts that have been in the hands of students, are typically printed on plain paper, and do not have a college seal or registrar's signature. Unofficial transcripts do NOT need to be verified at this stage of the application process.

After being accepted to join a graduate program

Applicants who have earned a degree in China must submit an English-version verification report from the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC) of their final transcripts and degree certificates.  All verification reports must be sent to the University of Cincinnati directly by the CDGDC to be considered official. No other verification will be accepted. Applicants with Chinese transcripts must contact the CDGDC after their degree is completed and request that their degree verification report be submitted directly to the University of Cincinnati. Students who request a verification report prior to degree conferral will be required to submit a second report after conferral.

Verification reports can be ordered at the following websites:

• Chinese: http://cqv.chinadegrees.cn/cn/
• English:  http://www.chinadegrees.cn/en/

Verification reports are due to the Graduate School one week prior to the start of the student’s first semester. Failure to submit verification reports on time will result in a student being placed in non-matriculated status and loss of his/her student visa status. Verification reports should be sent to one of the following addresses: