Admission to the Teachers College Columbia University (Japan) MA Program is based on a range of factors, which are your:
Undergraduate record: You will need a 4 year B.A. from a recognized university. You should submit official copies of your transcripts and a statement certifying award of the degree in English. Your transcript will be checked by the Admissions Office in New York, and if you need to make explanatory comments about your transcript records, please do so on your personal statement or in an attached statement.
Teaching Experience: Besides a generalist track for the MA in TESOL degree [for those with two or more years of classroom experience], the TESOL Program offers a specific study track for novice teachers [for those with less than 2 years teaching experience], as well a track for elementary school teachers [K-6]. For more information about these tracks please contact the Program Director or email the TC Office.
Teaching Situation: A very important requirement is that you must be teaching either full or part-time as you study in the program. A whole variety of contexts are permissible, ranging from public and private Monkasho-approved schools, commercial schools, privately-owned language schools, private lessons etc. This is an inservice program and some of the required courses (methods/practica) can only be completed if the participants are actively engaged in classroom teaching. Professors and peers need to be able to go to your school and observe you as well.
Personal Statement: A personal statement of 250 to 300 words in English about your goals for professional development and why you want to study at Teachers College.
References: There are two required, written in English. They should be from someone who has either taught you or has been in a position of authority over you and can therefore make a judgement as to your suitability for graduate work. Character references are also acceptable in certain circumstances.
Language Proficiency Score: If you are a non-native speaker of English, you must also submit an English Proficiency Score on either the IELTS Test or the TOEFL Test.
If you submit an IELTS Test, you should try to submit a score of
If you submit a TOEFL Test, you should try to submit a score of at least 100 (iBT) or 250 (CBT) as part of your application.
However many language teachers in Japan also want to improve their English language proficiency as a result of their study. The Tokyo MA in TESOL program recognizes this and the fact that by participating in the program non-native speakers of English will, in addition to expanding their knowledge and understanding of teaching and research in the TESOL field, improve their English skills. Thus, if you have an IELTS Score of at least 6.5, an iBT score of at least 84, or a CBT of at least 223, you should feel free to apply for admission to the program. However, you will need to contact the TC Office first to discuss your teaching situation and to arrange a pre-application interview with the Program Director. Considering applications with these lower scores for admission assumes that as a result of graduate study your language proficiency will increase quickly, so you will be expected to obtain the required language proficiency scores as quickly as possible after admission (note too that these scores are required for graduation).
When requesting your official IELTS score report to be sent to TC, you will need fill in the following information on the relevant sheet in the test application form:
Teachers College, Columbia University,
Mitsui Seimei Bldg. 4F. 2-21-2 Misaki-cho,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN 101-0061
When requesting your official TOEFL score report to be sent to TC, you will need the following information:
Institution Code: 9758
Department Code: 85
TWE: The submission of a TWE test score is not required for an application to the Tokyo program, but is recommended. A score at least 4.5 and above is also recommended. During the interview and application process you will be asked to complete a writing exercise (based on the TWE question prompt) which will be used for diagnostic purposes - if you need to improve your academic writing you will be asked to register for the Advanced English Language Studies course.
In order to apply for admission to the M.A. Program in Tokyo, you must complete the application form which can be obtained from the TC Office. We will contact you in 2-3 weeks after the application deadline to schedule an interview.