twos1c

I am finishing up my MA in TESOL at UMKC. Even though this program is in the school of education, about a third of my peers have no teaching experience. Much of our curriculum is directed towards pedagogy and we have conducted observations, mock lessons, and have enrolled in a teaching practicum. So even if you don't have language teaching experience, you will likely have a practicum or internship as part of your program. Your background is impressive and I can't imagine you facing difficulty finding acceptance into a top program. To be honest though, I am not aware of a ranking of TESOL programs at the MA level. If you have your eyes set on a doctorate degree, seek out MA programs that are more research focused. TESOL can be housed in different academic disciplines, such as the linguistics department, English department, or the school of education. This can sometimes impact the focus of the program (such as an emphasis on theory and research vs an emphasis on teaching and practice). My program was extremely easy to get into; no teaching experience required, no GRE, no LORs (though they are required now), and no essays. They only required a 3.0 GPA and a 200 word personal statement. Despite these lax admissions standards, I have been very impressed with this program. It is not a thesis-oriented program, but I do know of some graduates who have gone on to pursue PhDs. Best of luck!