""I was excited to learn directly from professors I had read about in my undergraduate program...Their vast, global experiences were something I did not take for granted... AU professors work hard to make sure the classes are extremely interactive. Honestly, it felt like I was sitting in a classroom with my classmates. It was just very interactive and engaging. I would recommend this program to anyone who is currently teaching ESL. This program can help expand your knowledge on TESOL, and it gives you a lot of practical tips for being successful in the classroom."– Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania School District ESL Teacher Bethany Kazekas
World-Class TESOL Faculty
Rod Ellis, Ph.D.
Rod Ellis, Ph.D.
Vice President of Academic Affairs
Doctor of Education in TESOL Program Designer
Senior Professor: TESOL
Dr. Rod Ellis is a world-renowned thought leader in the field of Second Language Acquisition. Prof. Ellis received his Doctorate from the University of London and his Master of Education from the University of Bristol. A former professor at Temple University both in Japan and the US, Prof. Ellis has served as the Director of the Institute of Language Teaching and Learning at the University of Auckland and has taught in numerous positions in England, Japan, the US, Zambia and New Zealand. Dr. Ellis, who is known as an expert in Second Language Acquisition, is author of the Oxford University...
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Hayo Reinders, Ph.D.
Hayo Reinders, Ph.D.
Graduate School of Education Chair of Research
Professor: TESOL
Dr. Hayo Reinders is Chair of Research for the Anaheim University Graduate School of Education. Holding a Ph.D. in Language Teaching and Learning from the University of Auckland, Dr. Reinders is also Professor of Education and Head of Department at Unitec in Auckland, New Zealand. His previous positions include Head of Learner Development at Middlesex University in London, Director of the English Language Self Access Centre at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and associate professor at RELC in Singapore. He has worked with teachers from a large number of countries worldwide and has...
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David Nunan, Ph.D
David Nunan, Ph.D.
Master of Arts in TESOL Designer & David Nunan TESOL Institute Director
Senior Professor: TESOL
Dr. David Nunan is former president of TESOL, the world's largest language teaching organization and the world's leading textbook series author. David Nunan, Director of the MA TESOL program and David Nunan TESOL Institute, is the founding Dean of the Anaheim University Graduate School of Education and served as President of Anaheim University from 2006 to 2008. Dr. Nunan is a world-renowned linguist and best-selling author of English Language Teaching textbooks for Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Thomson Learning. His ELT textbook series "Go For It" is the largest...
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Luke Plonsky, Ph.D.
Graduate TESOL Director
Professor: TESOL
Luke Plonsky (Ph.D., Michigan State University) specializes in three main areas of applied linguistics and TESOL: second language acquisition, language pedagogy, and research methods. Recent and forthcoming work in these and other areas can be found in virtually all major journals in the field including Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Language Learning, Modern Language Journal, Second Language Research, and Studies in Second Language Acquisition and in book chapters published by Cambridge, De Gruyter, Routledge, and Wiley-Blackwell. Luke has also co-authored or edited four books including the best-selling 4th edition of
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MaryAnn Christison, Ph.D.
MaryAnn Christison, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
A past President of TESOL (1997-1998), MaryAnn Christison serves on the Board of Trustees for The International Research Foundation (TIRF). Holding a Ph.D. in English/Linguistics from the University of Utah, Dr. Christison has been teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in applied linguistics for over 30 years. She is the author of over 80 refereed articles in journals on language teaching and second language research and 18 books including Leadership in English Language Education: Theoretical foundations and practical skills for changing times (with D. E. Murray), A Handbook for Langu...
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Andy Curtis, Ph.D.
Andy Curtis, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
The 2014-2015 President of the TESOL International Association, Dr. Andy Curtis is an expert in the field of Intercultural Communications. He has worked with teachers and learners in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, North, South and Central America, and he has published articles in journals such as TESOL Quarterly, TESL-EJ and System, as well as several books and books chapters. Anaheim University TESOL Professor Andy Curtis began his professional life as a Medical Science Officer in Clinical Biochemistry, working at hospitals in England, but after gaining his first qualification in TESOL, ...
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Denise Murray, Ph.D.
Denise Murray, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
Dr. Denise Murray served as President of TESOL from 1996-1997 and on the Board of Directors of TESOL for 7 years. TESOL Professor at Anaheim University, Prof. Murray is Emeritus Professor at Macquarie University, Australia, and at San José State University, California. She was Executive Director of the AMEP Research Centre and of the National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research (NCELTR) at Macquarie University from 2000 to 2006. Prior to her appointment at Macquarie, she was founding Chair of the Department of Linguistics and Language Development at San José State University f...
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Scott Aubrey, Ph.D.
Scott Aubrey, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor: TESOL
Scott Aubrey received his Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Auckland in 2016. He has taught at language schools and universities in Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong. Scott’s research and teaching interests include L2 motivation, the role of inter-cultural contact (inside and outside the classroom) in language learning, task-based language teaching, and L2 writing instruction. His published work includes articles in leading journals such as TESOL Quarterly, Language Teaching Research, and The Modern Language Journal. Scott currently lives in Hong Kong and teaches courses in Eng...
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Ken Beatty, Ph.D.
Ken Beatty, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
Dr. Ken Beatty is an expert in the area of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Dr. Beatty is the author/co-author of more than 100 textbooks for Pearson, Longman, Oxford University Press, Thomson, Heinle & Heinle and Hong Kong Educational Press including English as a Second Language textbooks and readers from the primary through university levels. Although most of these focus on various aspects of English as a Second Language, he also writes and reviews on the topic of CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning). He is involved in electronic media and was Academic Advisor to Hong...
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Martha Cummings, Ph.D
Martha Cummings, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
Dr. Martha Cummings received her doctorate from Columbia University Teachers College. She has served on the Nominating Committee of TESOL and is currently a member of the Standing Committee on Diversity. Dr. Cummings has taught for The Monterey Institute of International Studies and the New School Online University, as well as ESL courses for the University of Aizu in Aizuwakamatsu, Japan, where she lived from 2002-2006. She has also lived and worked in New York City; Paris, France; Bratislava, (the former Czechoslovakia); Monterey, California; and Thermopolis, Wyoming. As part of the Unite...
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Thom Hudson, Ph.D.
Thom Hudson, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
Thom Hudson received his BS degree in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, and his MA degree in TESOL and Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is professor of Second Language Studies (SLS) at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, and co-editor of the electronic journal Reading in a Foreign Language. He has been on the Department of SLS faculty at UHM since 1989. Prior to coming to Hawai’i, he taught three years in Cairo, Egypt, numerous years in the U.S., directed a reading English for science and technology project for two year...
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John Macalister, Ph.D.
John Macalister, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
John Macalister is Head of the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and immediate past president of the Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand. His work in language curriculum design and language teaching methodology have been highlighted in two books published by Routledge and co-authored with Professor Paul Nation. One of the defining characteristics of John’s work is the link between research and practice with a recent example being the design of an English curriculum for trainee seafarers in Kiribati, an island rep...
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Sandra McKay, Ph.D.
Sandra McKay, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
Dr. Sandra McKay is Professor Emeritus of English at San Francisco State University and currently an affiliate faculty member in the Second Language Studies program at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. She received her doctorate from the college of education at the University of Minnesota in applied linguistics. Her main areas of work and research are second language teacher education, sociolinguistics (with a focus on English as an international English) and research methods. Her books include Teaching English as an International Language: Rethinking Goals and Approaches
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Jo Mynard, Ph.D
Jo Mynard, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
Dr. Jo Mynard is a Professor in the English Department, Director of the Self-Access Learning Center (SALC), and Director of the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy Education (RILAE) at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) in Chiba, Japan. She completed her Ed.D. in TEFL from the University of Exeter, UK in 2003 and an M.Phil. in Applied Linguistics from Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland in 1997. She has lived in Japan since 2015, but has also worked in the United Arab Emirates, France, Spain, Germany, Australia, the USA and Ireland and has been involved in language education since 1993. She is the founding editor of SiSAL Journal (Studies in Self-Access Learning), has been a committee member of the IATEFL Learner Autonomy Special Interest Group since 2001, and is an executive officer for the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning. Her professional interests are learner autonomy, advising in language learning, affect, and learning beyond the classroom/self...
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Brian Tomlinson, Ph.D.
Brian Tomlinson, Ph.D.
Professor: TESOL
Dr. Brian Tomlinson is considered to be one of the world's leading experts on materials development for language learning. In 1993 he established the world's first MA dedicated to the study of materials development for language learning (at the University of Luton in the UK) and he founded MATSDA (the internationally renowned Materials Development Association). He has been Chair and then President of MATSDA ever since 1993 and, as such, he launched the journal Folio and ran (with Hitomi Masuhara) a number of materials writing workshops in the UK and in Botswana, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, ...
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Masatoshi Sato, Ph.D.
Masatoshi Sato, Ph.D.
Associate Professor: TESOL
Dr. Masatoshi Sato earned his Ph.D. in Educational Studies, Language Acquisition and a Master of Arts in Second Language Education from McGill University, as well as a Graduate Certificate in TESOL from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor of Arts in International and Intercultural Communication from Kobe University. In addition to serving as Associate Professor in TESOL at Anaheim University, Dr. Sato is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Universidad Andrés Bello, Chile. His research interests include peer interaction, corrective feedback, learner psychology, and...
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Natsuko Shintani, Ph.D.
Natsuko Shintani, Ph.D.
Associate Professor: TESOL
Natsuko Shintani obtained her PhD from the University of Auckland in 2011. She has worked as a language teacher in Japan and New Zealand, including in her own private language school for children. Her research interests include task-based language instruction, the role of interaction in second language acquisition and written corrective feedback. She has also worked on several meta-analysis studies of form-focused instruction. She has published widely in leading journals and is currently working on a single-authored book, The Role of Input-Based Tasks in Foreign Language Instruction for You...
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Julie Sykes, Ph.D.
Julie Sykes, Ph.D.
Associate Professor: TESOL
Julie Sykes earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota with a focus on applied linguistics and second language acquisition. Julie’s research focuses on the use of digital technologies for language acquisition with a specific focus on inter-language pragmatic development and intercultural competence. She has taught courses on second language teaching and learning methodology and research, language learning and technology, Hispanic linguistics, and inter-language pragmatic development. Julie’s experience includes the design, implementation, and evaluation of online immersive spaces and...
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""I had always thought traditional classes were better until I experienced the countless benefits of studying online. I would like to recommend the program to just about anyone who is looking for online MA courses, but in particular, those who are serious about advancing their knowledge and skills in both SLA and language teaching."– King Mongkut's University of Technology (Thailand) Lecturer Sachiko Nakamura
"In 2006 I started out as a newbie in S. Korea. Then in 2010, I started my MA TESOL program and gained a wealth of knowledge at Anaheim University. I spent 9 years in S.Korea, moved back to California in 2016 and transitioned into an assistant academic director role and now Academic Director. Along the way the education I received from AU has not only given me "street cred" but provided me with an amazing opportunity to present at MECA (Multicultural Educational Conference in Anaheim). THANK YOU ANAHEIM UNIVERSITY for being a part of my professional development. I am forever grateful." – English Language Center Director of Courses Yuri Angie White
"The experience and point of views shared by other students was a highlight, as was the majority of our lecturers, the content was amazing – but the best thing was the program design. It allowed for deep digestion of the content, enabled critical thinking to flourish (rather than rote regurgitation), and thankfully allowed the freedom to relate the material to real world problems and interests that were close to my heart." – The Duke of Edinburgh Victoria Executive Officer Stephen Mason
"It was one of the best experiences of my life. It really made me a better professional, and it made me a better person. I had tremendous learning opportunities. And I consider myself a much better teacher, professional and person in the world today after completing the program." – University of South Carolina International Accelerator Program English Teacher Fabiana Seidel
"“It has been a truly incredible experience. I highly recommend it. They [potential students] should feel privileged to have the opportunity.” – Japan junior and high school English teacher Wayne Miller.
The steps below are general guidelines for joining a program at Anaheim University. Just complete the following steps and, if approved, become part of Anaheim University's global community within 2 weeks.
