Graduate Bulletin
English Language Proficiency for Teaching Assistants
The Graduate School at NDSU requires that teaching assistants demonstrate English proficiency in order to receive an assignment as a Teaching Assistant. There are 3 measures of proficiency that must be met by students whose first language is not English.
1. Spoken Communication
Teaching Assistants whose first language is not English must obtain a minimum score of 26 on the TOEFL iBT Speaking subscale or a minimum score of 7 on the IELTS Speaking subscale or obtain a minimum score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE).
Graduate Assistants who are serving as a tutor must obtain a minimum score of 25 on the TOEFL iBT Speaking subscale, a minimum score of 7 on the IELTS Speaking subscale, or a minimum score of 48 on the TSE.
Graduate Assistants who are serving as a grading assistant must obtain a minimum TOEFL score of 79 (internet-based test), 550 (paper-based test), or 213 (computer-based test) or a minimum score of 6 on the IELTS.
2. Written Communication
All Teaching Assistants must provide evidence of written communication proficiency by submitting evidence of one or more of the following:
a. Completion of one or more courses in English Composition at an accredited institution
of higher learning in the United States with a grade of B or better.
b. Completion of an advanced English writing course, e.g., technical writing, at an accredited institution of higher learning in the United States with a grade of B or better.
c. Completion of the TOEFL iBT Writing subscale with a score of 23 or higher or a score of 7 on the IELTS Writing subscale.
d. Completion of the Language Proficiency Test (LPT) administered by the NDSU Center for Writers with a score of 5 or higher.
e. Completion of the Test of Written English (TWE) with a score of 5.0 or higher for teaching assistants whose first language is not English and who do not meet any of requirements a, b, or c above.
f. Completion of North Dakota State University's Intensive English Language Program for teaching assistants whose first language is not English and who do not meet any of requirements a, b, or c. The program is designed to improve the participant's four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. See index under Intensive English Language Program for pages in this bulletin that give the details of this program.
g. Completion of English 112 and 114 with a grade of B or better for teaching assistants whose first language is not English and who do not meet any of requirements a, b, or c.
3. Comprehensive English Language Proficiency
All potential Teaching Assistants whose first language is not English must provide a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of not less than 100 (internet-based test), 600 (paper-based test), or 250 (computer-based test) to The Graduate School or a minimum score of 7 on the IELTS.
