The graduate certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is a 14-15 credit post-baccalaureate program. It is designed for individuals who wish to gain, or continue to develop, the professional knowledge, skills and dispositions that qualify them to teach learners of English as an additional language in the U.S. and/or abroad. This graduate certificate prepares teacher candidates to teach young learners, adolescents and adults in a number of contexts, domestic and abroad, including community-based programs, private language institutes, intensive English programs and after school programs.
Coursework prepares students with foundational knowledge in the structure of the English language including the grammar, phonological systems and concepts related to sociopragmatics, semantics and morphology. Required linguistics (TESOL) courses prepare students to design activities and lesson plans that target specific learning objectives fostering the development of English language learners’ macro- and micro-language skills (macro: listening, speaking, reading, writing; micro: fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, comprehension). Field placements (praxis) allow for students to develop their identities as reflective practitioners as they make connections between theory and classroom practice.
Requirements
Admission Requirements
Students interested in the graduate certificate should complete the application form on the Department of Linguistics website. This is an in-house form that the department uses to admit and track students in the program. Interested post-baccalaureate degree and non-degree students students may contact the Academic Program Director Dr. Rai Farrelly with any questions. The Director will also advise students on their course plans and successful certificate completion.
Note: Non-matriculated students will need to enroll through Continuing Education (CE) to acquire a student ID and an Identikey, which provides access to course enrollment, a student email account, tuition bill and more. Learn more about enrollment options for graduate certificate programs at the Department of Linguistics website.
Required Courses and Credits
To earn the certificate, students must meet the following course requirements and receive a grade of B- or better in all certificate courses.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Linguistics Courses with a TESOL Focus | ||
| LING 5630 | TESOL and Second Language Acquisition: Principles and Practices | 3 |
| LING 5610 | Pedagogical Grammar for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages | 3 |
| LING 5620 | Teaching Second Language (L2) Oral Skills and Communication | 3 |
| Required Education Course | ||
| EDUC 5615 | Language Acquisition for Bilingual Learners | 3 |
| Elective Course | ||
| Choose one: | 2-3 | |
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Introduction to Bilingual/Multicultural Education | ||
| Curriculum for Multicultural Education | ||
| Literacy for Linguistically Different Learners | ||
| Second Language Acquisition and Language Education (Summer, online) 1 | ||
| Emerging Technology for Language Learning (Language Technology Tools in Practice - Fall, online) 1 | ||
| Emerging Technology for Language Learning (Emerging Technology for Language Teaching - Spring, online) 1 | ||
| Online and Blended Language Instruction (Fall, online) 1 | ||
| TESOL Practicum | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 14-15 | |
| 1 | LGTC courses are shorter, 2-credit courses taught online. Students pursuing the graduate certificate alongside the MA in Linguistics will be one credit short by taking an LGTC course as an elective. |