Program Overview

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certification

The TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certificate provides a pathway for students to acquire skills needed for teaching English internationally or teaching English to adult second language learners in the U.S. The certificate consists of 12 semester hours of four core courses. Students must have at least an overall GPA of 2.75 in the four courses. All courses must be passed with a C or better.

Program Details

The TESOL Certificate is a 12-hour certificate that can be taken by a current undergraduate student as part of that degree or as a stand-alone credential by a post-baccalaureate student. This is the introductory credential for the field of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.)

What Will I Learn

A student who has successfully completed the TESOL Certificate will learn about the subsystems of language with an in-depth exploration of the grammatical (syntactic) system, the various applied fields that use linguistic knowledge to address a range of real-world issues, the theories that explain how second languages are learned after early childhood, and the current methodological approaches for teaching ESL.

What Classes Will I Take

This is a 12-hour certificate. Students must take:

• ENGL 3339 - Introduction to Linguistics (3 sem. hrs.)
• ENGL 3340 - Grammar (3 sem. hrs.)
• ENGL 3365 - Second Language Acquisition (3 sem. hrs.)
• ENGL 3367 - TESOL Seminar (3 sem. hrs.)

What Careers Can I Have

When you reach graduation, you'll have the skills to take on careers in fields related to their track, including:

• ESL classroom teacher abroad and in adult settings locally
• ESL tutor (online or in person to international or local students)
• Language assessment rater

Admission Requirements

Students must have completed ENGL 1302 Writing and Rhetoric (3 sch) and core curriculum Language Philosophy and Culture requirements (ENGL 2332, ENGL 2333, PHIL 1301, PHIL 2306, SPAN 3307, SPAN 3308, SPAN 3309, or SPAN 3310) with a C or better. Students must pursue the certificate in conjunction with their bachelor's degree; the certificate will be awarded upon completion of their degree. Students already holding a bachelor's degree may also pursue a TESOL certificate.