Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Online, On Campus, or Both

The Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program offers a four-course (16-unit) graduate certificate designed to prepare future educators to teach English and other languages. Through this program, students gain strong theoretical and pedagogical foundations in language structure, second-language acquisition, and teaching methodologies, equipping them with the skills needed for effective language instruction in diverse settings. This graduate certificate is designed for a wide range of learners, including those new to the field of language education, professionals seeking to transition into TESOL, current educators looking to expand their expertise, and individuals already volunteering or working in language instruction.

Students have the option to complete the Graduate Certificate in TESOL program fully online, fully on campus, or by combining both formats, and they can apply their courses toward the EdM in TESOL & Applied Linguistics.

Learning Outcomes

Students completing this program will be able to:

• Develop original curriculum materials to supplement or supply curricular instruction to learners of English as an additional language in a variety of postsecondary settings domestically or internationally.
• Explain and provide examples of the forms and meanings of basic structures of English that are known to pose problems for learners and teachers of English.
• Apply pedagogical knowledge of the grammatical system of English to the preparation and delivery of instruction that reflects contemporary usage and discourse conventions.
• Explain, analyze, and apply knowledge of the structure and functions of language from the various subfields of linguistics (i.e., articulatory phonetics, phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, discourse pragmatics, and sociolinguistics) to addressing the intelligibility and communicative needs of English language learners.
• Identify, explain, and critically analyze major theories, models, and hypotheses of second-language acquisition and discuss implications of each of these for classroom assessment and instruction.
• Analyze and explain features of language variation, including the use of register, as these apply to oral and written social and academic language.
• Engage in ongoing inquiry and reflection about teaching practice.

Required Courses

• WED LS 565 Applied Linguistics: Language and Linguistics Survey
• WED LS 567 Structure of English
• WED LS 658 Second Language Acquisition
• WED TL 509 Foundations of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Pedagogy