Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Program Description

The TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate prepares students to teach English to language learners in the United States or abroad. Students may complete this certificate alone or in conjunction with other degrees—it might be of particular use to those also majoring in linguistics or international studies, for example. The curriculum consists of courses in linguistics, world languages, grammar, methods in second-language teaching, and cross-cultural communication. The culminating experience of the program is a practicum in the field, allowing you to gain experience teaching English to language learners in a classroom environment. Through this combination of coursework and hands-on experience, you will learn the teaching skills and cultural understanding necessary to be an effective TESOL educator.

Career Opportunities

Upon completion of the certificate, you can pair your TESOL teaching skills with those from your major program and teach ESOL (English as a Second or Other Language) professionally in the U.S., in another country, or virtually (note that students must obtain a teaching license to work as a public school teacher in most U.S. states). Volunteer work in nonprofit and literacy programs locally and abroad is also possible.

More Info

• Department of Linguistics
• College of Humanities
• Department Advising
• Career & Professional Development Center

Catalog

• TESOL Certificate

Exploratory Classes

• LING 1200 - Intro to the Study of Language