Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (18 credits)
The Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language is offered to prospective students who possess a bachelor’s degree and six credits of modern foreign language. For teachers who possess a valid Virginia PreK-12 teaching license, the certificate leads to an additional endorsement in English as a Second Language (ESL). The courses also apply toward an add-on license for adult ESL. In addition, the certificate is an internationally recognized credential for teaching English in a variety of instructional settings overseas. Courses taken at other institutions and approved for the certificate must be officially transferred into the program. Application for the added endorsement is made through the school division’s personnel office.
Note: Official transcripts showing completion of six credits of foreign language are required prior to the awarding of the certificate. If a student’s primary language is not English, all six credits must be in English.
Please visit the Office of Admissions webpage for admission requirement details.
Required Courses (12 credits)
TESL 500 Introduction to English Linguistics (3 credits)
TESL 514 Cross-Cultural Education (3 credits)
TESL 515 ESL Literacy Strategies: PreK-12 (3 credits)
TESL 530 Second Language Teaching Methods (3 credits)
Elective Courses (6 credits to be selected)
TESL 502A Sociolinguistics and Cross-Cultural Communication (3 credits)
TESL 510 Applied English Phonetics and Phonology (3 credits)
TESL 511A Applied Linguistics: Grammar and Meaning (3 credits)
TESL 512 Second Language Acquisition (3 credits)
TESL 513 Special Studies in Linguistics and Language Learning (3 credits)
TESL 531 ESL Curriculum, Assessment, and Leadership (3 credits)
TESL 532 Differentiated Instruction Across the Curriculum (3 credits)