The graduate certificate in TESOL is an option for current Illinois State University graduate students in a variety of degree programs who intend to teach English to speakers of other languages. This program does not certify teachers to teach K-12 in the state of Illinois.
The graduate certificate in TESOL requires 16 hours selected from the following course:
This sequence of courses will provide graduate students an exposure to the fundamental topics of language description, the grammatical description of English, second language acquisition, and cultural-pragmatic or sociolinguistic aspects of language contact and second language acquisition, all of which are necessary for effective ESL/EFL teaching. Pedagogical applications of this knowledge will be the focus of the one hour "Pro-Seminar in TESOL Pedagogy." The TESOL practicum will take place at the English Language Institute or at a site in the U.S. or abroad, as agreed on by student and mentoring faculty member.
We anticipate students completing the certificate in two years. Assuming that the student combines TESOL certificate courses with a major focus on another academic area, the following is a typical plan of study:
You can start the program in the fall or spring semester. See the certificate admissions page or contact Dr. Christopher De Santis, Director of Graduate Studies in English, for registration information.
In addition to 16 hours of coursework, you complete the graduate certificate in TESOL by doing the following:
For more Information about the Graduate Certificate in TESOL, please contact the ISU English Department Graduate Office at 309/438-3651. (Ask for Dr. Susan Burt, Dr. Hyun-Sook Kang, or Dr. Aaron Smith.)
