In recent years, English has continued to grow as a world language, creating plentiful job opportunities for those trained to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). The English Department at UWM offers several programs designed to prepare students to teach ESL to adults in the U.S. and abroad. All these programs provide students with a firm understanding of the structure of the English language, the place of English in the social lives of its speakers, and the process of second language acquisition, along with plenty of practical, nuts-and-bolts training on materials and strategies for teaching the language. In each program, students finish off their studies with a teaching internship, where they gain first-hand classroom experience under the supervision of a veteran ESL teacher.
The TESOL Certificate Program is designed for students who are still working on their bachelor's degree, or who have already completed the bachelor's but have no plans to continue for the M.A. in TESOL. Please note that while courses in the undergraduate certificate are the same as those in the graduate certificate, credits taken in the undergraduate certificate are generally not transferable to the graduate degree program.
The Graduate TESOL Certificate Program is designed for students who already hold the bachelor's degree and who either plan to continue for the M.A. in TESOL or simply prefer a more challenging program of study. Up to six credits earned in this program are transferable to the degree program should the student decide to apply to the M.A. in TESOL.
Either of our TESOL certificates is appropriate for students who plan to seek employment as ESL teachers abroad or in social service organizations, or vocational ESL programs, and some community college level programs in the U.S. Students who hope to teach ESL in colleges or universities in the U.S. should consider our M.A. Program in Adult/University Level TESOL, since university level programs generally require that their teachers hold the master's degree.
Our programs stand out in several ways:
In short, in all of these programs, students receive a firm grounding in both the theory and practice of ESL instruction.
NB: Students interested in receiving accreditation to teach ESL at the K-12 level in the public schools should contact the School of Education.
