Admission
Applicants who wish to earn a Graduate Certificate in TESOL must apply for admission to the certificate program and to the Graduate School at the University of Missouri –St. Louis as a non-degree student or as a Master’s or doctoral student. Applicants must have a 2.75 GPA in undergraduate coursework to be admitted. A background in K-12 or adult education is desirable.
Requirements
Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 to remain in the certificate program. The certificate is awarded after completion of the courses listed below. A program of study, or M-1, should be filed in the first one-third of the program. Students should file an Intent to Complete a Graduate Certificate at the beginning of their last semester. The Graduate Certificate in TESOL requires 18 credit hours of course work, including an entry course (TCH ED 6210):
| TCH ED 6210 | Foundations of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | 3 |
| TCH ED 6220 | Principles of Second/Foreign Language Acquisition | 3 |
| TCH ED 6230 | Cross-Cultural Communication in the Classroom | 3 |
| TCH ED 6240 | Assessment for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | 3 |
| TCH ED 6250 | Methods and Materials for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | 3 |
| TCH ED 6260 | Practicum in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages | 3 |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
State Certification
For TESOL state certification, the students need to add TCH ED 6224, and ELE ED 6338 for those who have the middle and the secondary school teaching certificates. Those who have the elementary teaching certificates need to add TCH ED 6224 if they are UMSL teacher education graduates. Otherwise, please consult the faculty advisor and/or academic advisor.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, certificate earners will be able to:
- Continually reflect on professional growth to improve student learning outcomes/enhance student learning.
- Integrate technology to create meaningful student learning within the context of a global digital society.
- Apply content and pedagogical knowledge to create authentic and deep learning experiences.
- Use learning science principles to design, implement, and evaluate curriculum based on learning standards.
- Foster effective working relationships with students, school colleagues, families, and community members to enhance student learning and well-being.
- Design and establish a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment that nurtures the intellectual, social, and personal development of all students.
- Use equitable frameworks and inclusive practices to create a variety of instructional and assessment opportunities adapted to diverse learners to encourage all students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.