Graduate
TESOL Certificate Course Requirements
TESOL Certificate Course Requirements
A certificate in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is offered by the Department of Linguistics. Candidates for the certificate must have completed a Bachelor’s degree, preferably in a related field such as Linguistics, a foreign language, or language education. The following requirements must be fulfilled by any student who wishes to earn the certificate at the MA of PhD level:
PREREQUISITE (or taken concurrently with the first certificate course)
| LING 1000 | Introduction to Linguistics | (3 credits) |
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
LING 2738 |
Linguistic Structure of English |
(3 credits) |
LING 2142 |
Theories and Practices of Second Language Teaching |
(3 credits) |
LING 2143 |
Materials Development for Second Language Teaching and Testing |
(3 credits) |
LING 2146 |
Second Language Acquisition |
(3 credits) |
LING 2195 |
Practicum in Second Language Teaching |
(1 credit) |
I&L 2253 |
Testing and Assessment |
(3 credits) |
PhD students must take an additional 3 credit course approved by the TESOL Certificate Advisor |
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Please note:
I. LING 2195 involves supervised language
teaching concurrent with or following LING 2142. Teaching
Assistants who are teaching in the English Language Institute
automatically fulfill the Practicum requirements, but they
must sign up for LING 2195 once during their teaching terms. Other
candidates fulfill the requirement by signing up for LING 2195
and teaching during that term in an informal ESL course run
by the English Language Institute, OR, with permission of the
advisor, by foreign language teaching in another University
of Pittsburgh department.
II. The certificate candidate must earn a grade of B or higher in each certificate course.
Degree prerequisite for admission
Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree or its foreign equivalent with a minimum grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4-point scale). Preference is given to applicants who have studied abroad, worked with international students, and/or have any EFL/ESL teaching experience (including volunteer).
Foreign language learning prerequisite for admission
Native speakers of English must have classroom foreign language learning experience equivalent to at least one year of college level study of a language. Each applicant who is not a native speaker of English must: (1) achieve a score of 100 or higher on the iBT TOEFL or 7 or higher on the IELTS or their equivalent and (2) have good spoken English skills (a score of at least 4 on the ITA interview test administered by the University of Pittsburgh).
Transcripts and CV
Undergraduate transcripts (and graduate if applicable) and a CV (including a list of references) must be submitted as part of the application.
PLAN OF STUDY
Students must complete a TESOL certificate plan of study form
after consultation with the TESOL Certificate advisor during the
first term of study.
COMPLETION OF REQUIREMENTS
On completion of all TESOL certificate requirements, a transcript must be submitted to the Department of Linguistics. If in an MA of PhD program while earning the certificate, the certificate is officially awarded only when the student also has completed all requirements for the MA or PhD degree.
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Higher Ed. Concentration: 4-Term Option (entering in the summer term)
| Summer: | LING 1000 (Intro) if needed, LING 2738 (Structures), [Elective] |
| Fall: | LING 2142, [Elective], [Practicum] |
| Spring: | LING 2146 (SLA), [Practicum] |
| Summer: | LING 2143 (Mats.), IL 2253 (Test.), [Practicum] |
Higher Ed. Concentration: 3-Term Option (entering in the fall term)
| Fall: | LING 1000 (Intro) if needed, LING 2142, [Practicum], [Elective] |
| Spring: | LING 2738 (Structures), LING 2146 (SLA), [Practicum], [Elective] |
| Summer: | LING 2143 (Mats.), IL 2253 (Test.), [Practicum] |
Note: Students may not enter the TESOL Certificate program in the Spring term.
Application Deadlines:
November 15 for the following Summer term start date
March 15 for the following Fall term start date
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An applicant from within a graduate program in the Arts & Sciences must submit:
1. Completed certificate program application. Applications
are available at Sennot Square or the Department of Linguistics.
2. Statement of purpose
An applicant from another graduate school within the University of Pittsburgh must submit:
1. Completed certificate program application. Applications
are available at Sennot Square or the Department of Linguistics.
2. Copies of transcript(s) of current and prior academic work
including bachelor’s degree
3. Statement of purpose
4. Curriculum Vitae
An applicant (U.S. Citizen, U.S. Immigrant, Refugee) with a BA or equivalent who is not in a graduate program within the University of Pittsburgh must submit:
1. Completed certificate program application. Applications
are available at Sennot Square or the Department of Linguistics.
2. Application fee of $50.
3. Official transcript(s) of prior academic work including
bachelor’s degree. Undergraduate QPA must be 3.0 or
higher.
4. TOEFL or equivalent test score if required
5. Statement of purpose
6. Curriculum Vitae
Send application documents to:
TESOL Certificate Advisor, Department of Linguistics (CL 2816)
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260