Graduate
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 should be in a graduate program of the University
or should have completed a master's or doctoral degree.
The following requirements must be fulfilled by any student who wishes
to earn the certificate:
Course Requirements
| 1. LING 2738 | Linguistic Structure of English | (3 credits) |
| 2. LING 2139 | Approaches and Methods of Second Language Learning | (3 credits) |
| 3. LING 2142 | Techniques and Procedures of TESOL | (3 credits) |
| 4. LING 2143 | Materials Development for Second Language Teaching and Testing | (3 credits) |
| 5. LING 2146 | Second Language Acquisition | (3 credits) |
| 6. LING 2195 | Practicum in Second Language Teaching | (1 credit) |
| 7. One of the following: | ||
| LING 2945 |
Psycholinguistics | (3 credits) |
| LING 2267 |
Sociolinguistics | (3 credits) |
| LING 2147 |
Current Issues in Second Language Teaching | (3 credits) |
| LING 2149 |
Special Topics in Applied Linguistics | (3 credits) |
| LING 2144 |
Research Methods in Applied Linguistics and Sociolinguistics | (3 credits) |
| LING 2148 |
Introduction to Computer-Assisted Language Learning | (3 credits) |
| LING 2235 |
Language, Gender, and Society | (3 credits) |
Please note:
- LING 2945 or 2267 also may count as one of the five required linguistics courses for the MA degree, and all certificate course work counts toward the credit requirements for a graduate degree in linguistics.
- LING 1000 (formerly 1950) Introduction to Linguistics or an equivalent course is a prerequisite. It may be taken concurrently with the first certificate course in which the candidate enrolls.
- LING 2195 involves supervised language teaching concurrent with or following LING 2139 or 2142. Teaching assistants who are teaching in the English Language Institute automatically fulfill the practicum requirements, but they should 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 English as a second language course run by the English Language Institute or, with permission of the advisor, by foreign language teaching in another University of Pittsburgh department. In all required courses, the certificate candidate must earn a grade of B or higher.
Prerequisites for Admission
Each candidate who is not a native speaker of English also must achieve a score of 250 or higher on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (600 on the paper-based TOEFL) or its equivalent and must have good spoken English skills (a score of at least 4 on the ITA interview test administered by the University of Pittsburgh). Native speakers of English must satisfy a foreign language requirement: they must have classroom foreign language experience equivalent to at least one year of college-level study of one or more languages.
Applicants wishing to add the TESOL certificate to a previously obtained graduate degree must have a TOEFL of 600/250 before admission and must achieve a score of at least 4 on the ITA interview test before completion of the program; such applicants also must submit a completed School of Arts and Sciences application form, transcripts of academic courses, and a statement of purpose.
Plan of Study
Students must complete a TESOL certificate plan of study form after consultation with the advisor.
Completion of Requirements
On completion of all TESOL certificate requirements, a transcript must be submitted to the Department of Linguistics. The certificate is officially awarded only when the student also has completed all requirements for the MA or PhD degree.
Suggested Sequence of Courses
| Term 1 (Fall) | LING 2142; LING 1000 |
| Term 2 (Spring) | LING 2139 or LING 2146 |
| Term 3 (Summer) | LING 1738; LING 2143 |
| Term 4 (Fall) | LING ELECTIVES |
| Term 5 (Spring) | LING 2146 or LING 2195 |