Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certificate

Contact Information

• Academic Program Director: Marta Sanchez

Introduction/Overview

The Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certificate program will provide candidates with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the needs of non-English speakers. The program consists of three courses (9 semester hours) of required coursework. With the consent of the Academic Program Director, some of the coursework can be applied to an LMU SOE M.A. program. The program will target new TESOL teachers seeking to work with English Learners, provide seasoned teachers of English Learners with enhanced skills and expertise, and offer teachers from foreign countries opportunities to gain mastery in teaching English to English Learners in their home countries. Courses in this program are delivered in-person on the LMU campus. 

Program Outcomes

At the end of this program, candidates will:

• Use the components of language, and language as an interactive system, to create instructional plans that integrate instructional strategies for teaching the English language systems to English Language Learners.
• Design lessons and teach using a variety of concepts about culture, students’ backgrounds, acculturation, assimilation, biculturalism, and the dynamics of prejudice, racism, and linguicism.
• Plan and design standards-based English as a Second Language (ESL) and content instruction, which include appropriate language levels, integrating students’ cultural backgrounds, and multilevel activities with flexible grouping and differentiated instruction to meet English Learner needs.

Program Admission Requirements

• Interview with the Academic Program Director of Bilingual Education
• Complete appropriate forms as provided by program and advisor
• Online Graduate Application
• Bachelor’s Degree from a Regionally Accredited Institution
• Official Transcript from all Colleges/Universities Attended, including all Community/Junior Colleges
  • Applicants who completed an undergraduate/graduate degree outside of the United States of America:
    • Official Transcript Evaluation from an approved evaluation agency that details content of coursework completed, degree equivalency, and cumulative GPA
    • Official Transcript still needs to be submitted along with Transcript Evaluation
• Cumulative Undergraduate GPA of 3.0, or 3.05 in the last 60 Undergraduate Units, a 3.0 in at least 9 Graduate Units, or Completion of a Request for Exception to GPA Requirement
• Applicants whose citizenship is from a country where English is not the primary language:
  • TOEFL or IELTS or Duolingo English Test Minimum Scores (unless a High School Diploma or a Bachelor’s Degree was obtained in the United States)

Program Requirements

Required Coursework

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Hours
EDTL 6400	Theories and Policies of Second Language Acquisition	3
EDTL 6401	Curriculum and Instructional Leadership in a Bilingual Setting	3
EDTL 6402	Methodology in English Language Development and Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English	3
Total Semester Hours		9

Additional Requirements

All international candidates admitted to LMU’s TESOL programs must complete the following by the end of their first semester in the program:

• Evidence of English language proficiency via TOEFL (minimum score of 80) or IELTS (minimum overall band core of 6.5) examination

• If student has not taken the TOEFL or IELTS examination, they will be required to take either exam with passing scores submitted in the first semester of the program. If a passing score is not submitted, the student will need to take a leave of absence before continuing in the program and re-enter the following year.