Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Certificate and Specialization

The TESOL certificate and specialization programs provide intensive training specifically for English language education.

Overview

The certificate program is designed as a stand-alone course of study for nondegree students. It begins in the fall semester and takes a minimum of two semesters to complete.

The specialization program is designed for Middlebury Institute students who are pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching Foreign Language and who want to add a TESOL specialization to their course work so that they are also eligible to teach English. Students pursuing other Institute degree programs can also choose to add a TESOL specialization to their course work to provide broader professional expertise and additional career avenues in language education and curriculum design.

Study In Person and/or Online

Your courses are available in person and online. Courses available in our online TESOL master’s program are self-paced (asynchronous) so you can schedule them at a time that works for you. All other courses you want to take online will be live (synchronous) so you will have to keep time zones in mind. The faculty, curriculum, and per-credit cost are the same for both versions of the program so you will have the flexibility to study online or in person, or easily switch between the two experiences as your personal and professional needs allow.

Curriculum

Certificate

The 17-credit TESOL Certificate consists of the following courses:

  • Language Analysis (3 credits)

  • Principles and Practices of Language Teaching I (4 credits)

  • Principles and Practices of Language Teaching II (4 credits)

  • Structure of English (4 credits)

  • Electives (2 credits)

Sample elective courses:

  • Teaching of Reading

  • Teaching of Writing

  • Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL)

  • Introduction to Language Program Administration

Specialization for TFL students

The 14-credit TESOL Specialization for TFL students consists of the following courses:

  • Structure of English (4 credits)

  • Second Language Acquisition (1 credit Directed Study)*

  • Language Assessment (1 credit Directed Study)*

  • Principles and Practices of Language Teaching II (1 credit Directed Study)*

  • Sociolinguistics (1 credit Directed Study)*

  • Electives (6 credits)

*The Directed Study credits are typically taken after completing the course and include a project that is related to the course area and focused on teaching English (e.g. for Principles and Practices of Language Teaching II, students might design an English language curriculum.)

Specialization for Other Degree students

The 15-credit TESOL Specialization for other degree students (not TFL) consists of the following courses:

  • Principles and Practices of Language Teaching I (4 credits)

  • Principles and Practices of Language Teaching II (4 credits)

  • Language Analysis (3 credits)

  • Structure of English (2 credit Directed Study)*

  • Electives (2 credits)

*For the Directed Study, students register for and attend all class sessions of Structure of English and complete selected assignments.

Tuition

If you take 12–16 credits in a semester, you will be charged the full-time rate.

If you take 11 or fewer credits in a semester, you will be charged at the per credit rate:

Visit our tuition page for details of each rate.

How to Apply

Visit the MA in TESOL how to apply page for instructions but please note the admissions interview is not required for certificate students.

Questions