Teaching Foreign Language Certificate and Specialization

The Teaching Foreign Language (TFL) certificate and specialization programs provide intensive training specifically for language education.

These programs are offered as a specialization for students currently enrolled in the Institute’s Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and International Education Management degree programs, and as a stand-alone certificate for nondegree students.

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 TESOL and who want to add a TFL specialization to their course work so that they are also eligible to teach a foreign language. Students pursuing other Institute degree programs can also choose to add a TFL 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. Some TFL courses are available through our online TESOL master’s program and are thus 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 TFL 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)

  • Language Structure/Pedagogy (4 credits) or Pedagogical Grammar in Foreign Language Education (4 credits, spring semester only)

  • Electives (2 credits)

Sample elective courses:

  • Teaching of Reading

  • Teaching of Writing

  • Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL)

  • Language Program Administration

Specialization for TESOL students

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

  • Language Studies (4 credits)

  • Pedagogical Grammar in Foreign Language Education (4 credits, spring semester only)

  • Second Language Acquisition (1 credit Directed Study)*

  • Language Assessment (1 credit Directed Study)*

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

  • Sociolinguistics (1 credit Directed Study)*

  • Electives (2 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 a foreign language (e.g. for Principles and Practices of Language Teaching I, students might design a foreign language curriculum.)

Specialization for Other Degree students

The 15-credit TESOL Specialization for other degree students (not TESOL) 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)

  • Pedagogical Grammar in Foreign Language Education (2 credit Directed Study)*

  • Electives (2 credits)

*For the Directed Study, students register for and attend all class sessions of Pedagogical Grammars in Foreign Language Education 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 TFL how to apply page for instructions but please note the admissions interview is not required for certificate students. You will need to have at least 400-level proficiency in your target teaching language.

Questions