TESL/TEFL Certificates | Basic TESL/TEFL Certificate

Benefits | Courses & Requirements | FAQ | Important SDSU Information | Important Web Links

Benefits

Who can benefit from earning the Basic Certificate?
The Basic Certificate in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (TESL/TEFL) is directed at individuals in the following groups with an interest in ESL teaching:

• Undergraduate students from any major
• Community members
• In-service ESL/EFL teachers wishing to update their teaching methodologies
• Subject-matter teachers of students who speak languages other than English
• ESL/EFL program administrators interested in curriculum design and teaching methodology

Where is the Certificate useful?
Individuals who hold the Certificate are prepared to teach ESL students in a variety of situations:

• in community college ESL/EFL programs
• in adult schools
• in public school classrooms
• in private ESL/EFL schools
• in university ESL/EFL institutes
• in business
• in a wide range of overseas locations
• in community college ESL/EFL programs (in conjunction with a relevant master’s degree)

The Certificate is not a public school teaching credential. (However, there is some overlap between the Basic Certificate and the CLAD (Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development) Certificate, which is applicable to public school teaching. For information on the CLAD, contact the Department of Policy Studies in Language and Cross-Cultural Education at San Diego State University (619-594-5155).)

Since more than 60% of children entering the San Diego Unified School System speak a language other than English as their first language, the knowledge obtained in the certificate classes is essential for public school teachers to understand the issues involved in acquiring English and how these interact with content learning.

Courses & Requirements

The Basic Certificate requires 15 units--five 3-unit courses--plus a minimum of 15 hours of tutoring.

Introductory linguistics: Ling. 420 or Ling. 501.

Ling 420 (Linguistics and English): Introduction to sound and grammatical structure of language, with special attention to English. Language acquisition and variation. Of special interest to prospective teachers. Not open to students with credit in Linguistics 501.

Ling 501 (Fundamentals of Linguistics): Principles of modern linguistics, with attention to English grammar (syntax, morphology, phonology). Language change, dialects, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, language acquisition.

Note: With two exceptions, Ling 420 or Ling 501 is the prerequisite to all the courses required for the Basic Certificate listed below*. Normally graduate students should choose Ling 501, since it carries graduate credit. Either choice is suitable for undergraduates.

Language acquisition and processing: Ling. 452, Ling. 454 or Ling. 552

Ling 452 (Language Acquisition): Principles of child language development. Sounds and grammar in speech of young children. Acquisition of reading and vocabulary. Development of language in bilinguals and second language acquisition.

Ling 454 (Intro to Second Language Acquisition): Prerequisite: Linguistics 101 or 420. Introduction to basic theory and research in second language acquisition. The nature of interlanguage in second language learning. The influence of native language transfer, interaction, sociocultural factors on second language acquisition. Applications of second language research to teaching.

Ling 552 (Psycholinguistics): Prerequisite: Linguistics 420 or 501.  Psychological and mental processes related to acquisition, comprehension, and production of language in adults and children.

ESL teaching: Ling. 550

Ling 550 (Theory and Practice of Teaching ESL): Prerequisite: Linguistics 420 or 501. The nature of language learning; evaluation of techniques and materials for the teaching of English as a second language.

Practical Issues/Computer Assisted Language Learning: Ling.555 or Ling. 556

Ling 555 (Practical issues in ESL teaching): Pre- or co-requisite: Linguistics 550. Practical approaches to applications of ESL theory and methodology for speaking, reading, listening, writing; techniques for facilitating growth of communicative competence.

Ling 556 (Computer assisted language learning and teaching): Prerequisite: Credit or concurrent registration in Linguistics 550.  Theory and practice of computer assisted language learning and language teaching.  Hands-on experience with pedagogical aspects of using technology in the language classroom.

Elective: Ling. 430 or Ling. 530 or Ling. 551

Ling 430 (English grammar for prospective teachers): Prerequisites: Linguistics 101 and upper division standing.  Core grammatical facts of English grammar. Parts of speech; grammatical relations; word, sentence, discourse structure.  Focus on standard written English. Of special interest to prospective secondary school teachers.

Ling 530 (English grammar): Prerequisite: Six upper division units in linguistics. English morphology, syntax, and discourse structure, including simple and complex sentence structure; lexical categories and subcategories; discourse functions of selected constructions. Problems and solutions in teaching English grammar.

Ling 551 (Sociolinguistics): Prerequisite: A course in introductory linguistics. Investigation of the correlation of social structure and linguistic behavior.

(Choose your elective based on your assessment of your interests, strengths, or weaknesses.)

Course Availability:

Linguistics 420 and 452 are offered with multiple sections in the spring and fall semesters. These courses are typically offered during the summer sessions as well. Linguistics 501 and 550 are normally offered in both the spring and fall. The remaining courses are offered at least once a year.

Transfer credit:

Transfer credit is sometimes possible for one equivalent course (or, rarely, two equivalent courses) taken elsewhere. All applications for transfer credit are evaluated individually by the Certificate Program. No academic credit for course work is granted for work experience. However, ESL teaching experience may apply to the 15 hour tutoring requirement: See below.

Tutoring requirement:

The certificate requires that each student complete 15 hours of tutoring related to the certificate. Additional information about tutoring can be obtained from the certificate advisor and will also be provided when students are taking Linguistics 550. Ideally, students should have completed some of their coursework for the certificate prior to completing the tutoring requirement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it matter in what order I take the Certificate courses?
Yes. Ling 420 or 501 must be taken first, since you need one of these courses as the prerequisite for other Certificate courses. (You may take Ling 430 and Ling 551 at the same time as Ling 420 or 501 if you have completed Ling 101 as part of the Linguistics major requirement or as a General Education course.) It is recommended, but not essential, that you take Ling 550 after your language acquisition and processing course (Ling 452, 454 or 552), since Ling 550 brings material from these courses to bear on the issues involved in teaching English to speakers of other languages.

What is the difference in Linguistics 420 and 501?
Linguistics 501 is ideally suited to students who are obtaining a B.A. or M.A. in linguistics while Linguistics 420 is appropriate for all other students. Linguistics 501 focuses more heavily on the theoretical aspects of Linguistics while Linguistics 420 contains more material which may be designed for a teaching population.

Is there a time limit for completion of Certificate coursework?
No.

How long does the Certificate program take?
Since two of the required courses are regularly offered in the Summer Sessions, in intensive format, it is often possible to complete the requirements for the Basic Certificate in a summer plus a fall. It should always be possible to complete the program in two regular semesters.

How can I sign up for the Certificate?
Fill out a Certificate Enrollment Form and return it to Certificate in TESL/TEFL, Department of Linguistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-7727.

You can register, and pay for, courses for the Basic Certificate in any of four ways:

1. as an undergraduate candidate for a bachelor's degree, taking the courses as electives (Note: Linguistics and Liberal Studies majors may count all Certificate course work toward their major requirements, but other majors may count no more than six units toward both an undergraduate major or minor (other than a Linguistics minor) and the Certificate, unless otherwise stated).  Information regarding fees can be found at the following web site: http://bfa.sdsu.edu/fm/co/sfs/studentfees.html

2. as a graduate candidate for a master's degree, taking the courses as electives.  Additional information is available at: http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/admissions/graduate/faq.html

3. as an unclassified graduate student (that is, one not pursuing a degree) seeking the Certificate only.  The link directly above provides additional information.

4. through the College of Extended Studies ("Open University").  Additional information is available at: http://www.ces.sdsu.edu/open_info.htm

For alternatives 1-3, you must have been admitted to San Diego State University through the regular application process. For alternative 4, no application or acceptance procedure is necessary; the College of Extended Studies is the division of the university open to the general public. (Note: the course work and all Certificate requirements are the same regardless of the way you register and pay for them, and there is no difference between Certificates earned by individuals registering through Extended Studies and those earned by individuals registering as admitted students.)

How do I obtain the completion of certificate document?
After completion of the coursework and tutoring requirement for the certificate, students should contact the department office and provide an unofficial transcript showing that relevant coursework has been completed. Students can demonstrate completion of the tutoring requirement by submitting an email to the certificate advisor (bsamraj@mail.sdsu.edu), which provides details about the tutoring experience. Beginning May 2009, students need to submit the Completion of ESL tutoring form to the department to demonstrate completion of the ESL tutoring requirement.

Important SDSU Information

College of Extended Studies

The College of Extended Studies, an extension of SDSU, is the location for registering for “Open University” classes. http://www.ces.sdsu.edu/open_info.htm

Open University

Open University classes are regular SDSU classes taught by SDSU faculty which are made available through the College of Extended Studies (see link above). These classes are offered on a space-available basis only.  As a result, students may not register for Open University classes until the first official day of classes as the class might be full and therefore closed. While this is possible for certificate classes in Linguistics, it is almost always possible to find another section of that class which is open.

The linguistic classes required for the certificate are a carefully selected set of regular linguistics courses particularly relevant for working or teaching in an ESL environment.  These courses may count as credit toward a B.A.  Only 9 units may be credited for the M.A. in Linguistics.  Information about the content of each course may be found at the following link: http://coursecat.sdsu.edu/catalog/

Go to the Linguistics Department for the certificate courses.

Red I.D.

All students must obtain a Red I.D. number. As soon as you have registered, if you do not already have a Red I.D., go to https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/pubred/alt_kiosk.main and follow the steps listed there so that you can access information such as your transcript, grades, homework, exam reports, etc.  Your Red I.D. is used for identification within the University in the same way your social security number was formerly used.

Blackboard

All students, including Open University students, must register, complete payment, and create a web portal account prior to signing on to Blackboard.  Blackboard is an on line location which many professors use where you can find homework assignments, course information, unofficial transcripts, etc.  You enter Blackboard through your SDSU web portal account (see below); the following link will take you to Blackboard: https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/

Online Web Portal Account

 All Extended Studies students taking credit courses who need to access SDSU online services (transcripts, library, blackboard, etc.) should create an SDSU web portal account by going to www.sdsu.edu/e-services

You cannot create a web portal account until your registration is complete.

Important Web Links

Online Web Portal Account
www.sdsu.edu/e-services

Red I.D. 
All students MUST have a red I.D.  After you have completed registration, go to this link if you do not already have a red I.D.
https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/pubred/alt_kiosk.main

SDSU Graduate Admissions
http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/admissions/graduate/index.html

Blackboard
https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/

College of Extended Studies
http://www.ces.sdsu.edu/open_info.htm

SDSU Office of Admissions
Frequently Asked Questions, see Q16 if you have a B.A. and are interested in a certificate but you are not interested in pursuing a graduate degree.
http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/admissions/graduate/faq.html