The Graduate Certificate in TESOL is designed to be a "stand-alone" program but it can also serve as a "step-up" program into a Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language (MA TESL) at Penn State. 

The online TESOL certificate curriculum comprises four introductory graduate-level courses containing integrated practical field experiences that enable candidates to gain essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions for teaching adult English language-learners in diverse contexts throughout the world. Specifically, individuals will:

• analyze various domains of language (grammar, lexicon, phonetics, pragmatics) in relation to adult learner language development, and apply these understandings to adult English language teaching
• design, adapt, and evaluate curricula, technology, media, and other resources that meet the specific instructional and language-related needs and abilities of adult English language learners
• develop an understanding of the multilingual/multicultural contexts within which adult English language learners live and work, and the role of learning and using English on an increasingly global scale
• demonstrate effective instructional strategies for one-on-one tutoring, classroom teaching, and learner assessment to create a professional TESOL e-portfolio

All of our courses are offered every semester to provide maximum flexibility in an effort to meet your professional needs. The graduate certificate can be completed in nine months if you take two courses per semester.