The TEFL Certificate is an online undergraduate program totaling 12 credit hours. The culminating experience is a supervised EFL practicum in which students are placed in a TESOL course for immigrants, refugees, or international students, such as the Applied English Center at KU, or they may complete their practicum as part of a study abroad experience, such as the TESOL Practicum in Korea.

The certificate courses will meet industry standards as provided by TESOL International. This certificate does not provide sufficient qualifications for a state license or endorsement to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) in U.S. K-12 public schools.

Effective December 2020: The School of Education & Human Sciences is not currently accepting applications for TEFL certificate program.

The TEFL Certificate is an online undergraduate program totaling 12 credit hours. The culminating experience is a supervised EFL practicum in which students are placed in a TESOL course for immigrants, refugees, or international students, such as the Applied English Center at KU, or they may complete their practicum as part of an approved study abroad experience, such as the TESOL Practicum in Korea.

Four courses comprise this online-delivered program. Students will take the following sequence as a cohort:  C&T 380 - English as a Global Language, C&T 330 - Methods of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, C&T 424 - Second Language Acquisition, and C&T 491 - Practicum in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

C&T 380: English as a Global Language

In this course, students explore the political, cultural, historical, and economic factors that drive English’s status as a global language and the demand to learn it. They attend to such questions as, Why a global language, and why English? Is the spread of English necessarily natural, neutral, and beneficial? Then, they consider implications of answers to the above questions on teaching English internationally, since English teaching positions overseas provide ideal opportunities for college-age Americans to live and work abroad. The projects assigned in the course are designed to teach students to think critically about issues related to prominence of English teaching and learning around the world. In addition, students will learn about employment and career opportunities as teachers of English as a Foreign Language, and prepare a resume that highlights their professionalism in EFL.

C&T 330: Methods of Teaching English as a Foreign Language

This course provides an overview of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, including theories of second language acquisition and the methodological practices that derive from those theories. Students will gain knowledge in and practice with a variety of EFL approaches for teaching and assessing skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and will compare the appropriateness of those approaches with respect to different international contexts and learners of different ages and linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Students will also gain knowledge of common EFL curricular designs, and skills in curricular planning, lesson planning, and student assessment.

C&T 424: Second Language Acquisition

This course provides an introduction to the process of second language acquisition as it relates to English language learners (ELLs) in a U.S. preK-12 context. Particular attention is given to the influence of cognitive, affective, and sociocultural factors in second language acquisition. Current developments in second language acquisition are reviewed and evaluated in keeping with the needs of professionals in the context of second language education.

C&T 491: Practicum in Teaching English as a Foreign Language

The Practicum in TEFL allows individuals to gain supervised experience in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.  It engages students in the direct application of theories of second language acquisition and models of English as a Foreign Language practice, either with immigrants, refugees, or international students in a U.S. setting or with children or adults of EFL abroad. In addition, students will acquire cross-cultural knowledge of educational settings in general and the English language classroom in particular through activities and experiences aimed at developing critical understandings of how culture affects educational practice and the role of English as an international language.