The online Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) helps to prepare educators to clear the language barrier for their students. This certificate program helps instructors of students from many culturally diverse backgrounds to succeed in early childhood, K-12 or adult education classrooms.
This program does not provide instruction in speaking English. It prepares educators to teach English to speakers of other languages and is not an English language program for second or other language learners.
Completion of a graduate certificate is not a guarantee of licensure or endorsement of any kind.
Graduate Admission to the School of Education and Human Sciences
Graduate programs in education are open to students with acceptable baccalaureate and graduate degrees whose academic records indicate that they can do successful work at the graduate level. Applicants must provide evidence of ability to work successfully at the graduate level, including experience in and commitment to the profession.
Each department in the School of Education and Human Sciences sets its own application deadlines and admission criteria. Prospective graduate students should contact the appropriate department for more information.
See Admission in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog for more information.
Admissions Requirements
In addition to a completed online application, applicants also need to provide:
- Official transcript(s) for all undergraduate and post-baccalaureate course work, showing a GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
- Resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
- Statement of goals/purpose
- Application fee of $30
For students whose native language is not English, official scores on the TOEFL (IBT) of at least 23 in Listening, Reading and Writing must be submitted for consideration of admission to the Curriculum and Teaching Department. The IELTS (Academic) official score is also accepted, with an overall score of at least 6.5, and scores of at least 6.0 in Listening, Reading and Writing. The PTE (Academic) official score is also accepted, with an overall score of at least 60, and scores of at least 55 in Listening, Reading and Writing. The TOEFL, IELTS or PTE scores must be less than two years old at the time of admission. TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores may not be required if the applicant meets the verification of English proficiency requirements as specified below:
Applicants who have earned a baccalaureate degree (or higher) in residence from an accredited university or from a foreign university which conducts all instruction in English and which maintains substantially equivalent bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree requirements, will be considered fully proficient and will not be required to complete AEC testing or coursework. Degrees earned online may not be used to verify English proficiency.
Please note: Meeting minimum admission standards does not guarantee admission to the program.
All application materials should be submitted online with the graduate application. If there are application materials that cannot be uploaded with the online application, they may be emailed or mailed to the department:
The University of Kansas
Department of Curriculum and Teaching
Joseph R. Pearson Hall
1122 W. Campus Road, Room 321
Lawrence, KS 66045
Contact us: ctdepartment@ku.edu
Courses required for Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (15 credit hours)
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| C&T 807 | Multicultural Education | 3 |
| C&T 820 | Methods of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) | 3 |
| C&T 821 | Assessment in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) | 3 |
| C&T 822 | Second Language Acquisition for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Educators (TESOL) | 3 |
| C&T 826 | Linguistic Analysis for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Educators (TESOL) | 3 |
Kansas educators interested in an endorsement in TESOL take an additional course for a total of 18 credit hours:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| C&T 825 | Advanced Practicum in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) | 3 |
