Admission to the TESOL certificate and MA programs has been suspended. For any questions, please contact Dr. Glenn Starr, starrg@uwm.edu

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

The Adult/University-Level TESOL certificates are designed to meet the needs of students who wish to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults or university-level students abroad.

The Undergraduate Certificate program is open to undergraduates with at least junior standing, to post-baccalaureate special students, and to those who do not plan to pursue a college or university degree (non-degree students) but who have a strong interest in this subject. Non-degree students must meet regular University admission requirements.

Graduate students or post-baccalaureate non-degree students should pursue instead the “Adult/University-Level TESOL Graduate Certificate.” Training in the graduate certificate program is more rigorous, and some credits earned can be transferred to the Linguistics Department MA program.

The MA TESOL program provides the opportunity for students to get more in-depth and sustained experience with formal linguistic theory. The exposure to linguistic knowledge serves to complement the pedagogical training students receive in the core TESOL modules. Courses in curriculum development as well as second language acquisition, phonetics, phonology, and syntax offer valuable insights into the language learning process that result in enhanced metalinguistic awareness for future language teachers. Graduates emerge from the program with a solid foundation in both linguistics and pedagogical theory.

Please note that the TESOL programs may involve student teaching and direct interactions with on-campus instructors as well as community organizations that are affiliated with UWM. In this capacity, students represent UWM and the Linguistics Department, and are expected to maintain professional standards of behavior. Students who do not meet these standards may be denied admission to TESOL programs, or asked to leave TESOL programs.