Teaching English as an International Language - TEIL (CERT)

Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as an International Language

Unit: College of Education and Human Development
Program Webpage
Department:  Elementary, Middle and Secondary Teacher Education
Academic Plan Code(s): TEILCILO

Program Information

This program is completed entirely online.

The twelve (12) credit hour graduate certificate program in Teaching English as an International Language (TEIL) trains candidates outside of the teacher education programs who wish to teach English language learners in a variety of settings where specialization in English Language Learners is required but a teaching license/certification is optional/not required.  

These contexts include teaching/tutoring English language learners (both in U.S. and abroad); working with humanitarian organizations that outreach to refugee and immigrant populations; teaching English in private/parochial schools where students are non-native speakers of English. The program provides training to completers who would use this skill set to equip language learners with the English language skills needed to strengthen themselves and their communities, address pressing social concerns, and ultimately, enact social change.

The learning outcomes of the Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as an International Language program are to provide students with:

1. The ability to analyze the context of teaching English outside of the United States.
2. A mastery of the various teaching methods and approaches used to teach English.
3. The role of English when used both locally and globally.
4. Considerations of the dynamic between language and power in society.
5. An understanding of the differences between first and second language acquisition.
6. The connections between theoretical and applied linguistics.

Admission Requirements

The admission standards for the graduate certificate in Teaching English as an International Language are as follows:

• A completed Graduate application;
• Application fee;
• Official transcript(s) for all previous post-secondary coursework. All transcripts not in English must be certified by an official agency as authentic and translated verbatim into English.
• The minimum requirement for admission is the baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution or current enrollment in a graduate program at the University of Louisville.
• The successful applicant will have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above (on a 4.00 scale).
• Applicants are required to submit a 500-word essay outlining their rationale for pursuing this certificate as part of their application package.
• International students whose primary language is not English must show English language proficiency. These applicants must either submit an official TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo score, or hold a baccalaureate degree award from a U.S. Department of Education recognized English language institution.
• The successful applicant will have a total TOEFL score of 80 or higher on the internet based test, 213 or higher on the computer-based test for verification of English proficiency. English proficiency can also be met by submitting an official IELTS score of 6.5 or higher on the academic module or Duolingo score of 105.

Students can be simultaneously enrolled in another University of Louisville graduate degree program and this graduate certificate program.

Certificate Requirements

All students enrolled in the graduate certificate program are expected to make steady and satisfactory progress toward the completion of the certificate by taking at least one course each academic semester (excluding Winter and Summer sessions). Students who are not enrolled for a period of one academic calendar year will be considered to have withdrawn from the certificate program and must re-apply for re-admission into the program.

The certificate program of study must be completed with a 3.00 GPA overall with a a grade of B-minus or better for all graduate courses used to satisfy certificate requirements.

Graduate certificate students must take all certificate course work at the University of Louisville. No transfer credits will be accepted toward this graduate certificate program.

Coursework