TEFL Certificate

TEFL Certificate program

• Are you interested in international career experiences where you can both work and travel?
• Are you interested in taking advantage of your English skills in the global economy?
• Would you like to create cross cultural understanding, help local communities where you live and teach, and make rewarding and lasting friendships?

The TEFL Certificate program prepares undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students who are interested in their first international/cross-cultural English teaching position. The program is designed for students who seek experience Teaching English as a Foreign Language by providing a strong foundation in English Studies Linguistics and training in foreign language acquisition/teaching methodologies.

The Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate focuses on teaching English internationally and cross-culturally primarily to young adult and adult learners. It is distinct from the College of Education ESOL/Bilingual endorsement, which is focused on K-12 school contexts in the United States.

The TEFL Certificate program requires 26-credits (six 4-credit courses plus a 2-credit practicum). Courses in the TEFL Certificate program may be applied to the English Studies Linguistics Major, or by completing the TEFL coursework, students will have finished all the requirements for the Linguistics Minor (20 credits).

The TEFL Certificate program is also open to Post-Baccalaureate students, who have already completed a Bachelors degree at WOU or another institution. “Residency requirements” for Post-Bac students state that 75% of the coursework for the program must be completed at WOU; thus, up to one course (typically LING 310: Introduction to Linguistics) may be transferred from another institution.