TESL — Graduate Certificate

Graduate Certificate in TESL

The graduate certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language prepares participants for careers in teaching English as a second or foreign language to adult learners in U.S. and international contexts, including in two- and four-year institutions, government and non-government organizations, and private enterprises.  Coursework develops students' knowledge of how language operates with primary emphasis on the English language and the skills required to teach it effectively to adult second language learners.  

Admission Requirements

All applicants should submit the following documents to the College of Graduate Studies and Research. A Graduate Study Application form is available from the College of Graduate Studies and Research.

• Graduate Application (May be completed online.)
• $40 application fee (May be paid online with a credit card.)
• Two official transcripts from the undergraduate degree-granting institution

Information on tuition is available from the Campus Hub.

The GRE is not required for admission.

Additionally, international students should submit the following documents with their application materials.

• English translations of transcripts from foreign universities (ECE evaluations are not required.)
• Official TOEFL score report (MSU’s institutional TOEFL code is 6677.)
• Financial Affidavit For Graduate International Student Application (see the College of Graduate Studies and Research for more information)
• One-page personal statement describing the applicant’s background and goals

All TESL degree candidates must fulfill a language requirement. Candidates for the graduate certificate who are native speakers of English must have a minimum of one year of a foreign language at the college level (or the equivalent). This foreign language requirement may be met in residence, but courses taken to fulfill it will not count toward the degree. International applicants whose native language is not English must have a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper) or the equivalent on the Internet (79-80) or Computer (213) versions to enter the program.

In-state tuition for international students

International Students are eligible for in-state tuition.
Follow the link and scroll down to the Graduate In-State Scholarship Eligibility Requirements section.

TESL Director

Professor Stephen Stoynoff
Department of English
Minnesota State University, Mankato
230 Armstrong Hall
Mankato, MN 56001

Telephone: (507) 389-5502
E-mail: stephen.stoynoff@mnsu.edu

Certificate Requirements - 24 credits

Advising Checklist (broken link)

Required Courses (20 credits)

Course #	Course Title	Credits
ENG 586	Theories of Teaching ESL*	4
ENG 587	Methods of Teaching ESL*	4
ENG 633	Second Language Acquisition	3
ENG 634	Topics in ESL*	3
ENG 686	Second Language Testing	3
ENG 689	Studies in English Linguistics*	3

Elective Courses (4 credits)

Choose one of the following.

Course #	Course Title	Credits
ENG 582	English Structure*	4
ENG 584	Pedigogical Grammar and Academic English*	4

* available online

Graduate TESL Faculty

Name	Office, telephone, e-mail, web site	Teaching and research specialties
Drescher, Nancy	nancy.drescher@mnsu.edu	TESL methods, pragmatics, corpus linguistics, K-12 ESL corpus linguistics
Lybeck, Karen	karen.lybeck@mnsu.edu	Second language teacher, interlanguage phonology, sociolinguistics, second language acquisition
Stoynoff, Steve	stephen.stoynoff@mnsu.edu	Assessment, TESL methods, second language acquisition

Financial Assistance

The Department of English employs about 30 teaching and research assistants (freshman composition) at stipends of approximately $9000 over two semesters. Assistants receive full tuition remission for up to 18 credits over the academic year (two semesters). All graduate assistants are required to enroll for a minimum of six credits per semester. Assistants are provided office space and have faculty library privileges. For more information, visit the English Graduate Assistantships web page.

Assistantships are also available to teach English as a Second Language, Spanish, French or German. For more information on these assistantships, visit the Department of World Languages & Cultures. Other assistantships are available from Student Affairs, Memorial Library, and Residential Life offices of the University. For a list of available graduate assistantships, visit the Human Resources Job Posting web page on the College of Graduate Studies web site.

For information about other types of financial assistance, students should contact the Office of Financial Aid:

Office of Financial Aid
Minnesota State University, Mankato
120 Wigley Administration Center
Mankato, MN 56001
Telephone: (507) 389-1866
Web site: http://www.mnsu.edu/campushub

 

Professional Links

• TESOL Organization
• TEFL Organization
• MinneTESOL
• Dave's ESL Cafe
• Mailing Lists (type "ESL" in the search box)

Job Information

Teaching positions in the United States and abroad are daily posted on the TESL Listserv. Free subscriptions to the TESL Listserv can be obtained through LISTSERV@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (SUB TESL-L). A separate subscription to the job list is then necessary (SUB TESLJOB-L). Job openings are posted regularly on the user's e-mail.

Some of the sites listed above offer job links. Other useful web sites for job hunters include:

• TEFL Professional Network
• Linguistic Funland
• Dave's ESL Cafe

Please go to http://www.mnsu.edu/instres/gainfulemploy/index.html for Gainful Employment Program Information about the Graduate Certificate in TESL.

For more information about English Graduate Studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato, please contact

Professor Melissa Purdue
Director of English Graduate Studies
Department of English
Minnesota State University, Mankato
230 Armstrong Hall
Mankato, MN  56001
Telephone: (507) 389-5510
E-mail: melissa.purdue@mnsu.edu

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