Graduate Certificate in Adult ESL/EFL

Program Overview

The Graduate Certificate in Adult English as a Second/Foreign Language is designed for individuals who desire to teach, design, and coordinate English as second language (ESL) or English as foreign language (EFL) education programs for adults in community colleges, study abroad programs, and profit/not-for profit institutions offering adult ESL/EFL instruction.

Program Mission

Students enrolled in the graduate certificate program will be encouraged to focus their academic work on issues connected to the field of adult ESL/EFL and their professional goals and aspirations. Course projects and the practicum will provide opportunities for students to network, get updated in the profession, and develop the skills to become more effective practitioners. 

The certificate will prepare instructors through:

• Studying and discussing research related to contemporary adult ESL/EFL learning practices
• Exploring theoretical perspectives supporting innovative adult ESL/EFL methodologies and approaches to assessing/testing adult students language learning
• Articulating the relationships and connections between assessment/testing of student performance and program evaluation
• Designing activities that support and enhance inclusive adult ESL/EFL learning environments that cultivate respect for different cultural and linguistic backgrounds
• Designing activities and materials to teach listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture to adult ESL/EFL students keeping in mind integration of language skills
• Making informed/appropriate decisions when choosing textbooks, teaching materials, and assessment/evaluation methods congruent with program/student needs

Who is the program for?

The graduate ESL/EFL certificate program is rigorous  and practitioner-centered, designed for individuals who are passionate about teaching adults from different cultural  and linguistic backgrounds. The program prepares instructors and administrators who believe in implementing innovative teaching methods to create independent language learners who are also able to learn from each other. ESL/EFL certificate holders are knowledgeable of language acquisition theories and are able to infuse these theories in their teaching practice. They are reflective practitioners who are concerned about how to make their courses and programs more relevant to the lives of the adult ESL/EFL learners they serve.

Why Choose Texas State?

Globalization has created an international demand for English instructors. Certificate holders will meet this need by further developing their professional skills for teaching, design and coordination of ESL/EFL adult education programs locally and abroad in community colleges, profit/nonprofit institutions and in ESL/EFL programs.

The faculty members in this program have 20+ years of experience training ESL/EFL instructors in the United States and abroad. They publish ground-breaking research, establishing the connection between theory and practice relevant for researchers and practitioners. Their research has been published in top-tier journals such as Journal of Studies in International Education, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, The Modern Language Journal, Foreign Language Annals, Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal, Adult Learning, and New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.

Required courses include:

Graduate Certificate in Adult ESL/EFL course plan