ESL Teacher Certification in Michigan

Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti:
Learn to become an English teacher with EMU TESOL at the Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti (a small Mid-western town located in Washtenaw County, Michigan, approximately 60 km west of Detroit). We provide a range of undergraduate and graduate level TESOL (Teaching Enligh to Speakers of Other Languages) courses. We are very proud that graduates of our programs are empowered with the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to teach English to diverse student populations in a variety of educational contexts locally and internationally, in a manner marked by professional innovation and cross cultural sensitivity.

Masters (MA) in TESOL Program:
The TESOL Program prepares candidates to teach English as a second language in the U.S.A. or as a foreign language in other countries. The program combines theory and practice from the fields of education and applied linguistics. The coursework provides a strong theoretical foundation to inform the multitude of practical choices that English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers are required to make in the classroom. TESOL graduates possess:

- A knowledge of second/foreign language learner and teaching strategies
- Experience in applying theoretical knowledge to various teaching situations and settings
- A working knowledge of the systems of the English language
- An awareness of the realities of the cultural issues in the classroom
- Supervised teaching experience in an ESL classroom
- An appreciation for continued professional development and growth

The MA TESOL degree enables Michigan-certified teachers to add the ESL endorsement to their teaching credentials. (If you do not currently hold teaching credentials and wish to become a Michigan-certified public school teacher, you should contact the Office of Teacher Certification in the College of Education to inquire about the additional undergraduate coursework required.)

Program Features:
- Students may pursue this degree on a full-time or part-time basis.
- Core TESOL courses are offered in the early evening to accommodate students who have daytime jobs. Most cognate and elective courses are also offered in the evening.
- Approximately 25 percent of each new group of TESOL students come from countries other than the U.S., ensuring ample opportunity for developing cross-cultural understanding.

TESL Graduate Certificate / K12 Endorsement Program:
This primary goal of this program is to provide public school teachers with skills to more effectively address the academic and social challenges presented by an increasingly diverse student body and to appreciate those students as resources for instruction and classroom enhancement. The program targets five knowledge domains, as set out in the TESOL Standards for K-12 ESL Teacher Education Programs: Language, culture, instruction, assessment, and professionalism.

Program Features:
- This program enables certified teachers to earn not only the Graduate Certificate in TESL, an EMU degree, but also the state of Michigan’s ESL Endorsement in 20-24 consecutive months by completing just one course a term.
- It is important to note that graduation from the Graduate Certificate Program allows teachers to count all of these credits towards the Master of Arts in TESOL at a later date.
- Students may pursue the TESL graduate certificate on a full-time or part-time basis.
- Core TESOL courses are offered in the early evening to accommodate students who have daytime jobs. Most cognate and elective courses are also offered in the evening.

Undergraduate TESOL Minor:
The undergraduate TESOL Minor program in the Department of Foreign Languages & Bilingual Studies at Eastern Michigan University prepares candidates to gain competence in teaching English as a second language in the U.S.A. or as a foreign language in other countries. Combining theory and practice from fields of education and applied linguistics, the program helps candidates develop knowledge and skills in five domains as set forth in the TESOL Standards for K-12 ESL Teacher Education Programs: Language, culture, instruction, assessment, and professionalism.

The undergraduate TESOL Minor program consists of seven required courses and one restricted elective course (a total of 24 credit hours).

Required Courses (21 credit hours):
- LNGE 202 ESL Grammar for Teachers - 3
- LNGE 223 Introduction to Language - 3
- LNGE 325 Second Language Acquisition (prereqs: LNGE202, and LNGE240 or LNGE242; co-req:LNGE223) - 3
- TSLN 330 TESOL Methodology: Literacy (prereq: LNGE325)- 3
- TSLN 332 TESOL Methodology: Listening and Speaking (prereq: LNGE325) - 3
- TSLN 410 TESOL Methodology: Content-Based Approaches (prereqs: TSLN330 and TSLN332) - 3
- TSLN 420 SLA Testing and Assessment (prereqs: TSLN330 and TSLN332) - 3

Restricted Elective Course (3 credit hours):
- LNGE 240 Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in the U.S. (required for endorsement) - 3
or
- LNGE 242 Linguistic and Cultural Diversity: Global Englishes (non-endorsement) - 3