Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Graduate Certificate

Why study Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages?

The University of Cincinnati offers online opportunities for the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Graduate Certificate/Endorsement in response to the growing population of English language learners in U.S. classrooms, and the academic demand at national and international levels. The Graduate Certificate/Endorsement in PreK-12 TESOL is aligned with the TESOL International Association’s standards and the State of Ohio’s TESOL standards. In-service teachers who have a standard, current Ohio teaching license and teach within the State of Ohio may be able to get the Graduate Certificate and Endorsement upon successful completion of the program. Pre-service teachers in Ohio and those outside of the state are able to get the Graduate Certificate. Any pre-service and/or in-service teacher who wishes to teach English language learners can enroll in this graduate non-degree, professional development program.

Admission Requirements

The following are requirements for admission:

  1. The applicant must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
  2. The applicant must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 at the undergraduate level leading to the bachelor degree. The applicant who possesses a master’s degree prior to admission must have a graduate grade point average of at least 3.0 in any graduate level work undertaken before admission. All calculations are based on a 4.0 scale.
  3. In rare instances, candidates who graduated from a non-accredited college or university or who do not meet the minimum grade point averages requirement for admission may be admitted based upon an evaluation of evidence submitted by the candidate. As a minimum, the evidence must address mastery of the knowledge prerequisite to the courses required by the program, acceptable writing skills, the ability to engage in critical thinking, and a personal commitment to completing the program. The evidence, very often including Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, must convincingly demonstrate the candidate's potential for success in graduate level work.
  4. Admission decisions are not be made on the basis of race, age, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. 
  5. Candidates who are not accepted for admission may reapply once they have addressed the weaknesses identified during their initial application review. During that period, such applicants may be encouraged by the program to enroll in appropriate course work to develop the knowledge, skills, and values deemed necessary for admission into the program, or to demonstrate that the applicant already possesses such qualifications. Whether such course work may apply to the degree program is left to the discretion of the program. Applicants may also be encouraged to take or re-take the GRE. Completion of recommended course work or the GRE does not guarantee admission into the program.
  6. Advanced standing for a limited amount of course work taken prior to admittance to the program is possible. Course work completed 5 or more years prior to admission will not be applied to the requirements. 

The application is not complete, and cannot be reviewed, until the School of Education has received all of the following:

  1. A statement of the applicant's academic and professional goals, approximately two pages long. This writing sample will be used as one of the criteria for evaluating the application. The applicant should explain specifically what areas they would like to study so that an appropriate advisor may be assigned to the applicant if admitted into the program.
  2. A resume with relevant academic and professional information. It should include the applicant's name, address, phone, email, colleges attended with degrees, dates conferred, grade point average, employment history, professional experience, present employer, and names of references.
  3. Three letters of recommendation from people familiar with the applicant’s academic and professional abilities.  At least one letter should be from a faculty member in higher education. Those writing letters should explain who they are, their relationship to the applicant, and what they know of the applicant’s academic and professional abilities. The applicant should be prepared to provide the recommender's e-mail addresses on the admissions application. 
  4. Transcripts showing all undergraduate and graduate coursework completed, including degrees granted and dates of degrees.

Application Deadline and Procedures

Prospective students will complete the on-line application for their requested program by the posted application deadline.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials and support documents are successfully submitted.  Incomplete applications will not be processed or reviewed.

Graduates of this program will be prepared for the careers listed below. All opportunities may not be listed. 

The information provided is sourced from a third party, Lightcast. Their product, called Career Coach, combines extensive labor market data from Lightcast and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provides insights on industry, occupation, compensation, and projected growth for each profession. Economic and workforce information is available for various geographic regions. Some careers may require additional training or education.

Students may graduate at the end of any semester if they meet the necessary degree requirements and all program and university deadlines. Students should confer closely with their advisors regarding graduation as they approach the completion of their degree requirements. The initial step in the graduation process consists of a formal application for graduation. This must be done by the announced deadline (usually during the semester prior to the semester of anticipated graduation). A complete list of important deadlines and responsibilities that must be met prior to graduation, instructions and guidelines for completing the application for graduation, and the graduation application is found at: https://grad.uc.edu/student-life/graduation.html

The student must be registered for at least one graduate credit in their program in an academic year, after having met minimum degree/candidacy requirements to be considered a graduate student throughout the academic year. Further, students must be registered for at least one graduate credit during the academic year in which they will graduate.

Before graduation for all students, submission of Notification of Removal of all NG, N, I, UP, SP, and F grades must be sent as well as posting of all satisfactory grades for the graduation semester.

International student applicants are required to provide specific information about their transcripts or degree programs to facilitate the applicant review process, including transcript translation and evaluation by a recognized translation/evaluation agency.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), IELTS, Duolingo, or PTE is required of all applicants whose native language is not English. The following minimum scores must be obtained:

  • TOEFL: Paper-Based Test (PBT):  550
  • TOEFL: Internet-Based Test (iBT): 79-80
  • IELTS: 6.5
  • Duolingo: 110
  • PTE: 53

All English proficiency tests must have been taken within the two-year period preceding admission. 

Application Deadlines

Admission Term

Application Deadline

Notification By

Fall

7/1

8/1

Spring

11/15

12/15

Summer

4/1

4/15

 

The University of Cincinnati and all regional campuses are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Gainful Employment Disclosure

Effective July 1, 2011, federal regulations published in the Federal Register on October 29, 2010 [75 FR 66665 and FR 66832] by the U.S. Department of Education require postsecondary institutions that participate in the student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended, to disclose to prospective students certain information about the institution's GE Programs.

Generally, GE Programs include:

  • At public and private not-for-profit institutions: Title IV-eligible non-degree programs (e.g., certificate and diploma programs).
  • At for-profit institutions: All Title-IV eligible instructional programs, degree and non-degree.

 http://cech.uc.edu/student_services_center/undergraduate-students/gainful-employment.html

Contact Information

UC Online
45 W. Corry Blvd
Cincinnati, OH 45221
(513) 556-6826
onlineenrollment@uc.edu

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Program Code: 18GC-TESOL-GC-.TESOL-DL