Teaching English as a New Language, Graduate Level Certificate

Indiana University
Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as a New Language

Department of English and Linguistics
College of Arts and Sciences
Hardin Aasand, Chair
Michael Stapleton, Graduate Program Director
Hao Sun, TENL Program Coordinator
260-481-6841 Fax: 260-481-6985
ww.ipfw.edu/engl - Liberal Arts Building 145

The graduate certificate in Teaching English as a New Language (TENL) prepares students for teaching English to speakers of other languages in a variety of learning venues world-wide.It is intended for students who are working toward a graduate degree in English as well as for practicing teachers who wish to meet state professional requirements for teaching English as a new language. Other potential audiences include individuals who plan to live and teach abroad, and wish to work obtain professional training. The obtained certificate will significantly enhance one’s career opportunities overseas for English language teaching.

Our TENL program matches most other such academic programs nationwide.The required courses will familiarize students with the major theoretical perspectives, pedagogies and resources of English language teaching. The capstone Practicum provides students with real-world experience through teaching English language learners in classroom settings. The TENL certificate can stand alone as a separate credential or be integrated with the requirements of the M.A. or M.A.T. program in English.

In addition, licensure endorsement is available to TENL Certificate students who are licensed teachers, candidates who are already licensed in specific content area(s) at specific grade levels, or prospective teachers who are in the process of obtaining such a license. Please see the special requirements below for the licensure endorsement.

Certificate Requirements

The TENL certificate will require satisfactory completion of eighteen credit hours of course work in the areas of ENL pedagogy and materials preparation, second language acquisition theories, sociolinguistics and cultural issues, English grammar, and practical classroom experiences.

No course with a grade below 3.0 may be applied toward the certificate. Students must maintain a minimum overall 3.0 GPA or better in all graduate courses. Failure to do so will result in automatic dismissal from the program.

Transfer of credit hours from other accredited institutions may be considered based on evaluations of materials presented by students including transcripts, course syllabi and completed assignments.

Courses Required for the Graduate Certificate in TENL

(LING L103 or equivalent is a prerequisite for all TENL courses, 500-level or higher.)

Grammar (3 credits)

ENG G500 - Introduction to the English Language Cr. 3-4.

Methods (6 credits)

Applications and Admission

To be eligible for admission to the graduate certificate in TENL, you must have completed:

A Bachelor’s degree, from an accredited college or university, with at least a 2.5 of 4.0 GPA.
At least 3 credit hours of coursework in linguistics, with at least a 3.0 of 4.0 GPA (e.g. LING L103, LING L303 or other approved courses).
At least 3 credit hours of coursework in college-level writing (or the equivalent), with at least a 3.0 of 4.0 GPA.

Students who do not meet these requirements may be admitted conditionally.

Students who seek to integrate the graduate TENL Certificate Program with an M.A. or M.A.T. in English must have completed the following to meet the program requirements in addition to the TENL requirements:

A Bachelor’s degree, from an accredited college or university, with at least a 3.0 of 4.0 GPA.
A satisfactory score on the general aptitude section of the GRE (Graduate Record Examination).
To receive the M.A.T., students must have at least provisional public school certification in English by the time they graduate.

Students who do not meet these requirements may be admitted conditionally to the M.A. or M.A.T. Program in English.

Note: Admission to the TENL Program does not guarantee admission to the master’s program in English & Linguistics. Students who wish to pursue a master’s will be asked to submit a separate application. If admitted to the master’s degree program in English and Linguistics, you will be able to apply all 18 credits of this license to the degree provided that the degree is completed within 5 years of your admission to the program.

Licensure Endorsement

The Department of English and Linguistics, in conjunction with the School of Education (SOE), offers an endorsement in Teaching English as a new Language to licensed teachers, candidates who are already licensed in specific content area(s) at specific grad levels,or prospective teachers who are in the process of obtaining such a license.

Licensure Endorsement Requirements

The licensure endorsement will require satisfactory completion of eighteen credit hours of course work in the areas of ENL pedagogy and materials preparation, second language acquisition theories, sociolinguistics and cultural issues, English grammar and practical classroom experiences.

In addition to the requirements listed above for the TENL Certificate, applicants will be required to submit a copy of their teaching license.No course with a grade below 3.0 will count toward the ENL Licensure Endorsement. Students must maintain a minimum overall 3.0 GPA or better in all graduate courses. Failure to do so will result in automatic dismissal from the program.

After completion of all coursework in the TENL Certificate program, those seeking the licensure endorsement must apply to the state of Indiana to have the endorsement applied to their license. Students will be assisted with applications through the Department of English and the School of Education.