To be granted a TESL minor, a student must complete, with grades of ‘C’ or better 15 credits (5 courses) distributed as follows.  You must also have maintained a 3.0 GPA in these courses.  All course work must be completed at UF.  If you are a Linguistics major, only LIN 3010 and 4721 can overlap with the major. In order to graduate with the TESL minor, you need to have (had) at least nine additional courses that are unique to the LIN major. Note that the TESL minor is equal to the TESL certificate, minus a 3-credit internship. Students are allowed to enroll both in the minor and the certificate.

Required courses (5 courses of 3 credits each):

• LIN 3010-- Introduction to Linguistics
• LIN 4721-- Second Language Acquisition
• TSL 3360-- Introduction to TESL
• TSL 3378-- Pronunciation for TESL (prereq: LIN3010)
• LIN 3680--Modern English Structure (Prereq: LIN3010)

>> Top

TESL Minor (Catalog year 2009 and prior)

All work must be completed at the university with grades of C or above.  The 18 hours should be distributed as follows:

Core courses (12 credits):

• LIN 3010-- Introduction to Linguistics
• TSL 3360-- Introduction to TESL
• LIN 3680--Modern English Structure (Prereq: LIN3010)
  
• LIN 4721-- Second Language Acquisition (Prereq: LIN3010)

Electives (6 credits - take two from the following):

• LIN 3201-- Sounds of Human Language (Prereq: LIN3010)
• LIN 3460-- Structure of Human Language (Prereq: LIN3010)
• LIN 4600-- Survey of Sociolinguistics (Prereq: LIN3010)
• ENG 4060-- History of the English Language
• LIN 4656-- Gender and Language (Prereq: LIN3010)
  
• TSL 3378 Pronunciation for TESL
• ANT 3620-- Language and culture

>> Top

TESL certificate

For information on the TESL Certificate, please click here

Frequently Asked Questions about the Minor and Certificate

1. What is the difference between a TESL minor and a TESL certificate?After completion of the TESL certificate program, you will receive a certificate, which is separate from your diploma. Some potential employers require such a certificate. The TESL certificate will, however, not be mentioned on your UF diploma and your progress will not be tracked by ISIS.

The TESL minor will be mentioned on your diploma and will be tracked by ISIS. Starting catalog year 2010, the TESL minor is 15 credits. The certificate program requires these same classes, plus a 3-credit internship.

2. Can I sign up for both the minor and the certificate?
Yes. In fact, we strongly encourage people who are enrolled in the certificate to sign up for the minor as well. You will automatically fulfill the all minor requirements (for catalog year 2010 and onwards) by doing the certificate.

3. Why, then, would one sign up for the minor without signing up for the certificate?
Due to popular demand, we can only accommodate a limited number of students in the internship, and registration to the TESL certificate can be denied if we forsee that the internship will be substantially overenrolled. In this case, signing up for the TESL minor ensures that your TESL experience will at least be listed on your diploma.

4. How do I sign up for the minor and/or the certificate?
For the TESL minor, please complete this form: http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/pdf/minorapp.pdf  and hand it in at Academic Advising.
For the TESL certificate, see our TESL certificate website: http://www.lin.ufl.edu/tesl/gradtesol.html
Students are required to submit the TESL Certificate application for completion, here: TESL Application for Completion

5. I am not or no longer an undergraduate at UF.
Can I still do a TESL minor or certificate?
To receive the certificate from the UF Department of Linguistics, you would need to be enrolled as a UF undergraduate.  To obtain a TESL certificate after you have already graduated, you can look into the online programs listed in question #7 (below). For alternative programs, see the website of TESOL: www.tesol.org.

6. Is the TESL program offered as Distance education?
No. For some distance programs, see the website of TESOL: www.tesol.org. 

7. What are some recommended online certificate programs?
For reputable online certificate programs, see:
- Cambridge certificate: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/celta.html
- New School (NYC): http://www.newschool.edu/ce/englishlanguagestudies
- Penn State: http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/Teaching-English-to-Speakers-of-Other-Languages_FAQs.shtml
- Monterey Institute, MA TESL in one year: http://www.miis.edu
- Tesol.org