The teaching English as a second or foreign language (TESL/TEFL) minor or certificate aims to enrich and expand students’ knowledge of linguistics, language, and language-learning. Students interested in teaching English as a second language to students in the U.S. or in teaching English abroad should consider either the minor or certificate. Practical English teaching experience can also be gained through the University’s regular study abroad trips in Chile (J-term) and South Korea (summer).
- Minor: The minor is ideal for students who wish to teach English as a second language in the United States.
- Certificate: The requirements for the certificate are similar to the minor, but this option is better for students who wish to teach English as a foreign language overseas, as this credential is recognized abroad, unlike the minor.
What will I study?
- This 18-credit hour program consists of five core courses and one elective that can be selected from linguistics, psychology, education, English, sociology, or communications
- The program offers courses in applied linguistics and focuses on examining the phonology, grammar, and morphology of North American English.
- The program provides an overview of theories of language learning and methodologies for teaching a second language.
Who can benefit?
- Students majoring or minoring in Spanish, German, English, international relations, and education who wish to:
- live and teach English abroad
- teach in private schools, intensive language institutes, and businesses
- join the Peace Corps
- volunteer with nonprofit service organizations
- Students majoring in psychology who are interested in second language processing and development.
- Students majoring in computer science who are interested in:
- natural language processing
- text-to-speech synthesis
- automatic speech recognition
Faculty Contacts
Tammy Jandrey Hertel, PhD
Professor of Spanish
Chair of the Modern and Classical Languages Department
434.544.8258
hertel@lynchburg.edu
Leslie Layne, PhD
Associate Professor of English
Coordinator of College Writing