Undergraduate Requirements

Admission Requirements

Undergraduates: Enrollment in any one of the required certificate courses and a degree program at UW–Madison.

Undergraduate Certificate Requirements

Starting Fall 2023 academic requirements for the program are as follows:

  • Complete a 15-credit program of prescribed upper-division courses, including a practicum (covered during your course work).
  • Maintain a cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0 in all TESOL courses.
  • Native English speakers must satisfactorily complete at least four college-level semesters (or the equivalent, such as 4 years in high school) of one language prior to or completed concurrently with certificate coursework. For non-native English speakers, English fulfills this requirement.
  • Demonstrate English proficiency of spoken and written English commensurate with the role of language model. Nonnative English speakers must have a score of at least:
    • 50 on the SPEAK test or
    • A minimum overall TOEFL iBT score of 5, with at least 5 on the speaking section for tests taken on and after January 21, 2026
    • 26 on the iBt speaking section, with an overall score of 100 on the iBt for tests taken before January 21, 2026 or
    • 600 on the paper version of TOEFL or
    • A minimum overall score of 7 on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System).

This certificate records a course of study at UW–Madison; it is not necessarily equivalent to professional certification by other bodies, such as the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Declare the Certificate

Apply here

Courses

Foundation Courses 

  • English 314 3 cr. Structure of English
  • English 318 3 cr. Second Language Acquisition
  • English 415 3 cr. Introduction to TESOL Methods – must precede English 515 and 613-618

Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Courses

  • English 515 3 cr. Techniques and Materials for TESOL

Students must take 3 credits of TESOL Workshops during the same semester. Each spring, 3 of the 6 one credit workshops are offered in alternate years:

  • English 613 1 cr. TESOL Workshop: Pedagogical Grammar I (spring)
  • English 614 1 cr. TESOL Workshop: Pedagogical Grammar II (spring)
  • English 615 1 cr. TESOL Workshop: The Teaching of Listening and Speaking (spring)
  • English 616 1 cr. TESOL Workshop: The Teaching of Reading (spring)
  • English 617 1 cr. TESOL Workshop: The Teaching of Writing (spring)
  • English 618 1 cr. TESOL Workshop: The Teaching of Pronunciation (spring)

Other details