Teaching English Language Learners Graduate Certificate (CTELL)

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► Graduate School Policies and Procedures apply to this program.

Program Advisor: Joanne Addison, Professor
Office: 1059 Ninth Street Park, Room 104
Telephone: 303-315-7000
E-mail: Joanne.Addison@ucdenver.edu

Program Description

To meet the increasing needs of individuals seeking advanced training in teaching English as a second language, the English department at CU Denver offers a graduate Certificate in Teaching English Language Learners (CTELL).

The certificate program, which can be completed through CU Online, is designed to build the necessary skills to teach adults English as a second language through focused preparation. It is primarily aimed at native speakers of English who want to teach overseas, but may serve the needs of international students wanting to teach English in their home country or other countries.

Upon successful completion of the program, CTELL participants will be able to:

Discuss the theoretical basis of second language instruction
Demonstrate a variety of effective ESL teaching techniques
Explain, in pedagogically relevant ways, the linguistic structures of the English language

Curriculum

Students must complete a minimum of 12 ENGL credit hours
Students must complete all 12 ENGL credits at the gradaute (5000 or above) level.
Students must earn a minimum grade of B- (2.7) in all certificate courses taken at CU Denver and must achieve a minimum cumulative certificate GPA of 3.0. All graded attempts in required and elective courses are calculated in the certificate GPA. Students cannot complete certificate or ancillary course requirements as pass/fail.
All credits for the certificate must be completed with CU Denver facutly.
All courses must be completed with ENGL subject code.
All candidates must possess a Bachelor’s of Arts in any field.

Required Courses

Total: 9 Hours

Elective Courses (Choose one of the following)

ENGL 5093 - Teaching of Writing
An alternative elective such as a special topic course (i.e., ENGL 5190 Advanced Topics in Writing & Digital Studies ) approved by the program advisor.
An internship (ENGL 5939 Internship ) approved by the program advisor.

Total: 3 Hours

Total: 12 Hours

Additional Information

LENGTH OF TIME

The course of study will typically last one academic year, including the summer session.

WHEN YOU MAY BEGIN

You may begin in any semester. There is no fixed deadline for application for admission.

PREREQUISITES

All applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, with a 3.0 GPA, to be accepted to the program. Graduate students at CU Denver will also be permitted to apply for the certificate while they are concurrently completing another graduate degree. Permission may not be granted to graduate students in the applied linguistics option of the Master of Arts in English program.

Non-native speakers of English are required to submit an official TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) report showing a score of at least 600. Those who score below 600 but above 500 on the TOEFL may be admitted conditionally to the program. Under these conditions, students will have their English language skills assessed by the faculty of the program immediately after they arrive on campus to determine whether further courses are needed to develop English language proficiency. After assessment, the students may be assigned to full-time language study in an intensive English program, permitted to take graduate-level classes on a conditional basis along with further designated language study or permitted to begin graduate study without further restrictions.