1. Our students come from all over the world and range in
age from their early 20’s to their early 70’s. Some are career
changers with little or no teaching experience. Others are
experienced teachers from the U.S. or abroad. Most plan to
teach adults. About half plan to teach English as a Second
Language (ESL) in the U.S.
The other half plan to teach English as a Foreign Language
(EFL) overseas. Our alumni enjoy sharing their experiences
with prospective students. If you would you like to speak with
one of our former students about the program, please contact
us: tesolcertprog@tc.edu
“ feel I received
very solid exposure
to the broad concepts
on language learning and
linguistics”
(Judy, USA)
“The classes
were informative,
practical, and full of useful
information. We got lots of
resources and activities… things I
can really use when I teach.”
(Susan, USA)
“The program was a great
experience! Even though I had
no formal background in TESOL,
the online and onsite portions set
me up sufficiently for the actual teaching
experience. I am also very grateful for my
mentor who was extremely knowledgeable
and continually supportive!”
(Eri, Japan)
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
For more than 15 years, our intensive TESOL Certificate Pro-
gram has offered a unique balance of theory and practice in
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. With a close
affiliation with the graduate TESOL & Applied Linguistics
program, we are able to offer a rigorous curriculum that reflects
current research by experts in the field. You will gain a strong
theoretical foundation in Classroom Practices, Second Lan-
guage Acquisition, Pedagogical Grammar, Second Language
Assessment, and Intercultural Communication. Moreover, you
will gain practical applications of this knowledge through su-
pervised student teaching at our on-campus Community Lan-
guage Program and senior teacher mentoring. The program is
ideal for recent college graduates, current teachers who want to
improve their skills, and career-changers.
BLENDED LEARNING FORMAT
The program is offered in a blended learning format where
half the program takes place online and half of it takes place
onsite at Teachers College, Columbia University. The online
portion is semi-synchronous, meaning that although there
are weekly deadlines, you don’t have to be on your computer
at specific points of time.
FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME
We offer a full-time, intensive program in the summer and
a part-time program stretched out over the Fall and Spring
semesters.
TESOL
CERTIFICATE
PROGRAM
TEACHERS COLLEGE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
525 West 120th Street, Box 66
46E Horace Mann Hall
New York, NY 10027
Phone: 212-678-3459
tesolcertprog@tc.columbia.edu
http://www.tc.edu/tesolcertificate

2. PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
Requirements
BA or equivalent
Personal statement
2 Letters of Recommendation
Current CV or resume
Official Transcripts
Officials Test Score Reports
TOEFL score 102 iBT for
non-native speakers of English
Schedule
Online: October 5 – December 14
(weekly online deadlines) and
Onsite: January 25 – April 25: Fri-
days 9:00am - 2pm and Saturdays
10am – 3pm
Program & visa applications, work-
shop registration brochure, & pay-
ment information on website
When
Part-time, Fall-Spring program:
October 5th to April 25th
Full-time, intensive Summer
program, 2016: TBA
Cost
$50 Application Fee
$75 International Admin Fee
$6,800 Full Tuition
admission status.
Transcripts:
Official copies of your tran-
scripts should be mailed di-
rectly to our office. We accept
unofficial copies pending the
receipt of official ones.
Payment:
A non-refundable $50 applica-
tion fee must accompany your
application. A $500 nonrefund-
able tuition deposit is due two
weeks after acceptance to hold
your place. The tuition balance
is due by September 2nd.
Deadlines:
Applications must be
submitted through the
Teachers College Admissions
website by August 25th. Two
weeks after all materials are
received, you will be notified
of your admission status.
REQUIRED COURSES:
Classroom Practices & Practicum
Seminar:
Learn how to plan lessons, create
activities, evaluate materials, manage a
classroom, give feedback, and pro-
mote learner autonomy.
Second Language Acquisition:
Study how languages are learned and
the impact that the learner and learn-
ing environment have on the process.
Intercultural Communication:
Learn more how spoken and written
language varies across cultures and
social situations and the relevance of
these differences in the classroom.
Pedagogical English Grammar:
Study the fundamental principles of
English grammar as well as different
approaches to teaching grammar.
Assessment:
Develop an understanding of the
purposes and types of language
assessment and learn how to design,
develop, and score classroom language
assessments.
CORE COMPONENTS:
Student Teaching:
Put your theoretical knowledge to
practice by teaching in our Communi-
ty Language Program.
Observation and Mentoring:
Observe others teach and receive
intense mentoring and feedback on
your own teaching from experienced
teachers.
Workshops:
Participate in our optional profes-
sional development workshop and
hone your skills in teaching a variety
of areas including business English,
teaching ESL to students with limited
literacy, applying for ESL jobs, teach-
ing ESL to children, etc.
CORE STANDARDS:
The TESOL Certificate Program at
Teachers College, Columbia Uni-
versity aligns with, and exceeds, the
standards recommended by TESOL
International Association for short-
term certificate programs. It also
meets and exceeds the 120-hour
instruction standard often required
for teaching abroad.
Students will receive a certificate
upon successful complition of the
program.
GOING FOR AN MA IN
TESEL AT TC:
The TESOL Certificate Program is
a noncredit, non-degree program.
However, students who complete
the program and are accepted into
the TC TESOL MA Program receive
three to six transfer credits added to
their transcript in their final semes-
ter when all other MA coursework is
complete. For the TESOL General
Track and Applied Linguistics pro-
grams, three credits will go toward
the Classroom Practices course re-
quirement and three credits toward a
TESOL/AL elective. For the TESOL
K-12 track, three credits will go to-
ward the TESOL/AL elective. Due to
tight state certification requirements,
there are no other possible substitu-
tions allowed in this track.
These transfer credits are applied to
your transcript in your final semes-
ter when all other MA coursework is
complete.