Undergraduate certificates in English

We offer the following certificates in English.

Linguistic Studies
Professional Communication
TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language)

Students who wish to earn an undergraduate certificate should meet with the certificate director to discuss the program and availability of courses, and fill out the "Add Certificate" form. When students have successfully completed the certificate requirements, they must come to the department to complete a certificate application form.

Certificate in Linguistic Studies | 330008C

Coordinator, Dr. Wei Zhang

Completion of five linguistically oriented courses is required as follows: the foundation course, two core courses and at least two elective courses. Three or more of the courses must be at the 300/400 level. (Subject to approval by the program coordinator, other theoretically oriented linguistics courses may substitute for core courses.)

To obtain the certificate, a student must have at least two semesters of a second language. A student entering the program should discuss plans with the coordinator.

Foundation: (Required)

ENGL 371 Introduction to Linguistics OR ENGL 466 Linguistics and Language Arts

Core: (Minimum of two of the following)

ENGL 470 History of the English Language
ENGL 477 Sociolinguistics
ENGL 478 Grammatical Structures of English
PHIL 481 Philosophy of Language
SLPA 461 Language and Culture
SLPA 230 Language Science and Acquisition OR SLPA 430 Aspects of Normal Language Development

Electives: (Minimum of two of the following)

ENGL 400 Anglo Saxon
ENGL 473 Theoretical Foundations and Principles of ESL
ANTH 150 Human Cultures
ANTH 251 Human Diversity
CSPC 430 Theory of Programming Languages
CSPC 440 Compiler Design
CSPC 460 Artificial Intelligence and Heuristics Programming
SPAN 403 Advanced Grammar
PHIL 170 Introduction to Logic
PHIL 374 Symbolic Logic
PHIL 418 20th Century Analytic Philosophy
PHIL 471 Metaphysics
POLIT 402 Politics and the Media
POLIT 403 Media, Crime and Public Opinion
COMM 325 Intercultural Communication
SLPA 101 American Sign Language
SLPA 210 Introduction to Clinical Phonetics

Certificate in Professional Communication | 770008C

This program will help meet our technological society’s growing need for educated people who can develop sophisticated strategies for effective communication of business and technical information. People in the business community increasingly depend on communication to solve complex management, sales, and information processing problems.

The communication demands of business and industry are significant, and in many ways, different from those dealt with in traditional courses and majors. This certificate will recognize their preparation for handling the communication needs of business and industry and must be earned concurrently with an undergraduate (associate or bachelor’s) degree. A student who already possesses an undergraduate degree may directly pursue this certificate.

Certificate requirements

ENGL 390 Professional Writing I*
ENGL 391 Professional Writing II*
COMM 309 Public Relations Publications
COMM 345 Business & Professional Speaking

Because all four courses have prerequisites, students should consult course descriptions.

*ENGL 390 and ENGL 391 do not have to be taken in sequence

Undergraduate Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language | 330003C

Coordinator, Dr. Wei Zhang

This program is intended for both native and non-native speakers of English who seek training in the teaching of English as a second language (ESL) and wish to obtain an initial qualification to teach ESL/EFL (English as a foreign language) in educational settings other than public schools in Ohio or in countries outside the United States. For Ohio qualification in teaching ESL in the Ohio public school system, visit the TESOL Endorsement site.

The program is designed to introduce the student to central issues in the theory and practice of teaching English to non-native speakers through courses in modern and applied linguistics, in second language pedagogy, and in related disciplines.

Students who do not have English as a native language must demonstrate adequate proficiency in English with a valid TOEFL score of 550 (paper based)/213 (computer based)/79 (Internet based/iBT) or higher, or a valid IELTS score of 6.0 or higher.

The awarding of this certificate is not contingent upon completion of a degree program. Undergraduate certificate programs require a 2.00 grade-point average.

Students admitted with an undergraduate status are required to take ENGL 111 English Composition I and ENGL 112 English Composition II prior to applying for the certificate.
All students who wish to pursue the TESL certificate should meet with the program coordinator to discuss the program and availability of courses.

This certificate requires the completion of a minimum of 15 credit hours of course work, including five core courses and one elective course.

Core Courses (minimum credits: 12)

ENGL 371 Introduction to Linguistics 3 OR ENGL 466 Linguistics and Language Arts 3
ENGL 473 Theoretical Foundations & Principles of ESL* 3
ENGL 478 Grammatical Structures of English 3
ENGL 477 Sociolinguistics OR
ENGL 470 History of English Language 3

Electives (minimum credits: 3) **

ENGL 470 History of English Language 3
ENGL 477 Sociolinguistics
ENGL 487 Field Experience: Teaching Second Language Learners
SPAN 403 Advanced Grammar
EDCI 456 Scaffolding Language and Content to Second Language Learners
EDCI 485 Teaching Language Literacy to Second Language Learners
EDCI 487 Techniques of Teaching English as a Second Language
COMM 325 Intercultural Communication
SLPA 230 Language Science & Acquisition
SPLA 430 Aspects of Normal Language Development

*Students should have successfully completed ENGL 371 or ENGL 466 prior to taking ENGL 473.

**Choice to be decided in consultation with the program coordinator.