Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)

The minor in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) provides students with the pedagogical skills and cultural knowledge they need to teach in public and private educational settings. It requires nineteen (19) semester hours of core coursework, in addition to six (6) hours of a foreign language.

Topics covered include first and second language acquisition theory, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, bilingualism, teaching methods, and assessment. Students also gain teaching experience in a 30-hour practicum taken at the end of the program.

For more information on the Teaching English as a Second Language minor at WKU or to discuss whether the program is right for you, please contact:

Dr. Alex Poole
Professor
Teaching English as a Second Language Advisor
alex.poole@wku.edu 

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Dr. Trini Stickle presenting "Syntactic Patterns in the Speech of Persons Diagnosed with Dementia" at the University of Wisconson-Madison, 2017

Minor in Teaching English as a Second Language

The minor in teaching English as a second language (TESL) (reference number 478) will prepare students interested in linguistics and language teaching to pursue teaching opportunities in private corporations or overseas in both corporations and public schools. The TESL minor requires a minimum of 19 credit hours.

Students who complete the TESL minor and also qualify for teacher certification may also qualify for the TESL endorsement.

View the Teaching English as a Second Language Advising Worksheet to see a list of required courses and electives.

View the English course descriptions from the Undergraduate Catalog.

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Check out our Career Opportunities page to see careers you can pursue with an English degree!