TESOL Undergraduate Track
Teaching English as an additional language is an endeavor that comes with great responsibility as well as opportunities for personal growth. In our TESOL courses, we take a critical approach to curriculum design to ensure that instruction builds on learners’ cultural identities, home languages, and previous educational experiences. As reflective practitioners, we grow in our understanding of ourselves and others against the backdrop of various teaching and learning contexts and in light of feedback from a supportive community of practice. Being a TESOL professional is bound to change your life through the people you meet, the places you go, and the person you become as a result of these experiences.
Career Potential within TESOL
Individuals with evidence of training in TESOL are eligible to teach English as an additional language in a number of settings nationally and internationally. Opportunities include working for private and non-profit language programs in the U.S., tutoring learners face-to-face or online, and working as paraeducators in local schools. Internationally, there are many wonderful opportunities to combine a love of teaching with an interest in travel and living abroad. TESOL majors and minors will be attractive candidates for various English language teaching positions around the world.
A career in TESOL is versatile, offers the chance to live abroad while earning money, and creates opportunities for meaningful, human connections across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Click on the company logos below to learn more.
TESOL Program director Rai Farrelly also created this Padlet with a host of resources related to earning a career in TESOL.
You can also visit these online job boards to see what other TESOL teaching opportunities are available:
*Note: The TESOL track and minor do not count toward a PreK-12 teaching license or Colorado's Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Education endorsment, which is required to teach English as an additional language in U.S.-based elemntary, middle and high schools. To learn more about Teacher Licensure in the School of Education at CU Boulder, click here. To learn more about the CLD endorsment, click here.
Fullbright Program
Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET)
InterExchange
English First
Teachola
Westgate Japan
English Program in Korea (EPIK)
Featured TESOL Stories
Rai’s Story
Teaching English as an additional language is not only a way to earn a living, it also a way to improve your living. I have taught English in the U.S. to university students from Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East, refugee-background adults from East Africa, and immigrant adults from all over Latin America. I have taught English in Tanzania, the Dominican Republic, the Czech Republic and Armenia. The people, places, and experiences have shaped my life in unpredictable and rewarding ways. Read more of my story, as well as the stories of other TESOL students to learn why TESOL might be an exciting path for you.
TESOL Courses
TESOL courses are designed to cultivate meaningful connections in the class with a focus on professional development for a future career in TESOL. TESOL students collaborate to design teaching materials, deliver activities, and reflect on actual teaching experiences with English language learners here in Colorado and around the world. TESOL students ofen move through the program as a cohort, which fosters genuine, lasting friendships and future professional connections. Join us! We look forward to welcoming you to the TESOL family.
How The Tracks Work
All Linguistics majors are required to take 4 courses (Introduction to Linguistics, Sound Structures, Semantics, and Morphology and Syntax). There's an additional requirement of five credit hours in a language other than English at the 3000 level or above. The four tracks are a formalization of the additional elective credit hour choices that will prepare students for employment or further education in a specific discipline of linguistics.
The track also serves as a certification in this discipline and the student's transcript will reflect this.
The TESOL Track Courses
TESOL Track Requirements
- 12 credits of TESOL-focused courses. Required for all TESOL track students:
- LING 4630: TESOL and Second Language Acquisition: Principles and Practices (3 credits, Maymester or Fall)
- LING 4610: English Structure for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (3 credits, Spring)
- LING 4620: Teaching Second Language (L2) Oral Skills and Communication (3 credits, Fall)
- LING 4910: TESOL Practicum (3 credits, Spring)
- 3 credits from the following elective options. Required for all TESOL track students. (Schedules vary; check course catalog.)
- COMM 3410 – Intercultural Communication
- EDUC 2411 - Educational Psychology for Elementary Schools
- EDUC 2425 - Foundations of Bilingual/Multilingual Education (*for Elementary Education Majors only)
- EDUC 2625 – Teaching English as a Second Language
- EDUC 4125 - Secondary World Language Methods
- EDUC 4425 – Introduction to Bilingual/Multicultural Education (*equivalent to EDUC 2425; open to Education minors and non-majors)
- EDUC 4455 - Methods of Biliteracy Instruction
- EDUC 4615 - Language Acquisition for Bilingual Learners (*for Elementary Education Majors; limited capacity)
- LING 3545 – World Language Policies
- LING/ANTH 4800 – Language and Culture
- LING/SLHS 4560 - Language Development
TESOL Minor Requirements
General Requirements:
- 18 credits of LING and related coursework total
- At least 12 credits of upper division LING coursework
- All coursework applied to the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better (no pass/fail work may be applied)
- The grade point average for all minor degree course work must equal 2.00 (“C”) or higher
- Students will be allowed to apply no more than 9 credit hours, including 6 upper division credit hours, of transfer work towards the minor
- Students cannot declare both the major in linguistics and the minor in TESOL
TESOL Minor Requirements
- 12 credits of TESOL-focused courses. Required for all TESOL minor students:
- LING 4630 (formerly 3630): TESOL and Second Language Acquisition: Principles and Practices (3 credits, Maymester or Fall)
- LING 4610: English Structure for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (3 credits, Spring)
- LING 4620: Teaching Second Language (L2) Oral Skills and Communication (3 credits, Fall)
- LING 4910: TESOL Practicum (3 credits, Spring)
- 6 credits from the following elective options. Required for all TESOL minor students. (Schedules vary; check course catalog.)
- COMM 3410 – Intercultural Communication
- EDUC 2411 - Educational Psychology for Elementary Schools
- EDUC 2425 - Foundations of Bilingual/Multilingual Education (*for Elementary Education Majors only)
- EDUC 2625 – Teaching English as a Second Language
- EDUC 4125 - Secondary World Language Methods
- EDUC 4425 – Introduction to Bilingual/Multicultural Education (*equivalent to EDUC 2425; open to Education minors and non-majors)
- EDUC 4455 - Methods of Biliteracy Instruction
- EDUC 4615 - Language Acquisition for Bilingual Learners (*for Elementary Education Majors; limited capacity)
- LING 3545 – World Language Policies
- LING/ANTH 4800 – Language and Culture
- LING/SLHS 4560 - Language Development
