Missouri State University

Department of English

TESOL Minor

TESOL as a minor can be a valuable asset

Preparation for working with international students

You can learn to be a professional educator of the highest quality, working with students whose first language is not English. Missouri State’s TESOL program is globally recognized.

Career options

You’ll get preparation for Missouri TESOL teacher certification. The certification covers grades K-12.

Program requirements

All students in the English education program must complete all general education requirements as well as the general education requirements for teacher certification. 

Courses for the Minor:

Required:

ENG 296       Introduction to Linguistics (3 hrs) F, S
OR
ENG 591       Linguistic Theory (3 hrs) F

ENG 592       Sociolinguistics for Language Teaching (3 hrs) F
ENG 595       Principles of Second Language Acquisition (3 hrs) F
ENG 596       Materials & Assessment in TESOL (3 hrs) S
ENG 505       Methods in TESOL (3 hrs) S
ENG 597       Practicum in TESOL (3 hrs) F, S

1 elective from:
ENG 390       Modern English Grammar (3 hrs) F, S
OR
ENG 590       Grammatical Analysis (3 hrs) S

For a total of not fewer than 21 hours.
Note: Courses may not “double count” on both a major and minor program.
Certifiable.

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For certification (as an add-on endorsement), the State of Missouri Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requires:

  1. The required and elective courses as specified above, except that the elective may be taken from a wider array of areas including English language, reading pedagogy, composition pedagogy, early childhood education, bilingual education, or advanced second language teaching methods, according to the needs of a student’s teaching situation.
  2. A valid Missouri teacher’s certificate.
  3. Professional Requirements. (These courses may be taken as part of the baccalaureate degree.)
          A. SPE 340 Educational Alternatives for Exceptional Students (2 hrs) F, S
              OR
              SPE 310 Introduction to Special Education (3 hrs) F, S

          B. RDG 474 Improving Reading in Secondary School Classrooms (3 hrs) F, S
  4. All students must have a 2.50 GPA or higher (MSU and transfer grades combined) in the certification subject area, which includes all courses required for the minor. A minimum grade of C or higher in each course listed above is required for certification.

Call (417-836-5867) or email Dr. Tina Biava for more details about the TESOL Minor, or see the MSU Undergraduate Catalog, available online.

View the TESOL Advising Sheet as a PDF.