Certificate in Second Language Education

Program profile

The Modern Languages program of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures / Département de langues, littératures et cultures offers a Certificate in Second Language Education, which prepares students in the theoretical and practical aspects that define the field of second language education and allows them to teach any language in which they are proficient. This certificate may be taken as part of one of the Honours degree programs available in Modern Languages or as a stand-alone program combined with any other major offered by the university. For additional information on the Certificate as part of our Honours degree programs see  Modern Languages and Second Language Education.

The Certificate in Second Language Education is an innovative and unique experience as students in this program can approach second language education both as students and teachers. Students are first trained in the foundations of linguistics and later on introduced to the major theories and methodologies of second language acquisition and education that have inspired this field in the last few decades. Moreover, the Certificate in Second Language Education offers students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience while observing and teaching classes of English as a second language. At the same time, students will take two language courses at the beginner’s level in one of the languages offered by the Department. By the end of the program, students will be awarded a Certificate in Second Language Education, which they can use towards a career as second language educators.

Faculty

The faculty members in Second Language Education program have earned their degrees from leading universities in Europe and North America. Our individual expertise and skills in the field of second language acquisition and education serve us to assist students in the learning of the theoretical and practical notions of second language education.

Career paths

The Second Language Education Certificate is the ideal preparation to teach a second language at various levels, be it as a second language to those whose first language is English or English as a second language to students in Canada or abroad. In addition, it may facilitate entrance to the Faculty of Education or in graduate programs such as a Master’s degree or PhD in applied linguistics.

Some facts about teaching English as a second language

  • English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers are in high demand in Asia, South America and Europe
  • ESL training provides extensive travel opportunities in foreign countries and exposure to new cultures 
  • Excellent profressional opportunities in ESL teaching overseas
  • As many as 600 million people currently speak English as their second language and approximately 1 billion more are studying English leading to more than 20,000 ESL teaching positions advertised every month

Admission Requirements

Ontario Secondary School graduates require six Grade 12 U or U/C courses, including Grade 12 U English.  Students already registered for a Major in another discipline may add the SLE Certificate program to their degree provided they can fulfil the course requirements in conjunction with their Major requirements. 

List of required courses

  • 07-120. Introduction to Language and Linguistics
  • 07-220. Language, Linguistics and Society
  • 07-320. Theories of Second Language Acquisition
  • 07-321. Methodologies for Second Language Education
  • 07-420. Second Language Education Practicum
  • One additional course from any area of Modern Languages, excluding language training courses
  • Two language training courses in a language in which the student does not have prior university level training (either Arabic, French, German, Italian, or Spanish)

Please see the online undergraduate calendar for detailed program requirements, additional courses available and course descriptions. Because of prerequisites and course sequencing, students may require from 2-4 years to complete the Certificate program. Students in our programs are each assigned an Academic Advisor to direct them in selecting the appropriate courses for each year of the program.


Contact information

Second Language Education Certificate
Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures 

University of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4 
Telephone: 519-253-3000 ext. 2888/2873
Fax: 519-971-3648 
E-mail: llc@uwindsor.ca