Certificate in Adult ESL: Teaching ESL to Adults

(Available at our Northern Virginia Center)

As Virginia’s adult English as a Second Language (ESL) population continues to grow, there is an increasing need to prepare educators to work with this diverse population. Our Certificate in Teaching ESL to Adults is designed for individuals interested in teaching ESL to adults in the following settings

• Adult education programs


• Community colleges


• English language programs in non English-speaking countries

The program is designed to provide students with the pedagogical tools to effectively teach English to adult learners. Upon completion of the 18-credit (6 course) graduate certificate, students will be able to: 

• Design and implement effective ESL curriculum for adult learners


• Apply current research and theory in the classroom


• Teach adult ESL in a variety of academic settings


• Design activities and lessons for diverse and multi-level adult ESL classrooms


• Incorporate student needs, interests, and background knowledge into curriculum development

Courses are offered on an on-going basis. Please note: Teachers who are seeking to add this certificate to their current Virginia teaching license will also need to complete PSED 605D, PSED 614K, PSED 614L and either PSED 614M or PSED 614N, as well as a minimum of 3 credits of a modern foreign language (per 8 VAC 20-22-210).  The U.Va. Northern Virginia Center does not offer foreign language courses. 

To see if a course is being offered this semester, click on the link(s) below.

Required Courses (4)

PSED 605D

Multicultural Education

PSED 614K

Methods of Teaching ESL to Adults

PSED 614L		English Linguistics for Adult Education
Other required course includes PSED 614N Adult ESL Curriculum Development Elective Courses (2)
PSED 614D		Second Language Acquisition
PSED 614E		Sociolinguistics
Other elective course includes PSED 614M Teaching Reading to Adults Program Contact Northern Virginia Center Charlotte Partain Email:  cpartain@virginia.edu Telephone: 703-536-1123 / 1-800-678-4882 FAQs and Application