The Educating Bilingual Learners Online Graduate Certificate consists of four courses. The four courses are on the required course lists for both the Bilingual and TESOL cross-endorsements for the state of Connecticut, but additional courses are required for both cross-endorsements beyond these four courses. Specifically, two additional courses are required for the bilingual cross-endorsement and six additional courses are required for the TESOL cross-endorsement. These courses can be taken at UConn or other universities in Connecticut. If you don't need graduate credits, another option is to go through the ARC-TEL program offered by ACES. 

Also note that in both cases, these are teaching cross-endorsements, meaning that you must already have Connecticut teacher certification. If you do not have a teaching license and you have the goal of being a preK-12 bilingual or TESOL teacher, you will want to look into teacher preparation programs such as UConn's Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates, the Connecticut Teacher Residency Program, or other alternative routes to certification (ARC).

If you are interested in teaching English to adults, the requirements for the #088 adult TESOL endorsement are provided here. One of the online graduate certificate courses, EDCI 5742 – Sheltered English Instruction for ELLs, meets the methods course requirement. You can take this course as a non-degree student to meet the methods course requirement, but you would need to find another course outside of the online graduate certificate to meet the special education requirement. You need a bachelor's degree but don't need an initial teaching certification for the adult TESOL endorsement.

Finally, none of the four courses in this online graduate certificate fulfills a course requirement for the elementary world language cross-endorsement.

Please contact CSDE Certification Specialist Wendy Harwin (wendy.harwin@ct.gov) for specific questions related to any of these certifications.

Yes, the bilingual cross-endorsement requires evidence of advanced proficiency in English and the other language of instruction. Proficiency in English is demonstrated by successful completion of university coursework. If you have completed university coursework in the other language, that also suffices for that language. Otherwise, you need a passing score on the ACTFL OPI and WPT tests. If you have already passed this test for world language teacher certification, you do not need to take it again. For the TESOL cross-endorsement, you need a passing score on the TESOL Praxis test.

Please speak to the Bilingual/TESOL/World Language Director in your district for guidance about DSAP requirements.

Yes, credits can be applied to a graduate degree at the Neag School of Education at UConn: The Neag School stands out as a major contributor to instructional and research excellence at the University of Connecticut, one of the nation’s leading public higher education institutions. Students in the Neag School may pursue a wide variety of academic programs offered at the Bachelor's, Master's, 6th year, and/or Doctoral degree levels. In addition, the Neag School offers all of the courses required for the Connecticut TESOL and bilingual cross-endorsements, so you could continue with your education at UConn, taking the courses you need to secure either or both cross-endorsements. You could also apply to The Graduate School at UConn to pursue a Master’s degree or 6th year Certificate in Curriculum and Instruction, incorporating the four courses from the Educating Bilingual Learners certificate into your graduate plan of study, as long as those courses have been taken within the past six years. 

All four courses meet asynchronously, meaning they can be completed from anywhere at any time. 

All four courses are offered asynchronously on our online platform HuskyCT/Blackboard, enabling students to work at their own pace and on their own time, in a location of their choice. There are no required synchronous meeting times, but courses may offer optional synchronous discussions or online office hours, and many courses require or have optional opportunities for work in partners or small groups.

Within a semester, you should expect to dedicate 9-12 hours a week to each course. During the summer session, you should expect to dedicate 21-28 hours/week to each course. This expectation is based on the various course activities, assignments, and assessments and the University of Connecticut’s policy regarding credit hours. More information related to hours per week per credit can be accessed at the Online Student website.

Students taking courses in the Educating Bilingual Learners Graduate Certificate program pay a comprehensive course fee. Please visit the Bilingual Learners Online Graduate Certificate Course Fees Page.

There are three admission cycles per year: November for the spring term; March for the summer term, and June for fall term. Specific application deadlines are posted on the Bilingual Learners Online Graduate Certificate How to Apply Page.