The TESOL and Intercultural Studies programs provide a state-approved series of courses leading to the ESL and bilingual education endorsements in Illinois. These endorsements may be added to an elementary, middle, or secondary teaching license (offered through the Education Department). Undergraduate students who earn these endorsements can work as ESL or bilingual education teachers in Illinois and most other states.

Requirements for the ESL Endorsement include the following:

  1. A teaching license at the elementary, middle, or secondary level;

  2. 100 clock hours of contact with English Learners; and

  3. A minimum of 19 credit hours of course work in the categories of Theoretical Foundations of TESOL and Bilingual Education, Linguistics, ESL Classroom Methods, Cross-Cultural Issues for English Language Learners (ELLs), and Assessment of ELLs.

The ESL Endorsement requires a total of 19 credits including:​

LING 224Theoretical Foundations of Language Acquisition4
LING 227Cross-Cultural Teaching and Learning2
LING 325Principles of Assessment for TESOL2
LING 326English Language Methods for Content Area Teachers2
LING 328English Language Learning Methods for Specialists2
LING 329Curriculum and Materials Development for English Language Learning2
LING 331Introduction to Linguistics4
LING 328LELL Practicum1
Total Credits19