The English as a Second Language (ESL) Program is available as a major or a minor. An ESL major is for students who plan to teach English to non-native speakers from birth to age 21, in PK through 12th grade. Students must select the Early Childhood through Adolescence ESL major for grades PK through 12th grade. The ESL minor will result in an additional certification at the same level as your initial license.
Students at this level of certification may also add the following licenses while pursuing or after obtaining their ESL licensure as their initial certification:
• World Languages
Requirements
General Education Requirements (GERs)
UW-Milwaukee has General Education Requirements that must be met in order to earn a bachelor’s degree. Some of the requirements of your program may fulfill the campus GERs. Please review the requirements and consult with your academic advisor.
Program Admission Requirements
Program Core
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COMMUN 103 | Public Speaking (GER-HU, fulfilled prior to program admission) | 3 |
| CURRINS 300 | Introduction to Teaching: Colloquium and Fieldwork (fulfilled prior to program admission) | 3 |
| Minority Group Relations (Act 31) | 3 | |
| A component of the Human Relations Requirement for Teacher Certification is met by completing one of the following courses. | ||
| American Indian Peoples of Wisconsin (GER-CD, GER-SS) | ||
| Introduction to American Indian Literature: (GER-CD, GER-HU) | ||
| Western Great Lakes American Indian Community Life of the Past (GER-CD, GER-SS) | ||
| North American Indian History Since 1887 (GER-CD, GER-SS) | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Content Area
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGLISH 400 | Introduction to English Linguistics | 3 |
| or LINGUIS 350 | Introduction to Linguistics | |
| LINGUIS 510 | Methodologies in English Language Teaching | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Grammar and Usage | ||
| Survey of Modern English Grammar | ||
| Seminar in Rhetoric and Professional Writing: | ||
| Advanced English Grammar | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Second Language Acquisition | ||
| Advanced Second Language Acquisition: | ||
| Language Acquisition for Children of Diverse Backgrounds | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| The Diversity of Human Language | ||
| Power of Words | ||
| Language and Society | ||
| Language, Power, and Identity | ||
| CURRINS 541 | Principles and Methods of Teaching ESL (taken with CURRINS 443) | 3 |
| CURRINS 542 | History and Politics of Second Language Education | 3 |
| CURRINS 543 | Developing Biliteracy | 3 |
| CURRINS 546 | Language, Content, and Comprehensible Input | 3 |
| CURRINS 655 | Applied Educational Linguistics | 3 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
Professional Education Requirements1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ED POL 375 | Cultural Foundations of Education | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Learning and Development 2 | ||
| Cognition: Learning, Problem Solving and Thinking | ||
| Human Development: Theory and Research | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| The Exceptional Individual | ||
| Inclusion for Secondary Educators: Humanities, the Arts, Foreign Language 2 | ||
| Survey of Exceptional Education | ||
| CURRINS 545 | Reading in the Content Areas: Middle, Junior, and Senior High School | 3 |
| CURRINS 350 | Field Seminar in Language Education (must be taken concurrently with CURRINS 443) | 1 |
| CURRINS 443 | Pre-Student Teaching in English as a Second Language Education | 2 |
| CURRINS 444 | Student Teaching in English as a Second Language Education 3 | 6 |
| CURRINS 445 | Seminar in Language Education (must be taken concurrently with CURRINS 444) | 3 |
| Total Credits | 24 | |
- 1
A grade of C or better is required for all professional education requirements, including student teaching. Prerequisites may be required.
- 2
Preferred course.
- 3
Students must complete paperwork in order to be assigned a student teaching placement. To be approved for placement, additional criteria must be met. See Benchmarks for details.
Additional Requirements for Graduation
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75, including any transfer coursework that is counted towards certification at UWM, as well as grades earned in student teaching or field experiences;
- Satisfactory completion of a minimum 120 credits;
- Completion of the last year of coursework (30 credits) in residence at UW-Milwaukee;
- Program Portfolio - based on Wisconsin Teacher Standards #9 and #10; and
- Completion of the Pedagogical Knowledge Assessment (PKA) (required for certification).
Advance to Major
Program Admission Requirements
Application to the English as a Second Language program requires satisfactory completion of the requirements listed below. For more information about the application process, visit our website.
- Completion of OWC-A
- Completion of QL-A
- Completion of CURRINS 300 , Introduction to Teaching, with a grade of C or better.
- Completion of COMMUN 103 with a grade of C or better.
- A 2.75 minimum GPA in all English as a Second Language content courses completed prior to program admission.
- A 2.5 minimum GPA in all UWM and transfer courses at time of admission application.
- A minimum of 48 credits (UWM and transfer credits) at the time of admission application. It is not required to have all content area courses completed at the time of application.
- The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction requires that all applicants to a professional education preparation program pass a Criminal Background Check (CBC) prior to admission.
Benchmarks
Student Teaching
Students must complete an application to request/be assigned a student teaching placement. Deadlines for submission are posted by the Office of Clinical Experiences.
To be approved, students must ALSO meet the following criteria:
- Be admitted to the School of Education.
- Complete all required coursework. An exception to allow a student to take a course concurrently with student teaching requires approval by the student's faculty advisor.
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 on all undergraduate coursework, including transfer courses.
- Have a content GPA of 3.0 or better, OR Pass the Praxis Subject Assessment exam: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages: Content Knowledge #5362.
- Removal of all F and/or I (incomplete) grades in courses that count toward graduation or certification.
- TB test results submitted to the Office of Clinical Experiences (may take up to 6 weeks).
- Criminal Background Check submitted to the Office of Clinical Experiences.
Undergraduate Advising
Our purpose is to provide collaborative, mentoring relationships which promote educational, career, and professional development. We value a student-centered, holistic, and ethical approach to advising based on strong partnerships with students, faculty and staff, and the larger campus community. We are committed to creating a respectful and supportive environment. We encourage students to be self-reliant through informed decisions and choices based upon dissemination of accurate information. We value our own continuous professional development to enhance the quality of the advising experience.
How to Prepare for an Advising Meeting
- Review your Advisement Report in PAWS.
- Come prepared with questions or topics for discussion.
- Make a list of courses you think you should take.
- Investigate opportunities to prepare for the job you want.
- Keep a record of your academic progress.
- Understand you are ultimately responsible for creating your educational, life, and career plans.
- Maintain honest and open communication with your advisor.
- Take responsibility for choices you make as a student and member of the UW-Milwaukee community.
Scheduling an Appointment
Office of Student Services
Enderis Hall, Room 209
(414) 229-4721
soeinfo@uwm.edu
Graduate Advising
If you are a School of Education graduate student, you may schedule an appointment with your faculty advisor by contacting your faculty advisor directly. Faculty contact information can be found in the People Directory. Your faculty advisor will be listed in your PAWS account.
Honors in the Department of Teaching and Learning
Departmental Honors are granted to students who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester.
College of Community Engagement and Professions Dean's Honor List
GPA of 3.750 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.
Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction
Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.
Commencement Honors
Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).
Final Honors
Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.