Certificate in Modern Language Learning & Teaching

This undergraduate certificate prepares the student for teaching a foreign language, a career in language teaching, or graduate school in education. The 12-unit program complements degrees in the humanities, social sciences, and education, especially foreign languages.

Designed to serve SF State undergraduates, the Certificate in Language Learning and Teaching is an introduction to foreign/second language teaching with courses that provide foundational skills and knowledge in language acquisition and pedagogy needed for an entry level positions as a World Language teacher, tutor, or instructional aide in a variety of settings in the US and language teaching contexts around the world.

This certificate does not provide a California Teaching Credential, but it supplements other teaching preparation and could be applied to being an instructional aide in public schools or to teaching or tutoring adults in private schools and language institutes that do not require teaching credentials.

Program Contact

Program Director and Advisor:
Ilona Vandergriff, vdgriff@sfsu.edu

Admission to Program

Admission to the Certificate Program

If you currently are an upper division matriculated student at SF State, with a minimum GPA of 2.8, and you wish to apply for admission to the program, you must submit a certificate application (PDF), statement of purpose, and unofficial transcripts to the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures office in HUM 475 or email the documents to vdgriff@sfsu.edu.

The deadline to apply for fall semester is May 1; the deadline to apply for spring semester is November 1.

Once you complete the four (4) courses in the certificate (with a minimum 2.0 average), the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures will inform Graduate Studies (they issue all undergrad and grad certificates) and you will fill out the Certificate Approved Program (CAP) (PDF) form to receive the Certificate in Modern Language Learning and Teaching (MoLLT).