While Oklahoma has a respectable number of TESOL and related graduate education programs, most of them demand on-campus coursework for some or all of their degrees. Within this restriction, however, students have many intriguing options, including licensure with a graduate degree, ESL or bilingual education certification, and advanced degrees in linguistics or English that allow for an ESL or EFL concentration.
ESL Teacher Certification
The Oklahoma State Department of Education (SDE) administers policy concerning certification for educators in its K-12 public school system. Its Full (Subject Matter) Competencies for Licensure and Certification guidelines indicate the competencies a professional educator must have to earn its English as a Second Language (ESL) PK-12 license. Students seeking Oklahoma SDE ESL certification must also pass a subject competency test administered by Certification Examinations for Oklahoma Educators (CEOE).
Alternative Certification Options
SDE maintains a page devoted to its Oklahoma Alternative Placement Program, a state-approved system that places qualified candidates with relevant professional experience or academic backgrounds in Oklahoma public schools. The person must hold a bachelor’s degree with a major in a corresponding subject area and have two years of experience in a field related to that area.
Other non-traditional routes to state licensure include:
See the Oklahoma State Board of Education’s (OSBE) guide to Options for Non-Traditional Teacher Licensure and Certification Programs for more information.
Master’s in ESL Programs
Oklahoma City University offers a Master of Arts – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. OKTESOL cites this program as one of the state’s notable offerings. Oklahoma State University offers a Master of Arts in TESL. This program made the Honor Roll of the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) in 2013. University of Central Oklahoma offers a Master of Education in Bilingual Education.
