The Certificate in TESL is a professional credential intended to provide a foundation for teaching English as a second or foreign language in non-public school settings. It is designed for undergraduate students and graduate students in UIUC degree programs and is also available online for those who are located anywhere in the world.

The candidate must be either a native speaker of English, or a non-native speaker of English who has taken the Illinois English Placement Test and completed all language courses required by the test. See Illinois English Placement Test (EPT) .

The certificate consists of six course, three of which are required, and three of which are elective, chosen from a pool of EIL options. Except for the introduction to linguistics, only EIL courses satisfy course requirements; no equivalencies with other courses will be considered. Students must maintain a B average or better (3.00 on a 4.00 scale) for all UIUC courses in order to receive the certificate.