To earn a graduate certificate at Washington University, a student must be currently enrolled in an applicable Washington University PhD program; apply and be accepted to the graduate certificate program; complete all courses required by the academic unit offering the certificate; maintain satisfactory academic progress; fulfill all academic and residence requirements; and apply for program completion (graduation) via Workday Student. Graduate certificates are not standalone programs and are only available to current students in applicable Arts & Sciences doctoral programs. Thus, graduate certificates are conferred at the same time as the student’s PhD. 

Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: 15
  • Certificate Length: To be completed by end of student's PhD program
    • Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their coursework, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.
  • Grade Requirement: Students need to take courses for a letter grade and earn a B– or better, with a B average overall.

Required Courses

  • 15 units of credit — one course from each of the following groups — are required:
  1. Language Teaching Methodology (SPAN 5010 Seminar in Teaching of Romance Languages) or the equivalent in another department for students of that language
  2. Linguistics and Language Learning (APL 5111 Linguistics and Language Learning) or other approved equivalent
  3. Second Language Acquisition (LING 5062 Second-Language Acquisition) or other approved equivalent
  • Two of the following elective courses are required:
  1. Reading and Writing in a Second Language (APL 5692 Reading Across Languages and Cultures: Theory, Research and Practice)
  2. Grammar and Vocabulary Acquisition (SPAN 5670 Grammar and Vocabulary Acquisition)
  3. Phonology and Second Language Acquisition (SPAN 5170 Spanish Phonetics, Phonology, and Dialectology)
  4. Second Language Acquisition and Technology (APL 5023 Second-Language Acquisition and Technology)

Students need to take these courses for a letter grade and earn a B– or better, with a B average overall.

Origin and Purpose

The Graduate Certificate in Language Instruction is an interdisciplinary certificate related to the fields of applied linguistics, second language acquisition, psychology, neuroscience, and other disciplines that has important implications for the way we teach foreign languages. Study within these different fields provides a fascinating examination of the way that second languages (L2) are learned and how second language is generated by learners. An understanding of second language acquisition processes both enriches our knowledge of how the mind works and serves to better inform the ways that foreign language teachers design and implement curricular approaches for different levels and skills.

Program Details

Students must apply to be considered for the certificate program and will be evaluated by a faculty committee, twice a year, on approximately October 15 and March 15. (The committee is made up of co-directors and graduate directors of participating departments.) The certificate consists of five courses: three required courses and two electives. This application is submitted at the beginning of the student's doctoral coursework. Master's degree students are not eligible for consideration. 

The goal of the five-course sequence is to provide certificate students with a solid base in the theoretical and instructional implications of research on language acquisition across different linguistic subsystems (phonology, lexis, syntax, pragmatics) and different linguistic modalities (spoken and written). This formation will also prepare students to be involved in language program design and curricular development.

To provide our graduate students with additional qualifications and formal development that will make them strongly prepared for a range of demanding academic positions, the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures offers the Graduate Certificate in Language Instruction for students enrolled in PhD programs at Washington University.

For more information, visit the Graduate Certificate in Language Instruction page of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures website, contact Professor Joe Barcroft, or call 314-935-5175.

Visit the Romance Languages and Literatures page
for additional information about this program.

Contact Info

Phone:314-935-5175
Email:rll@wustl.edu