The joint master's degree/certification program in English as a Second Language is designed for individuals who possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education, and who wish to pursue initial ESL certification and a master's degree in education at the same time. Certificates are recommended only in conjunction with the completion of the requirements for the Ed.M. degree.

The major goals of the program are to provide students with a thorough understanding of:

1. Language analysis involving the analysis of the phonology, morphology, and syntax of American English, as well as the comparison of similarities and differences between English and other languages;
2. The process of second language acquisition as it concerns the learning of ESL in a classroom context and as it varies by age levels;
3. Language assessment and test development procedures as they apply to ESL learning;
4. The social nature of language and its relevance to education;
5. American culture and the principal ways in which it resembles and differs from that of other societies; and
6. Techniques of teaching ESL in a classroom setting, specifically those intended to foster student interactions through language activities, based on culturally meaningful situations, which stimulate the acquisition of linguistic and sociocultural skills characteristics in American society.