Colleges and universities in the United States offer 4-year bachelor's degrees in ESL. These are usually sought by undergraduates planning to teach in the public school systems or private primary and secondary schools in their state. Bachelor's degree programs in ESL provide certification to teach in the public school system of the state in which the college or university is located, and they require student teaching experience so that the teacher-to-be spends ample time in the classroom. A Bachelor's degree in ESL is also useful for those wishing to teach abroad. In many parts of the world where English is not widely-spoken, this degree is the only credential needed to start searching for a job teaching English. It should also be noted that while teaching ESL does not require knowledge of students' native languages, ESL bachelor's degrees nearly always require the study of a foreign language in addition to education classes.
Master's degree programs cater to either those who already have an undergraduate ESL degree or those with a teaching degree in some other discipline. For the former, a master's degee in ESL may be desirable if your school system provides you with a raise when you earn the degree. Furthermore, a master's degree provides teachers with even more experience in the ESL field, possibly preparing them for future work in academia or teacher education. As for those whose teaching degree was originally in some other area of study, a master's program in ESL will build upon their knowledge of teaching and provide additional insights into the teaching of ESL, in particular. For a full-time student, it usually takes two years to earn a master's degree in ESL.
Unlike bachelor's and master's degrees in ESL, teachers seeking a Ph.D. in ESL bring years of teaching experience to a program that will prepare them for scholarly writing and research about English language teaching. Those pursuing this degree will gain additional experience teaching not only speakers of languages other than English, but also undergraduates seeking bachelor's degrees in ESL. Doctoral students are expected to publish scholarly articles, and they are usually on track to work as a college professor or take on a lead role in education administration. These degrees take anywhere from 3 to 6 years to complete.