Certificate Policies and Resources

Courses Available In

Nancy Ryoo

Ramu Nagappan
Director
Humanities and Education

Teaching Chinese as a Heritage/Foreign Language

EDP 202333

With interest in learning to read and speak Mandarin Chinese increasing, the demand for qualified Chinese-language teachers—with dedication to pedagogical craft—is growing rapidly. The UC Berkeley Extension Certificate Program in Teaching Chinese as a Heritage/Foreign Language prepares fluent Mandarin Chinese speakers with minimal teaching experience to teach Chinese as a foreign language and gives experienced teachers formalized training in Chinese-language pedagogy. Developed in cooperation with the National Center for K–16 Chinese Language Pedagogy at the Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley, the certificate meets the highest standards: You learn contemporary language-acquisition theory combined with practical approaches for classroom success, based on standards of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Heightened pedagogical skills and expertise enable you to work in a variety of settings, including charter schools, dedicated language schools, after-school and weekend language programs, community colleges and universities. If you wish to work in a K–12 public school, you must acquire a separate California teaching credential. Join our email list to stay informed about this certificate.

Courses

The table contains the required courses for the Certificate Program in Teaching Chinese as a Heritage/Foreign Language, as well as the terms they are typically available for enrollment.

5 Required Courses, 14 Semester Units (210 Hours of Instruction)

Required Courses	Course Number	Units/ CEU	Classroom
Cross-Cultural Communication	X339.4	2	Fall Spring Summer
Linguistics for Chinese-Language Teachers	X393.3	3	Fall Summer*
Methods and Materials of Teaching Chinese I	X392.8	3	Spring Summer*
Methods and Materials of Teaching Chinese II	X396.8	3	Spring Summer*
Second-Language Acquisition	X334	3	Fall Spring Summer

Course availability is subject to change.

To enroll, click on a course title above and choose a section.

You may enroll in individual courses without registering for the Certificate Program in Teaching Chinese as a Heritage/Foreign Language.

* Summer sections for Linguistics for Chinese-Language Teachers X393.3, Methods and Materials of Teaching Chinese I X392.8 and Methods and Materials of Teaching Chinese II X396.8 are offered in an intensive format and only for students selected for a scholarship offered through the UC Berkeley STARTALK program. To complete these courses in the summer term, you must be selected for the scholarship and must take all three courses in the summer of your scholarship acceptance, per the scholarship requirements.

Learn more about the UC Berkeley STARTALK summer intensive scholarship.

Who Will Benefit

If you have native-level fluency in Mandarin Chinese and want to either become a language teacher or enhance your teaching effectiveness, this certificate is ideal. This certificate is also beneficial for K–12 teachers who already possess a California teaching credential and need formal training in Chinese-language pedagogy.

Prerequisites for Admission

One of the following prerequisites is required for the Certificate Program in Teaching Chinese as a Heritage/Foreign Language:

A baccalaureate or higher degree verified by an official transcript;
Significant experience in teaching, which can be verified by submission of a résumé, personal statement explaining the depth and breadth of experience, and two letters of recommendation from employers. These materials will be reviewed by the program director to determine if your experience qualifies for admission.

You must meet the following language requirements:

Native-level fluency in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese;
Proficiency in spoken and written English.

If you did not graduate from a university in which English is the primary medium of instruction, you may demonstrate proficiency in one of the following ways:

Submit a statement of purpose and schedule a face-to-face interview with program staff;
Successfully complete two required courses—Second-Language Acquisition X334 and Cross-Cultural Communication X339.4—before registering for the certificate and completing the remaining course requirements.

Curriculum Requirements

The curriculum comprises 5 required courses for a total of 14 semester units (210 hours of instruction). Candidates must pay a nonrefundable certificate registration fee.

All coursework must be completed within five years of registering for the certificate. However, requirements may be updated based on new developments in the field of study; we recommend completing the curriculum in a timely fashion. For more information, please see the completion requirements and the substitutions, waivers, and transfer credit policies.

How to Register for This Professional Certificate

By registering, you declare your intention to complete the curriculum. To register for the Certificate Program in Teaching Chinese as a Heritage/Foreign Language, submit the online registration form with your credit card information or complete the mail-in registration form. The registration fee is nonrefundable.

You should register for the certificate before you complete your second course in the curriculum.

Estimated Cost

Each course is priced individually, and you pay the course fee at the time of enrollment. The certificate has an estimated total cost of $2,535 (not including course materials or registration fee). Course fees are subject to change.

Contact Information

To contact the department office, email askeducation@unex.berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-1171.

Advisory Board

Martin Backstrom
Professor and Associate Director
Institute of East Asian Studies
UC Berkeley

Chengzhi Chu
Chinese Language Program Coordinator
UC Davis

Doris Chun
Professor, Foreign Language Dept.
City College of San Francisco

Tom Gold
Executive Director
Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies
UC Berkeley

Karen I-Hao Li
Lecturer, Dept. of East Asian Languages and Cultures
UC Berkeley

Andrew Jones
Professor and Chair
Center for Chinese Studies
UC Berkeley

Claire Kramsch
Professor
Graduate School of Education and Department of German
UC Berkeley

Stella Kwoh
Director
National Center for K–16 Chinese Language Pedagogy
UC Berkeley

Eleanor Levine
Program Director
Center for Chinese Studies
UC Berkeley

Professional Certificates