The degree in Teaching English has the objective to integrally form professionals with sound competencies to teach English and for the comprehension and respect from a humanist focus and a critic awareness of their social environment, as well as to acquire an advanced competence in the domain and systemic language of the English language. The graduate in Teaching English has the competencies to perform with a high-critic sense, respect and ethical attitude in the fields of teaching, research or any work ambiance that requires a specialist in teaching English.

The enrollment profile defines the desirable characteristics in an applicant to enter the educative program. For its construction, the generic competencies that currently are in the graduate profile of the high school in Mexico were considered:

1. Humanistic inclination.
2. Maturity and receptivity for constructive criticism.
3. Sound knowledge of English and skill to communicate orally and written, proven on an exam.
4. Capability for analysis.
5. Commitment to professional training and teaching vocation.

Based on this common base, the specific enrollment profile of the degree in English Teaching emphasizes some of these competencies for its importance and relevance for the good performance of the applicant when entering the educative program. In general terms, the enrollment profile of the educational program can be synthetized in the following lines:

• The applicant for the degree in Teaching English must prove sensitivity, taste and interest for the knowledge and study of the English didactic. Have knowledge about the linguistic and specifically English linguistic, have the facility to express orally and written in English, have the habit of reading, a critic-reflective position, and a respectful attitude.
• These elements are described as desirable specific competencies in the applicant for this educative program, and in terms of cognitive, procedural and attitude knowledge.

Enrollment profile competencies

• Have sensitivity, taste and interest for the knowledge and study of teaching English and linguistic
• Ability to express written and reading comprehension of English

Cognitive knowledege

• Basic formative knowledge of the area: general notions of the linguistic and teaching
• A high-level of English knowledge
• A high-level of English speaking and construction of texts
• Reading and writing tools

Procedural Skill Knowledge

• Capability to appreciate and interpret basic texts in English
• Skills for learning
• Clear, efficient and coherent writing in English
• Capability to abstract, reflect and synthetize texts

Attitudes and attitudinal knowledge values

• Habit and taste for teaching
• Willingness for research in the area
• Desire for knowledge
• Study discipline
• Critic-reflective attitude
• Respect to oneself and others

Complying with the Educative Model of the University of Guanajuato, which establishes that the student is the main agent of the educational process, participated in the construction of his learning and his integral development in an active and responsible form inside and outside the classroom. In the present curricular modification they opted to use a graduate profile formed by four dimensions: generic competencies of the educative program, common and selective specific competencies, professional specific competencies and attitudinal competencies. Here is each group defined.

Generic competencies of the educative program

To define the generic competencies to highlight in this study plan, a critic analysis was made on the generic competencies written on UG’s Educative Model and from those proposals, for the Tuning Project for Latin America. The result detailed next, implies the definition and value of those generic competencies tightly linked with the graduate profile of the educative program, which have a particular interest.

The generic competencies of the graduate in Teaching English are:

1. Is capable to communicate orally and written in English and Spanish
2. Proves capability of self-learning and critic reflection
3. Shows creative capability
4. Proves domain of an additional language to English and Spanish
5. Applies information technologies to the teaching practice
6. Capable of critical thinking
7. Applies social and linguistic research tools
8. Promotes the generation of a sustainable ambience

Common specific and selective competencies

The specific competencies are those that define the particularity of an educative program. The degree in Teaching English distinguishes between common specific competencies from all the graduates and selective specific competencies that answer to the professional lines to choose within the syllabus.

The common specific competencies of the graduate in Teaching English are:

1. Dominates the linguistic system of the English language and the capability to apply it in practical terms in teaching
2. Understands the teaching methods from its beginning to the most current trends
3. Relates the theoretical principles of teaching
4. Researches, analyzes, interprets and reflects on the factors that affect the teaching/learning of languages
5. Understands and produces texts that reflect the critic thought
6. Proves the ability to express orally and written in a foreign language

These competencies are for the development of the followingcognitive knowledge (knowledge):

1. Knows the set of symbols that constitute the English language
2. Knows trends, authors, texts and methodologies that represent the applied linguistics as well as its relationship with the educative context
3. Possesses knowledge and methods to teach English
4. Knows the methodological bases for research, analysis, interpretation and critic evaluation
5. Relates fundaments of critic reading and the writing process as well as the teaching process
6. Has knowledge about the processes related with the expression of the oral and written speech

Likewise, we integrate theprocedural knowledge(skills)that form the common specific competencies of the educative program:

1. Shows capability to relate and plant problems related with the linguistic system of the English language and its teaching
2. Shows capability to problematize, establish relationships and arguments within the literature of the methodology of teaching
3. Evaluates and relates the theory of teaching with the professional practice
4. Develops habits of critic review in the research processes
5. Creates critic works and comments and discussion about the theory of teaching languages
6. Locates the main elements of written and oral speech

Professional specific competencies

According their own election, the student could develop, two or more of the following selective professional specific competencies. These competencies are tightly related with the common specific competencies and take from them several elements for their development; however, they are characterized by the level of deepening for their treatment and link with the social needs, the job market or the later choice of a postgraduate.

According to their choice, these are some of the graduate’s specific professional competencies:

1. Design and coordinates learning programs to answer the educative demand of the state and the private sector. Also, design general and specific programs of English.
2. Evaluates study plans and programs in English and propose alternatives to improve or update them.
3. Proposes and makes research projects within the framework of the language teaching that favor the generation and replanting of the methods and the teaching/learning processes.

These selective specific competencies are constructed parting from the following cognitive knowledge:

1. Understands theories and techniques of planning, design and evaluation of English programs
2. Locates the main elements of the curricular design for its evaluation
3. Proves knowledge of the methods, tools and procedure for research

As for the corresponding procedural knowledge, they can be summed in the following list:

1. Creates and coordinates learning groups
2. Elaborates criteria for planning and evaluation of plans and programs to teach English
3. Locates the appropriate areas for research as well as the planning, elaboration and development of research projects and its products

Attitudinal competencies

Finally, the attitudinal competencies are synthetized in the nine TGC (transversal generic competencies) proposed in the Educative Model of the University of Guanajuato; however, their link with four research lines can be highlighted, corresponding to the general area of the curricular organization:

• Promotes personal development
• Shows creativity and entrepreneur spirit
• Possesses cultural and intercultural formation
• Shows social responsibility

For more information, please visit www.ugto.mx/admision