I have a 4 year college degree already and am interested in getting certified to teach English abroad.

Does getting this kind of certification require a large amount of hours at a university? Or is it a certification you can take a prep course and study prep books then take the test to obtain certification?

Thanks in advance for you help!
Thank you so much j4ck_Burton...

Costa Rica is where I'm heading and if you ever had the time I'd love to pick your brain or at the least hear any tips you had. Thank you again! I can send you my email if you are willing to help.

You have a few different options. There are several universities or language schools that offer a month long course, which is the route I would recommend. They generally consist of several hours of class each day and conclude with you teaching a practice class. The price range usually runs around one to two thousand dollars.
A second option is an intensive weekend course, which is much cheaper but does not cover as much material. This can usually be found at the same language institutes that offer month long courses.

While there are advanced programs for TEFL and TESOL, normally all that is required to teach English abroad is completion of a certificate program, native proficiency, and often times (but not always) a Bachelor's or equivalent.

Depending where you want to end up teaching will affect which specific type of certification you'll want. If you want to teach in Asia, the demand for teachers is so high, that you may not even need a cert. To teach in Europe usually requires a CELTA or similiar cert. Central and South America are pretty flexible regarding the accredition types of certs they will accept.

Sometimes its possible to receive your cert from a teaching school in the country you want to teach. If you can find this, I would recommend it as they will have better info about job placement after completion.

eslcafe.com used to have a fairly decent forums for those interested and those already in the field teaching. Before I committed my money anywhere, I'd register there and browse and ask questions.

Good luck. One of the best experiences of my life!