Become a Licensed K-12 Language Teacher with This Multilingual Education Master's Degree
Are you interested in becoming a language teacher? The Multilingual Education Master of Arts – World Language Licensure Program is designed for those who hold a bachelor's degree and are fluent in a language other than English.
UNC now delivers the courses for this program in a fully online format in order to help fulfill a need for licensed language teachers. You will complete your field experience hours in a school in your area.
Acquire the teaching license and skills to teach students a second/world language. You can focus your studies on Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and other languages approved by the Colorado Department of Education.
This program features...
- Advanced knowledge and skills in language teaching from recognized leaders in the field.
- Cross-cultural competencies to help you develop emergent bilingual and bi-cultural students.
- Guided teaching experiences to help you refine your teaching techniques and establish your confidence in the classroom.
A World of Career Options
Begin a career that lets you introduce students to another language and culture!
World / Foreign Language Teaching in the U.S.
There is a high demand for world language teachers, also known as modern or foreign language teachers, in Colorado and the entire United States. By earning your license and master's degree from UNC – the premier teacher preparation institution in Colorado – you will be well prepared to fill these world languages teaching positions.
This master's degree leads to eligibility for Colorado teacher licensure with a World Languages Grades K-12 endorsement. Students from other states should check their state endorsement requirements to ensure that this program meets those stipulations or can be gained via reciprocity. Non-U.S. citizens who wish to teach in the U.S. should review the International Student Eligibility section below for options.
Teaching in International Settings
If you live outside of the U.S. and would like to teach a language other than English, the skills and experience you acquire in this program will also prepare you for language teaching in a variety of private and public educational settings around the world. Some of these positions can be attained through this degree program regardless of U.S. teaching license status. Other positions, such as teaching in International Baccalaureate schools, require U.S. teaching licensure. Please review the International Student Eligibility section below for details.
A Flexible Teacher Licensure Program
Most students will be able to work full-time for a majority of the program. However, later in the program you will need the ability to spend daytime hours in K-12 classrooms for your practicum and student teaching.
The time it takes you to complete the program will depend on when you start taking coursework. Typically...
- Students who start the program Spring or Summer term will earn their teaching license in approximately 16 months, and finish the master's degree 4-8 months later.
- Students who start in the Fall term will earn their teaching license in 21 months, and take one more course for the master's within the next two terms.
These estimates are based on taking two courses most terms. If you take less than the recommended courses each term, you will have as long as five years to complete the program.
Required Coursework (33 Credit Hours)
To see the upcoming courses, visit this program's Current Students page.
- ECLD 523 Academic Language/Literacy Development for Diverse Learners in School Settings (3)
- ECLD 541 Methods of Language Teaching in Multilingual Settings (3) – this course will feature live and/or recorded video streaming sessions.
- ECLD 592 Second Language Acquisition Theory (3)
- ECLD 594 Foundations of Language and Linguistics for ESL/Bilingual Educators (3)
- ECLD 605 Seminar in Multilingual Teaching and Learning I (3)
- EDF 500 Conceptions of Schooling (3)
- EDFE 501 Practicum (3)
- EDFE 555 Supervised Student Teaching (6)
- EDSE 679 Interventions for Students with Cultural and Linguistic Differences (3)
- SRM 600 Introduction to Graduate Research (3)
Comprehensive Exam
Candidates must successfully pass a comprehensive exam at the end of the master's degree program.
For full details, see the official program listing in the UNC Graduate Catalog.
Get Started/Apply
Additional Resources
- Visit the School of Teacher Education page for the Multilingual Education program. Please note, the on-campus programs are currently not accepting applications.
- Learn more about the Multilingual Education faculty.
Bilingual Educator Program for Licensed Teachers
- If you are already a licensed teacher who is proficient in a language mentioned in the Eligibility section of this page, you can earn bilingual education endorsement eligibility via the Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Bilingual Education Specialist (Endorsement).
Other Related Programs
Teaching English
- Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education (Master's, Endorsement or Certificate)
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages / Multilingual Education (TESOL; Master's)
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL; Graduate Certificate)