Become a Licensed K-12 Language Teacher with This  Multilingual Education Master's Degree

Admission Requirements

• Possess (or be in the process of finishing) a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, or a comparable degree from a foreign institution.

• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better (on a 4.00 point scale) for the most recent degree earned or current degree in progress.

  If you are still completing your bachelor's degree at the time you apply, admission will be based on your current cumulative GPA, and you will need to re-submit your official transcript (showing your conferred degree and final GPA) during your first semester. If your final GPA fell below 3.00, you will be given additional requirements as defined by the academic program that must be met within one calendar year to remain enrolled at UNC.

  If you have completed a master's degree, or at least 18 credit hours towards a master's degree, the GPA of your master's work will be used.

• International applicants: please review the additional requirements below.

• Prior to student teaching, you will need to provide proof of your competency in a language recognized by the Colorado Department of Education (see the languages listed for the World Languages endorsement)  via one of the following methods:

  • Hold a degree in your target world language; or
  • Passing score of state recognized test: Praxis, NES, or Place depending on the specific target language; or
  • 24 semester hours of college level coursework that meet the minimum requirement in each of the areas as required by the State.

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Eligibility by State

At this time, UNC can serve online education to students from every state, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. However, we are not currently accepting students to our online programs who reside in the CNMIs. Due to how fluid these agreements can be at the state or federal level, we recommend checking our Eligibility by State page for details.

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International Student Eligibility

The following information does not apply to U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

Master's Degree Eligibility

International students residing outside of the United States are eligible to apply to our online programs. Applicants for online programs must demonstrate English proficiency, or enroll in the UNC Intensive English Program, in order to be considered.

Students in completely online UNC programs are not required to come to the United States. You will not need a student visa or receive any immigration documentation, and do not need to provide financial documentation.

Please visit the International Students Admission Requirements page for details about English proficiency requirements and applying as an international student.

Student Teaching and Licensure Considerations for International Students

Students Wishing to Teach in the United States

UNC can not provide student Visa support for the practicum and student teaching portions of this program, and the Colorado teaching licensure related to this program requires that teaching experiences be completed in the U.S. However, if you are a non-U.S. citizen who will be in the U.S. via other Visa eligibility (such as teaching a World Language via a U.S. work permit) during the teaching experience portion of the program, then this program will allow you to work toward U.S. licensure and you can complete your teaching experiences in your host school.

Students Wishing to Teach Outside of the United States

Students who are not eligible to come to the U.S. on a student visa for practicum and student teaching experiences can complete these experiences in a variety of international settings to meet the master’s program requirements. Please work with the Program Coordinator before applying to determine if there are reasonable options for you for these experiences. Please note that these international teaching experiences will not lead to eligibility for Colorado teaching licensure.

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Transferring Credit

Applicable graduate credit with a grade of A or B from a regionally accredited university may be able to be applied towards this academic program. Master's degree students must complete a minimum of 24 credits at the University of Northern Colorado. All work counted in a master's degree program must be completed within five years. The time limit is calculated from the beginning of the first class transferred in and counted in the degree program. See the full Graduate Transfer Credit Policy.

Students must submit an original transcript to their advisor for review. Student and advisor then complete a Transfer of Credit form to submit along with the original transcript to the Grad School for review and final approval.

Tuition

This is an Extended Campus program, which means:

• A flat per-credit tuition rate for all students (in-state or out-of-state)
• There are no student fees – they are incorporated into our flat tuition rate
• Certain courses may carry specific course fees for additional services and materials

Program tuition for the 2022-23 academic year (which runs Fall, Spring, and Summer terms) is $583 per credit hour. Tuition for the 2023-24 academic year will be determined mid-June 2023.

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Financial Aid

Students who cannot pay for tuition alone are encouraged to apply for federal financial aid. Students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA priority filing date for each academic year (a Fall-Spring-Summer cycle which begins each August) is June 1, although the form is now available by October 1 of the previous year and requests tax information from the year prior.  For example, the FAFSA form for aid for the 2023-24 school year is released on Oct. 1, 2022, and is based off of 2021 tax return information.

Late submissions of the FAFSA are still accepted throughout the school year but you may not be considered for the maximum amount of aid. If the priority deadline has passed for the upcoming/current school year, we encourage you to apply for FAFSA consideration as soon as you enroll for your first courses. Depending on the time of year, you may be able to submit an application for the current academic year and an early/priority application for the following academic year.

Master's degree students must be enrolled in a minimum of 5 credits per academic term for financial aid eligibility. Full time enrollment is based on 9 credits per term.

To apply for federal financial aid assistance

Fill out the FAFSA form at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

For more specific help, contact the Office of Financial Aid: ofa@unco.edu, 970-351-4862 or via the UNC Financial Aid website.

Students can also find helpful information such as the Guide to Federal Student Aid at https://studentaid.gov/resources. Most of the resources are available in English, Spanish, and Braille.

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Student Health Insurance

The University of Northern Colorado offers a Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) to all degree-seeking students who enroll in courses on our main UNC Campus, an Extended Campus Center, or Online.

Degree-seeking graduate students enrolled in 6 or more credit hours will automatically receive this benefit each term. SHIP premiums will appear on your semester bill. If you have comparable insurance coverage, and do not want to be charged for SHIP coverage, you must opt out of this plan each Fall via an online waiver process.

Please visit the UNC Student Health Insurance pages for more information about the insurance plan.