Graduate Bilingual Education Certificate

The Graduate Bilingual Education Certificate Program is a four-course online program, preparing educators to teach in bilingual programs, providing an introduction to the principles and practices of bilingual education, an overview of multilingual language acquisition and strategies for effectively instructing and assessing multilingual learners in bilingual programs. Culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy and current practices and issues in bilingual education will be integrated across courses. Field experience observing and teaching in bilingual settings will also be integrated into program curricula.

This program is ideal for teachers who wish to get their bilingual endorsement to teach in bilingual programs, in K-12 and beyond. All language backgrounds are welcome in this program as long as students have met the minimum language requirements; LASP 281 (Spanish Conversation) & LASP 300 (Spanish Composition) or equivalent courses in another non-English partner language (or Consent of Instructor).

Program Coordinator: Dr. Emily Spitzman

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must meet the below criteria in order to be admitted into the Graduate Certificate Program by the College of Graduate Studies and the College of Education and Allied Studies.

• Completed Graduate Certificate application (apply online http://www.bridgew.edu/admissions/graduate/apply)
• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate work
• A 2.8 overall GPA based on four years’ work for the undergraduate degree
• Initial teaching license
• A short essay on the value of the graduate certificate program for the applicant
• One appropriate letter of recommendation from an academic or professional
• Students must demonstrate advanced language skills (composition and conversation) in the non-English partner language (example: LASP 281 Spanish Conversation & LASP 300 Spanish Composition); or equivalent courses in another language; or consent of the DGCE chair or LANG department chair).

* Admission decisions to the Graduate Certificate Program are made on a rolling basis.

Curriculum

To obtain the Graduate Bilingual Education Certificate, students need to take the following courses:

TESL 510: Principles and Practices of Bilingual Education

TESL/LANG 511: Innovative Approaches to Bilingual Teaching

ENGL 516: Theories for Second Language Acquisition

TESL 506: Assessment of Multilingual Learners

Minimum Credits: 12