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Program Description   

The Bilingual-Bicultural Education Program is designed for educators who are or will be working with second language learners in multiple educational contexts. The program offers students a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of second language acquisition and Bilingual/English as a Second Language educational theories and practices.  The program prepares educators to address the linguistic, academic, social and cultural needs of second language learners and to advocate for bilingual education programs that foster bilingualism and bi literacy.  The program will help students develop an understanding of the socio-cultural and political aspects of, as well as curricular and pedagogical approaches to, language and literacy learning.

Distinctive DePaul Features

The Bilingual-Bicultural Education Program core courses prepare educators who will:

• Understand and implement a wide-range of learning strategies and assessments that are academically rigorous and culturally sensitive.
• Examine the sociopolitical implications of various approaches to language education and language policies.
• Study the relationship of language, culture, and identity within social, educational and political contexts.
• Understand the processes involved in first and second language acquisition and language and literacy development.
• Develop collegiality and collaboration among educators, programs, and schools that support activism, education, and social change of traditionally under served students, families, and communities.

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The Bilingual-Bicultural Education Program leads to a Master of Arts or a Master of Education degree with a state of Illinois endorsement in Bilingual Education, English as a Second Language (ESL), or both. The program provides advanced multidisciplinary study in language, literacy and culture with concentrations in Bilingual-Bicultural Education and ESL. Students with a concentration in Bilingual-Bicultural Education must show proficiency in a second language. Students with a concentration in ESL are not required to show proficiency in a second language.

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State Test

Endorsement in Bilingual Education requires a State of Illinois language proficiency test.
(Endorsement in English as a Second Language does not require a language proficiency test.)

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Degree Requirements