Initial Teaching License (PEL) with World Language Education Endorsement

​​​​In today’s global world, learning a world language is more important than ever. World language teachers promote cultural awareness and strive to find new ways to make language come alive for their students. They differentiate instruction to challenge students at different levels of language fluency and use technology, real-life situations and issues of interest to expand students’ horizons.

The World Language Education Licensure program provides students who already hold a master’s degree in Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian or Spanish the opportunity to become teaching professionals. It is designed for those who are committed to diversifying language offerings, extending instruction to the middle and elementary grades, and promoting the many advantages of world language learning.

World language educators teach in public or private, urban or suburban, elementary, middle and high schools. Some work as adult education teachers, community educators, tutors, interpreters or translators. Individuals who speak another language can be found in research institutes, international organizations and companies, and the publishing and film industries.

Are you interested in enrolling in this program? View its admission requirements and application instructions here or contact the College of Education’s Office of Graduate Admissions at (773) 325-4405.

Licensure

The World Language Education Licensure program leads to a special (K-12) teaching license with an endorsement in a specific language. DePaul offers Illinois State Board of Education approved programs in Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian and Spanish.

Program Format

To accommodate working professionals, the World Language Education Licensure program offers courses that meet on weekday evenings at DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus, online or a hybrid online/on-campus format (although field experience and student teaching requirements must be fulfilled during weekdays.) In addition, the program’s schedule is flexible, allowing students to attend full-time or part-time as their professional and personal schedules allow.

Program Requirements

The World Language Education Licensure program includes 52 quarter hours of coursework in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education and Teaching and Learning; however, teaching licensure requires more than a series of courses—there are special requirements such as completing field experiences and a student teaching internship, meeting content area course requirements and passing state licensure exams.

This program is typically eligible for financial aid. Please see this document and consult your advisor in the COE.

Interested in more information?

Fill out the form below.
Still deciding? View all of our Licensure and Endorsement programs.

Take the next step

We’ll send you information about the program, admission requirements and upcoming info sessions. Let’s get started.