Master of Bilingual Education

Honoring human diversity in a multicultural society

Program Structure

The Master of Bilingual Education degree program offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that prepares specialists in the field of bilingual education and master teachers of students who do not speak English as their primary language. Designed for in-service teachers, the program includes requirements in bilingual education such as literacy, second language teaching, bilingual math and science instruction, linguistics, culture/multicultural education, and community-based research. The program meets the requirements of the Texas Education Agency for master's level programs in bilingual education.

The faculty is drawn from the various academic disciplines represented in the University as well as professors from the Bilingual Education program. Visiting professors and lecturers also contribute to the offerings of the program.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 36 graduate-level credit hours in one of two degree plans--the Traditional Plan or the Gifted & Talented Focus Plan (see below). The required courses in methodology, linguistics, culture, research, and the history and rationale of bilingual education offer maximum flexibility to those who are interested in broadening both their academic preparation and classroom skills.

The MBE Degree Curriculum: Traditional Plan

Core Courses (12 hrs.)
EDU 6304 Interpreting Educational Research
EDU 6315 Diverse Learners
EDU 6322 Educational and Behavior Psychology
EDU 6305 Differentiated Instruction

EDU 6322 and EDU 6304 must be taken in the first two semesters of this master's degree.

Specialization (15 hrs.)
EDU 6312 Applied Linguistics
EDU 6317 Culture and Community in Education 
EDU 6321 Bilingualism/Biliteracy
EDU 6339 Bilingual Content Instruction
EDU 6319 Fundamentals of Bilingual Education

ESL (3 hrs.) (one of the following courses)
EDU 6390 Classroom Instruction and Assessment for Language Learners or
EDU 6320 Language Teaching Research, Theory, and Practice

Electives (6 hrs.)
For a list of elective courses contact your MBE adviser.

The MBE Degree Curriculum: Gifted and Talented Focus

Core Courses (12 hrs.)
EDU 6304 Interpreting Educational Research
EDU 6305 Differentiated Instruction
EDU 6315 Diverse Learners
EDU 6322 Educational and Behavior Psychology

Specialization (12 hrs.)
EDU 6312 Applied Linguistics
EDU 6319 Fundamentals of Bilingual Education
EDU 6321 Bilingualism/Biliteracy
EDU 6339 Bilingual Content Instruction

Gifted and Talented (12 hrs.)
EDU 6325 Educating the Gifted and Talented
EDU 6397 Growth and Development of the Gifted
EDU 6347 Creativity: Theories, Models, and Applications
EDU 6388 Curriculum Development for Gifted and Talented Learners

Transfer Credit

Applicants should not expect to receive more than six hours of transfer credit from other institutions.  Students will need to submit a letter requesting transfer credit describing the course content along with an official transcript with these hours during the first semester of enrollment.  Only courses with a grade of B or above can be transferred.  Generally, no credit will be allowed toward the Master's degree for courses taken more than six years before acceptance into the program.  Any exceptions to the requirements and policies stated above must have the approval of the Dean of the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development.