Masters in Bilingual Education

MEd Program Overview

Houston Christian University offers a 36 semester-hour MEd program for already certified teachers who wish to improve their skills and pursue a master’s degree. This program leads to an MEd in Bilingual Education. It strengthens the knowledge and skills of currently certified bilingual teachers.

All prospective bilingual teachers must be fluent in both Spanish and English before beginning their bilingual teacher training component. To become an ESL teacher, one needs fluency only in English.

Advantages and Opportunities

In the Houston area, bilingual teachers are highly recruited. In addition, most schools in this area require ESL certification for all of their elementary teachers. Throughout this program, students develop knowledge and skills through working with children and teachers in elementary school settings with a variety of backgrounds. Because the College of Education maintains close ties with area schools and school districts, students benefit from the practical experiences and the professional opportunities available. Most graduates of this program are employed in Houston-area schools.

Requirements

To gain admission to the Bilingual Education program, the prospective student must achieve the prerequisite scores on proficiency tests in English and in Spanish. On the MLA Cooperative Language Proficiency Test in Spanish (Level M), the prospective student must achieve a minimum overall score at the 80th percentile. In addition, each student must achieve a minimum score at the 80th percentile in each of the four skill areas (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), or must take the appropriate course or courses to remove language deficiency in each area where the score is less than the minimum standard.

Students who earn the ESL postbaccalaureate supplemental certification may apply their ESL graduate courses to the 36-hour master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

Degree Plan

Master of Education in Bilingual Education