Academics

Master of Arts in Teaching: Bilingual/Bicultural Education - Elementary

College of Education

Graduate Program Advisor: Dr. Joaquin Villegas / J-Villegas1@neiu.edu / (773) 442-5381 / Room LWH 3024

Department Website

Program Description

The Master of Arts in Teaching: Bilingual/Bicultural Education is designed to reflect a multicultural/multilinguistic focus and encourages candidates who already hold a non-education undergraduate degree to pursue an initial Illinois elementary teaching certificate and bilingual approval while attaining a master's degree.

This program has three components of coursework:

• Professional core of eighteen credit hours in the area of multicultural education, media technology, assessment, literacy theory and pedagogy, general curriculum development, and research.
• Concentration of eighteen credit hours in bilingual/ bicultural education leading to bilingual approval.
• Certification coursework consisting of additional pedagogical study, special education and field experiences, including 100 clock hours of clinical experience and student teaching internship, totaling fifteen credit hours.

Students seeking teacher certification are required to pass the State of Illinois Certification Testing System:Test of Academic Proficiency, Content-area Test, Assessment of Professional Teaching Test.

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university or college

• A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 (4.0 scale)
•  Eighteen credit hours of undergraduate coursework in any one of the following areas of concentration: social/behavioral sciences, natural sciences, humanities, or other related disciplines.
• Six credit hours in the history and philosophy of education and educational psychology (learning and development) (EDFN-405 and 406, or equivalent).
• Literacy assessment of proficiency in native language and the target language by program faculty.
• Graduate Record Examination score.
• Passing score on ICTS Basic Skills Examination.

A maximum of nine credit hours of graduate level coursework may be transferred into the program, based upon the evaluation that the coursework is equivalent in scope and content to required program coursework, in accordance with the policies established by the Graduate College. Program courses are offered in a three-year cycle.

Degree Requirements

See pertinent sections in the Catalog for course descriptions.

1. Professional Core....................................18 credit hours
   EDFN-416 Cultural Pluralism and Schools....................3 cr.
   ELED-414 Principles of Curriculum Development........3 cr.
   ELED-430 Trends and Issues in Assessment................3 cr.
   INMD-410 Media Technology for Educators.................3 cr.
   READ-402 Issues in Reading Instruction.......................3 cr.
   ELED-406 Research Skills for
   the Classroom Teacher............................3 cr.
2. Bilingual/Bicultural Education................18 credit hours
   BLBC-438 Foundations of Bilingual Education............3 cr.
   BLBC-439 Ethnic Diversity in Our Schools:
   A Cross-Cultural/Linguistic Survey..........3 cr.
   BLBC -440 Teaching in Culture and Language Diverse
   Classrooms..............................................3 cr.
   BLBC 441 Materials, Methods and Techniques for Teaching
   Limited English Proficient Students...3 cr.
   BLBC-442 Assessment Tools for Bilingual Students.....3 cr.
   TESL-414 Theories of Teaching English
   as a Second Language..............................3 cr.
3. Certification Component........................15 credit hours
   ELED-415 Interrelating Science and Math, with Clinical
   Experience (in BLBC Classroom).....................................3 cr.
   (min.50 clock hours in BLBC; apply 6 mo. in
   advance to CEST office, CLS 4023)
   ELED-416 Strategies of Teaching Social Studies and Language Arts
   with Clinical Experience (in BLBC Classroom)................................3 cr.
   (min.50 clock hours in BLBC; apply 6 mo. in
   advance to CEST office, CLS 4023)
   SPED-404 Survey of the Field of Special Education......3 cr.
   ELED-429 Internship in Elementary Education
   (in BLBC Classroom)................................6 cr.
   
4. Process-oriented research paper, indicating mastery of formal research skills.
5. Content-oriented research paper, indicating depth in candidate’s academic area of concentration.
6. Overall academic and professional assessment through a review of the candidate’s portfolio and interview by program faculty.