Second languages and cultures education
(SLC)
Master of education/professional studies
Program
The master of education (M.Ed.)/professional studies program in second languages and cultures education (SLC) is designed for experienced second language teachers who want to acquire advanced knowledge of research, best practices and effective policies in the field of second languages and cultures education. This graduate-level, practitioner-based program is offered by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).
The SLC program addresses the needs and interests of second language educators in a variety of teaching contexts, including world languages, English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL), bilingual, and immersion settings. While the program emphasizes instructional issues related to K-12 education, it is also relevant to teachers working with university-level or adult learners.
The program is flexible and with some restrictions can be tailored to accommodate individual needs. With guidance from faculty advisers, students complete at least 30 semester credits of work in three areas: (1) core academic coursework in education, (2) coursework specific to the area of second languages and cultures education, and (3) elective coursework that allows students to choose additional courses within or outside CEHD related to their interests.
Courses at the University of Minnesota are offered at a variety of times, including late afternoons. Students may also enroll in courses offered during the summer and at off-campus school sites.
Admission
Admission requirements to this program include the following criteria:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- A 2.80 minimum grade point average (GPA)
- A written personal statement describing your career goals and rationale for interest in our M.Ed. program (limit two pages, double-spaced)
- A current résumé
- A completed CEHD Application for Admission to M.Ed./Professional Studies Programs, available at the college’s office of Student Services, 150 Williamson Hall, 231 Pillsbury Dr. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-625-6501; e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu; or on the Web.
The college reviews applications on an ongoing basis. College review of applications for specific academic terms begins by the following dates. Students are encouraged to submit application materials to Student Services by these dates:
- November 1—Spring semester admission
- March 1—Summer session admission
- July 1—Fall semester admission
Applicants are typically notified of admission decisions four to six weeks after application deadlines.
Transfer credits
A maximum of 12 graduate semester transfer credits may be applied to the M.Ed. program. Credits may include any combination of the following coursework:
- Up to six graduate semester credits from fully accredited institutions other than the University of Minnesota for students enrolled at the University’s Twin Cities campus; up to nine graduate semester credits for students enrolled at the University’s Rochester campus
- Credits completed at the University of Minnesota before admission to the M.Ed. program
Transfer coursework must be completed at the graduate level and approved by a faculty adviser and the college. Workshop credits are usually not accepted for transfer to C&I programs. Contact the program’s faculty adviser for more information.
Curriculum
Students must complete at least 30 semester credits for the degree. There are three curricular options. Options 1 and 2 require a final project completed independently by the student under the adviser’s guidance. See more information below.
Option #1: M.Ed. Professional Studies Degree in SLC
Option #2: M.Ed. Professional Studies Degree in SLC combined with the university certificate program in Dual Language and Immersion Education
Option #3: M.Ed. Professional Studies Degree in SLC combined with the university certificate program in Advanced Practices in Second Language Teaching
Note: For course descriptions and schedules, refer to the University of Minnesota Class Schedule.
Approximately one term prior to completion of the degree requirements, students complete and submit the program form and the Application for M.Ed. Degree and/or Certificate to their adviser. Students will receive a diploma, and documentation of degree completion will appear on the academic transcript.
M.Ed. Final Project (required for Curricular Options 1 and 2)
The M.Ed. final project provides students with an opportunity to design and implement an independent project in the schools or field that utilizes and reflects ideas and concepts from courses taken in the M.Ed. program. Students register for an independent study course in conjunction with the project (CI 5186) during the semester that they intend to finish the project and turn in a final written report to the adviser. The project should be the last program requirement, completed after taking CI 5177.
The M.Ed. project is a paper involving a total of approximately 120 hours of work and approximately 20-30 pages, double-spaced. A proposal for the paper should be written and presented to the adviser for approval before student begins work on the paper. The project should involve (1) inquiry and (2) substantial self-reflection on the student’s part. If the project involves the participation of human research subjects, it will require U of M Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.
This independent inquiry-based project can take many forms including:
- an investigation of a specific problem in a classroom or school or community or business organization,
- an informal action research project,
- the design and evaluation of a new curriculum unit or course,
- an investigation of an issue related to students or teachers in an educational context,
- testing out a new teaching technique in the classroom
M.Ed. Project Proposal:
The M.Ed. project requirements are introduced in CI 5177 Practical Research, and several of the project components (such as the purpose/rationale for the project and literature review) are completed in CI 5177. Suggested contents of the project proposal include the following:
Purpose of the Project
- Description of the problem or issue the student is studying and the purpose of and rationale for the project.
Literature Review
- Preliminary outline of the literature related to the proposed project. (Note: even in the case of the development of a curriculum unit, students must refer to readings.)
Proposed “Method”
- A written description of the project plan including the research question and a description of at least one data source.
- Include information on the teaching or other context (i.e. number of students, type, setting, school, type of course, etc.)
- A description of the key features of instruction, including an overview of the unit, or any other relevant information that would help the reader understand the context.
Appendix
If applicable, University IRB Application
Final Project
The final project should include the following:
Purpose of and Rationale for the Project/Inquiry
- Description of the problem or issue the student is studying and the purpose of and rationale for the project.
Literature Review (may be a separate section or literature may be cited instead throughout the paper)
- Overview of the literature related to the proposed project. (Note: even in the case of curriculum development, students must refer to readings, though they may appear in the context of the unit itself rather than a separate section.)
Description of the Project
- Include information on the teaching or other context (i.e. number of students, type, setting, school, type of course, etc.)
- A written description of the project plan including goals, content, method(s) used, how the student analyzed the data (if applicable).
Description of the Results and Implications
- Description of what was learned from the inquiry project; this section needs to involve substantial reflection on the student’s part. How will s/he use what was learned? How will his/her practice change as a result of the inquiry?
Bibliography, Resources and Appendices (if applicable)
- Include full bibliographic information for all of the sources cited and resources used, formatted appropriately.
- If applicable, copy of approval email from U of M IRB.
Examples of Final Projects:
Curriculum Inquiry: A high school ESL teacher writes a new curriculum unit. He could teach the unit in his class and collect information about student or teacher attitudes toward the unit or do a self-reflection on the process. In this case he might:
- administer an anonymous written survey to students,
- ask colleagues to read the unit and offer written or oral feedback, or
- keep a journal during the course of writing the unit and teaching it.
After completing the unit and carrying it out with students, the teacher writes a meta-reflection on the process—what went well? what would he change based on student responses to activities and lessons? what was challenging about writing the unit? how did coursework for the M.Ed. help prepare the teacher for designing the unit? (involves IRB approval if student data are collected)
Informal Action Research Project: A Kindergarten language immersion teacher is interested in exploring different ways to provide corrective feedback to students when they make errors. She decides to focus on a grammatical feature appropriate for young learners—the placement of adjectives. (In Spanish adjectives come after the noun and in English they come before the noun, so initially the different word order is difficult for young learners.) She creates some games that would elicit noun/adjective utterances and videotapes students playing the games and her providing feedback when they make errors. She looks at the number of times students self-correct their errors based on the feedback she gives them. (involves IRB approval)
Registration
Currently admitted degree-seeking or non-degree seeking students may register online for coursework.
Students who want to begin M.Ed. coursework before admission to the M.Ed. program must complete a CEHD First-Time Registration for non-degree seeking Students packet [.pdf]. Packets are also available at the college’s office of Student Services, 360 Education Sciences Building, 56 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-625-3339; e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu.
For questions about registration, contact Student Services at 612-625-5815.
Core faculty
For more program information, visit the C&I Web site or contact faculty members listed below:
Martha Bigelow,
associate professor
Ph.D., Georgetown University
612-624-7087; e-mail: mbigelow@umn.edu
Kendall
King, associate professor
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
612-625-3692, e-mail:
kendall@umn.edu
Susan Ranney,
lecturer
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
612-626-0319; e-mail: ranne001@umn.edu
Diane J. Tedick,
associate professor
Ph.D., The Ohio State University
612-625-1081; e-mail: djtedick@umn.edu
Constance L. Walker,
associate professor
Ph.D., University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
612-625-4828; e-mail: walke002@umn.edu
Revised August 2009