MEd Professional Studies in Language Immersion Education
This master’s degree program is designed for licensed and practicing language immersion, dual language, and bilingual educators who want to advance their careers and leadership capacity. It is completed in conjunction with the 15-credit program in certificate in Dual Language and Immersion Education
Applicants must apply to both the MEd and the certificate program separately.
This program is designed for educators in the following models of dual language and immersion education:
- One-way world language immersion. Designed for language-majority students (English speakers in the U.S.) who learn the curriculum through a world language such as Mandarin or Spanish.
- Two-way bilingual immersion. Designed for a combined student audience of language-minority (e.g., Spanish speakers) and language-majority (English-speakers) students who learn the curriculum through both languages.
- One-way developmental bilingual. In the U.S., typically designed for Spanish speakers to maintain Spanish and learn English.
- Indigenous language immersion. Designed with the goal of revitalizing an endangered language and culture such as Ojibwe.
Admissions
Applications are accepted for three different start times throughout the year:
Priority admission deadlines:
- December 15 (Spring start)
- April 30 (Summer start)
- July 31 (Fall start)
For detailed admissions and funding information, visit the MEd Professional Studies admissions page.
Curriculum
The Core Curriculum covers instruction, assessment and implementation of dual language and immersion education. Courses are offered online, in the evenings, and during the summer to accommodate working teachers. To see the curriculum requirements in detail visit the course catalog under MEd Professional Studies and look under the subplan “Language Immersion Education”.
School-Related Project: At the end of the program, you will design and implement an independent project, using concepts learned in our program. Projects typically culminate in a 20-30 page paper, resulting from approximately 120 hours of work.
Career Outlook
Dual language and immersion (DLI) education is becoming increasingly important as the population of dual language learners increases and the need for native English speakers to learn other languages to participate in the global marketplaces grow.
In addition, earning your MEd will advance your career and earning potential in several ways:
- Teachers with a master's degree are regarded as experts in their field, making you a more competitive job candidate with an MEd
- Teachers who have a master's degree will see a roughly $7,000 annual salary increase [Teacher.org ]
- Though the salary increase with a master's degree will vary by district and state, Minnesota teachers are on the higher end of the payscale. Median Minnesota teacher salary was $56,560 in 2019 [BLS ].
- Once a teacher is employed, there is much more mobility that comes with a Master's. Teachers with advanced degrees can be promoted to school administration positions and can become mentors to other teachers based upon specific graduate training.
What our students have to say
The faculty and resources available for someone interested in language immersion teaching are, quite simply, unrivaled. I now feel infinitely more prepared to be a strong language immersion teacher.
Erin Szabo, MEd 2017