Join our Multilingual Education program, where faculty and students are leaders in language instruction, research, and education. Our diverse programs encourage you to investigate and engage with complex questions about language education in today’s multilingual, multicultural world.
As a student in Multilingual Education, you will focus on many different languages and educational contexts all over the world, including world/foreign language programs, English as a second language programs, and bilingual and dual language programs.
Questions?
Programs with Teacher Licensure
BA World Language Education
Earn a BA from the College of Education and a BA from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in this dual degree program which prepares teacher candidates to be effective and engaging world language teachers to students in grades 5-12 or K-12.
MAT World Language Education
This graduate program prepares teacher candidates to be effective and engaging world language teachers to students in grades 5-12 or K-12, while also offering a depth of study in graduate coursework focused on connecting research to practice.
Programs (Non-licensure)
MA Multilingual Education
This graduate program provides you with in-depth preparation in theoretical and practical aspects of language learning and teaching.
PhD Literacy, Culture, and Language Education
This interdisciplinary doctoral program brings together scholarly traditions and contemporary theory in multilingual education and applied linguistics, literacy and cultural studies, and social studies education.
Endorsements
All world language endorsements are offered in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish.
Please contact us for more information at: ask-education@uiowa.edu
English as a Second Language
This endorsement prepares licensed teachers and teacher candidates to also teach English Language Learners at the K-12 level.
English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement requirements
English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement application
World Language Education
This endorsement prepares licensed teachers and teacher candidates to also teach world languages at the 5-12 or K-12 level.
Connection of research to practice
Our program offers you opportunities to connect classroom practice to cutting-edge research on multilingualism and multilingual education. We encourage you to apply key findings from research in the language classroom, and we use the language classroom to inform our research projects. We collaborate extensively with practicing language educators across the university, the region, and internationally, grounding our research in the reality of current language education contexts.
Diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds of faculty and students
Our program has students and faculty who hail from a variety of countries, and who have diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Many have studied, worked, and taught extensively in multiple multilingual contexts in the United States and internationally.
Preparation for future careers
You will be thoughtfully mentored by faculty and fellow students in finding the career that best matches your background and interests relating to multilingual education. Substantial job-seeking support is available to all students from a variety of experts and offices across the University of Iowa campus.
Teacher Education
Our Teacher Education Program provides diverse experiences with supportive mentors to effectively prepare you for your future classroom.
To learn more about classroom experiences and the Teacher Education program, please:
Classroom Experience and Student Teaching
We believe you shouldn’t have to wait until your final semester of college to work with students and make sure teaching is right for you. In your program you will be given opportunities to work in real classrooms with students from the moment you are admitted to the program.
Teacher Leader Certificate
The certificate encourages strong classroom leadership skills, helps you better understand the context in which our schools operate, and enables you to better innovate, improve, develop and discover your identity as an emerging teacher leader. Prepare to support your students’ social emotional learning needs and become a stand-out hire after graduation.
Licensure Only
Students with a BA may opt to complete the licensure requirements for teaching in grades K-12 without pursuing a degree. For more information on licensure only options, contact the World Language Education program coordinator.
Faculty and Research
You will have the opportunity to learn from and work closely with nationally renowned faculty who publish in top-tier journals and are active nationally in professional and scholarly organizations.
To see associated faculty, please visit: Faculty Listing.
Areas of expertise include:
- World language education, foreign language education
- English as a second language education
- Bilingual education, dual language education
- Language policy
- Teacher beliefs and identity
- Language assessment
- Student beliefs and identity
ACCEL
Advocacy, Capacity, and Collaboration for English Learners (ACCEL) aims to increase effectiveness of English language instruction while building teacher capacity, advocacy, and leadership. The project will provide professional development (PD) opportunities to significantly improve instruction and support for English learners in K-12 schools.
Seal of Biliteracy
The College of Education helped the Iowa City Community School District build a curriculum around biliteracy to help students not only meet their Seal of Biliteracy requirements, but also gain knowledge about global citizenship.
Admissions and Application
Please visit the degree pages for specific admissions information:
Apply Now
Please review the requirements and supplemental documents for your degree option before starting.
News
Education faculty receive grant to address shortages of special education leaders
A team of College of Education faculty are utilizing a new training grant to improve access to special educators in Iowa and across the country.
Eight faculty-led projects funded by Seeding Excellence Initiative
UI's Office of the Vice President for Research has selected the winners of eight pilot grants--several of which are led by College of Education faculty--intended to sustain the continued growth of the campus research enterprise by providing competitive seed funding in strategic areas.
Advocating for language maintenance through multilingual education
Third-year Literacy, Culture, and Language Education doctoral student Melanie Carbine, who is also a middle school math teacher in Maryland, recognizes the need for teachers to be versed in multilingual education practices.
Contact Us
Multilingual Education - MA Program Coordinator
David Cassels Johnson
Associate Professor
N244 Lindquist Center
319-335-6175
david-c-johnson@uiowa.edu
World Language TEP Coordinator
Will Coghill-Behrends
Clinical Associate Professor
N121 Lindquist Center
319-335-5349
Questions?
We're here to help: ask-education@uiowa.edu