Content
Overview
In an effort to build the teaching profession and provide new opportunities for prospective graduate students, the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education offers a full-time Master of Arts (M.A.) degree program that will lead to initial teaching certification in Elementary Education, English Education, Mathematics Education, Science Education, Secondary Social Sciences Education, Business, Marketing, and Informational Technology Education, or World Language Education. All programs are campus-based programs.
Cohort-based. Graduate students proceed together with peers and world-class faculty creating a community of educators in residential programs.
Graduate Degree and Certification. Upon successful completion, students will graduate with a Master's degree, be fully certified to teach in Nebraska, be eligible for certification in other states, and be employable for the following school year.
Who Should Apply? These programs are designed for qualified graduate students who have earned a bachelor’s degree outside the field of education and who can commit to an intensive and accelerated pathway to a career in the teaching profession. These programs are not suited for educators who currently have teaching certification in any subject area or former educators seeking to renew certification. For certification renewal, please visit the teaching certification page.
Practicum + Student Teaching. Students will be placed in theLincoln Public Schools or Omaha Public Schools for teaching internships in the classroom. Collaborative relations with public schools offer students' field experiences in diverse classrooms, purposefully designed to help connect coursework theory and methods to classroom practice. Students will gradually build proficiency in teaching, adding responsibilities and skills throughout a nine-month period and be prepared to assume 16 weeks of full-time student teaching in Spring.
Inquiry. Inquiry infuses all aspects of this graduate program. Students will begin to focus on a curriculum inquiry project that requires the development of classroom research about a problem of practice in teaching and learning, a research project that will form the capstone experience of the program.
Residency. Students will be attending class on the UNL campus and gaining practical experience in K-12 schools in and near the Lincoln/Omaha area. During the academic year, the program schedulewill follow the school calendar. Students must live within a reasonable traveling distance to the UNLcampus and local cooperating schools. Please note that the funding available for our Master of Artsin Science Teaching Program requires applicants to be US citizens.
Master of Arts leading to Initial Certification in World Language Education
In an effort to build world language education capacity and provide new opportunities for prospective graduate students, the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education is offering a full-time, M.A. degree leading to Initial Teaching Certification in World Language Teaching and English Language Learning (ELL). This degree will lead to certification to teach both a world language in grades 6-12 and ELL grades K-12 in the State of Nebraska.This 45-48 credit hour program is designed for qualified graduate students who have earned a bachelor’s degree, 30 earned credit hours (or equivalent) in a foreign language, but who do not possess a teaching credential or teaching certification. This program is aimed at college graduates who have a solid academic background in world languages and a commitment to teaching and learning in schools and who have a strong desire to teach World Languages and/or ELL determined by the student and graduate adviser.
Graduates of this program will demonstrate a deep understanding of:
- Theories of Learning and Teaching Language
- Curricular Development
- Language pedagogy
- Diverse Learners and Differentiated Learning Strategies
- Change and Reform in Schools
- Foundational Dimensions of Teaching
- Assessment Practices
- Student-centered Teaching and Learning
- Reflective Teaching Practices
Featured Classes Include:
TEAC 800 Inquiry into Teaching and Learning
TEAC 801 Curriculum Inquiry
TEAC 813A Second Language Acquisition
TEAC 813B Teaching and Curriculum
TEAC 813J Intercultural Communications
TEAC 813K Linguistics for the ELL Teacher
TEAC 813M Teaching ELLs in the Content Areas
TEAC 851R World Languages Acquisition and Teaching
TEAC 852R World Languages Acquisition and Teaching II
TEAC 922 Seminar in Foreign Language Education
EDPS 851 - Psychology of Adolescence (3 cr)
SPED 801 Accommodating Exceptional Learners in the Secondary School Classroom (or SPED 201 or 801B)
Who Should Apply? The Master of Arts leading to initial certification World Language Teaching and ELL offers a pathway to middle and secondary-level teaching for those with a degree in a world languages but who do not have a teaching credential.
Requirements:
- Have graduated from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree with aWorld Language major.
- Have earned at least 30 credit hours in respective language courses at the 203 level or above, with a minimum average GPA of 3.0 in those courses and an overall cumulativeGPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Have passed the oral proficiency interview (ACTFL OPI or OPIc) at the Advanced Low level.
Application Procedures
Please note that when applying, prospective students must complete two applications—one for initial teaching certification and one for the Master's program. Apply at go.unl.edu/gradapp. Only completed application files will be considered for admission. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all materials are submitted and received prior to the deadline dates. Please check with Joelle Tangen at jtangen2@unl.edu if you have any missing application requirements.
Please note: Applicants are required to pass the ACTFL OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) or OPIc (Oral Proficiency Interview-Computer) with a score of Advanced Low in order to be admitted.
Register for the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Test Here.
Quick Facts about the ACTFL OPI/OPIC:
- OPI is given by phone and costs $134 plus $25 fee to Sylvan Learning Center
- Students should register through ACTFL.
- OPIC is administered by computer and costs $55 for most students (they should ask forAdvanced Low). For native speakers or very advanced students, they should request theOPIc Superior ($65) since this test can measure Advanced to Distinguished levels of language proficiency.
- Here is a general link to find out more about the ACTFL OPI:
Ways to enhance your language proficiency in preparation for the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview
Requirements for World Language/ELL Endorsement
In order to become certified and "endorsed" to teach a world language grades 6-12 in the State ofNebraska, you must complete sufficient coursework in the target language. We require applicants to have earned at least 30 credit hours in the language of study at the 203 level or above with grades of 3.0 [B] or above. Students must also pass the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview with a score of Advanced Low. Any academic deficiencies must be remedied by the time students enter the program.
To see if you have met our requirements, please complete the Prerequisite Courses Form.
Application Requirements
- Complete the ‘Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education (MA)’ application, includingtranscripts and fees, prior to the department application deadline.
- Resumé/CV
- Personal Statement*
- Three Recommenders**
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0
- Complete the ‘Teacher Certification (Initial) – World Language (French/German/Spanish6-12)’ application, including transcripts and fees, prior to the department application deadline.
- Successfully complete a Background Check***
- Completed Prerequisite Courses Form (‘Other Upload’)
- Digital file of ACTFL OPI certificate
The Initial Certification application will require you to upload material from your MA application again, as the MA & Initial Certification are considered two separate programs by the Office of Graduate Studies and can be completed separately of each other.
International Applicants
- TOEFL score of at least iBT 79; all subscores must be at least in the Intermediate/Fair range.If the IELTS is taken in place of the TOEFL, all subscores must be a minimum of 6.5.Applicants taking the TOEFL or the IELTS may be asked to take part in an online interview.
- The equivalent of at least one year of full-time teaching experience is required forconsideration.
Personal Statement and Recommenders
The Graduate Admissions Committee will review for the following evidence:
- Academic strengths and readiness to do graduate study
- Professional and academic goals and whether these align with the goals of the Department
In addition to the minimum requirements listed above, transcripts and resume, the Graduate Admissions Committee closely examines your letters of recommendation and your personal statement.
*Personal Statement. The Graduate Admissions Committee looks closely at the applicant's goals inthe personal statement essay for further evidence of your meeting the admissions criteria. A well-written essay is crucial to admissions decisions. This personal statement is a concise statement inwhich you address clearly why you want to pursue this graduate program at the University ofNebraska-Lincoln. In this essay you should address clearly:
- Your academic and/or professional goals and how this graduate program will enable you tomeet these goals.
- Your academic strengths, with specific attention to your background in higher education andhow this qualifies you for graduate study at a major university.
- Any professional experience, knowledge, and skills you possess and how these furtherqualify you for graduate study at a major university. This statement should be between 700-1000 words.
**Recommenders. The application requires three letters of recommendation. The Graduate Admissions Committee considers letters an important part of any application. You should solicit Recommenders that can directly address your readiness and qualification to do graduate study in Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. Letters should come from those who are familiar with your academic and professional work, such as former professors, employers or administrators. Do not include letters from friends, family members, or your own high school teachers. Each of these will be disregarded in the review and detract from your application.
Within your MA application, you will input the contact information of your Recommenders. After submitting their information, your Recommender will be sent an email, with a link where they can upload your letter of recommendation.
***The Nebraska Department of Education and Nebraska school districts require that College of Education and Human Sciences students who plan to pursue a degree in an education-related field, athletic training majors, and any other UNL students who enroll in CEHS courses that involve practicum experiences in the schools are required to undergo a formal screening process related to criminal history through One Source. Consequently, a background check is a pre-requisite for application to our programs.
Only completed application files will be considered for admission. It is the applicant's responsibility to be certain that all materials are submitted and received prior to the deadline dates.
Apply at go.unl.edu/gradapp.
Faculty Contacts
Dr. Theresa Catalano, Associate Professor, received her Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching from the University of Arizona. She has taught ESL for 4 years at the K-6 level, and 2 years (Spanish) at the middle school level. She has also taught ESL or Italian at the adult education, community college, and university levels for over 15 years, including a year teaching English as a Foreign Language in Ankara, Turkey. Dr. Catalano teaches courses related to foreign and second language methodology, linguistics, and intercultural communication. Her research interests include critical linguistics, social justice language education and the role of the arts in (language) education.
Dr. Jenelle Reeves, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, has taught English as an international language in the U.S., Japan, and Korea. At UNL, Dr. Reeves teaches courses in the ELL (English language learner) endorsement pathway, including Second Language Acquisition, English as a Second Language (ESL) Methods, and Teaching ELLs in Content Areas. Her research focuses on teacher thinking, development and identity in multilingual/multicultural classrooms. Dr. Reeves also leads study abroad trips to South Korea and the Netherlands.
Program Contact
Joelle Tangen, Graduate Project Associate
230E Carolyn Pope Edwards Hall