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Online Master of Arts in Education With a Concentration in Linguistic Diversity and Educational Equity

Program Highlights

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30 credit hours |  In-state tuition: $490/credit hour | Out-of-state tuition: $575/credit hour

  • Convenient 100% online master’s program for working teachers and education-related professionals
  • Can be completed in as few as 12 months
  • Program curriculum approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
  • Does not lead to teaching certification, but provides preparation to yake on equity and the social challenges associated with it in a variety of fields
  • Prepares certified teachers for state ESL supplemental certification
  • Available on the Academic Common Market (ACM)*
*If you are a resident in one of the states that participate in the ACM, you MAY qualify for in-state tuition for this program while residing outside of Texas. For more information, you must contact the ACM Coordinator of the state in which you are residing. For contact info by state, please visit 

For those who are already certified teachers (not required for program admission), program coursework provides the knowledge needed to challenge Texas/your state’s required exam and earn an English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching endorsement.

NOTE: YOU MUST HAVE A BACHELOR'S DEGREE TO APPLY.

PROGRAM ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Help Implement Transformational Language & Social Justice Policies

There is a growing need for highly trained educators to promote justice in our increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse society. The M.A. with a concentration in Linguistic Diversity & Educational Equity gives teachers and education-related professionals an advantage in today’s multilingual/multicultural classrooms and workplaces. 

This program is ideal for those seeking to address equity both broadly and specifically for English Language Learners/Emergent Bilinguals. Graduates go on to take leadership roles in a variety of fields, including public/private schools, community-based organizations, 海角社区 and nonprofit/for-profit companies. The program also prepares those wishing to pursue a doctorate in education or the social sciences. As a student in this program, you will develop a variety of tools to be an agent of positive change in educational policy and practices.

Graduates of the program may go on to positions such as:

  • ESL Curriculum Specialist
  • Public/Private ESL Teacher
  • Educational Diversity Coordinator
  • Curriculum Developer
  • Grant Writer
  • Instructional Coordinator (2019-2029 projected growth of 6%)
  • Training and Development Specialist (2019-2029 projected growth of 9%)
  • Educational Policy Analyst
  • Educational Activist or Lobbyist
  • Workers in Nonprofit Organizations/NGOs (non-governmental organizations)
  • Post-Secondary Faculty or Administrator

This program does not provide initial teacher certification. For those who are already certified teachers (not required for program admission), program coursework provides the knowledge needed to challenge Texas/your state’s required exam and earn an English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching endorsement.

Course Overview

The 30-credit online concentration in Linguistic Diversity and Educational Equity requires you to successfully complete 10 master’s-level courses.

Required Courses (24 hours)

Focus on the pedagogy of dimensions of language and how it is used in various contexts (social and academic) for understanding and facilitating the cross linguistic connections of English learners (EL)/Emergent Bilinguals (EB). Examine language documentation and description and use it to intentionally and systematically identify strategies for bridging the phonemes, letter-sound correlations, spelling patterns, word analysis and use of cognates in biliteracy/EL classrooms.

Focus on the discourse of diverse paradigms in Bilingual/ESL Education. Discuss current pedagogical, theoretical, historical, legislative and other issues in the field. Identify program models in Bilingual/ESL Education, including their philosophical foundations, instructional frameworks, and the planning and design of program evaluation.

Educators must be knowledgeable about creating learning environments that foster the development of academic language, particularly among bilingual students and English language learners. In this course, a)develop an understanding of language and literacy as simultaneously linguistic, cognitive and socio-cultural phenomena; b) use functional theories of language to understand language use in academic settings, c) build awareness and expertise in recognizing and analyzing academic language, and d) create pedagogical approaches to build academic language, with an emphasis on Dual Language Settings.

This course supports teachers in improving educational equity for emergent bilingual students, or English learners, by ensuring that emergent bilinguals have access to academic content, English language development, and the use of their whole linguistic repertoires in learning. Foci develop teachers' awareness of language, expertise in language analysis, understanding of language learning theories and processes, and knowledge of sheltering strategies for teaching language and content at the same time.

Survey major concepts and issues in education in terms of anti-oppressive education, including anticolonial, anti-racist, queer and critical pedagogy approaches. Begin with theoretical analyses and then move to practical anti-oppressive pedagogical strategies aimed at change in schools, classrooms, and community settings. By grounding theoretical principles in actual pedagogical practices, this course opens pathways to educational transformation.

Explore language, race and culture as co-constitutive forces that shape identities across a wide variety of contexts and communities. Building on sociolinguistic and anthropological understandings, this course incorporates the field of raciolinguistics to theorize race and culture through language studies, examining how the relationship between race and language impacts domains like education and politics. In so doing, consider the ways in which identity hierarchies and inequality more generally are (re)produced in educational spaces.

Write scholarly papers using archival 海角社区, documented sources, and electronic databases. Work closely with the instructor and a professor in your area of study to produce publication-quality papers. Explore issues of conceptualization, argumentation and evidence, and citation and referencing. Also learn about style, audience, organization, mechanics, and peer editing and review.

Pick ONE of the following courses:

  • SCFE 5313: Transnational and Postcolonial Feminisms OR
  • TED 5313: Diversity in Education Settings OR
  • SCFE 5323: Freirean Pedagogy and Social Justice

Focus on transnational and postcolonial feminist theory as it relates to education and pedagogy, with particular emphasis on decolonizing theory, methods, and knowledge in educational settings both formal and informal. Examine feminist scholarship that speaks to debates on transnationalism, postcolonialism and globalization, and engage in contemporary debates around sexuality, nationalism, racism and casteism in education.

Explore the social context of education and teaching in a pluralistic society.Examine schools and society in relation to historical and contemporary issues of diversity

Explore Freirean pedagogy as a source of inspiration for anti-oppressive and revolutionary teaching around the world. Examine the possibilities and limitations of Freirean pedagogy for helping people name and change social and educational realities premised upon injustices. Study the work of those who apply, extend and critique the Freirean perspective through a unique transdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach that promotes social justice and the science of wellbeing which are based on better distribution of resources.

Culminating Experience (required; 6 hours or more if needed until completed)

  • TED 5388 Capstone I OR TED 5398 Thesis I
  • TED 5390 Capstone II OR TED 5399 Thesis II

Focus on Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA).Get an overview of CDA as an approach for critically describing, interpreting, and explaining the ways in which discourses construct, maintain, and legitimize social inequalities. Gain knowledge of how linguistic and visual features of text constitute and are constituted by social, cultural and local relations, and examine the processes and contexts in which these texts are embedded. This course provides the preparation needed to utilize CDA to complete the Masters Capstone Project in /TED 5390.

Be introduced to techniques for studying oral and written discourse as a means for critically interrogating policies and practices to transform educational spaces. Use approaches such as Critical Discourse Analysis and Testimonio methodologies to practice these 海角社区 approaches and design an initial 海角社区 plan in preparation for use in thesis study. (Pre-requisite: Permission of Thesis Chairperson during first semester of thesis work and should be taken only once).

This course is a culminating experience in the program. Synthesize and apply content knowledge gained through your course of study. Complete a guided capstone project rooted in your interests/professional experiences, reflecting the wide range of educational topics that the field of Diversity, Equity and Social Justice in Education encompasses. For students who choose to take /, earning a grade of "pass" in this capstone course is a requirement for graduation.

Take advantage of the opportunity to synthesize and apply core content knowledge gained throughout your course of study with this course which is the culminating experience of this program. Demonstrate academic and professional skill development through the completion and defense of an original piece of scholarship. Earning a grade of “pass” in the thesis course is a degree requirement for graduation. Pre-requisite: Permission of Thesis Chairperson. Must be taken in all subsequent semesters during Thesis work after TED 5398.

CONNECT WITH US

The University of Texas at El Paso
海角社区 Connect Online Programs
Kelly Hall, Ste. 115
500 W. University Ave.
El Paso, Texas 79968
E: utepconnect@utep.edu
P: 1-800-684-海角社区