MEd in Language, Culture, and Curriculum

• Enhance your expertise and practice to work in settings including ESL, EFL, TESOL, bilingual, and general education.
• Earn your Master's degree, which includes required coursework for the ESL endorsement. You can take one additional course to receive bilingual endorsement.
• Develop in-depth expertise to support the learning and language development of all students with targeted focus on multilingual learners.
• Complete coursework online from anywhere in the world, or take courses in-person on our Chicago campus.
• Immediately apply your leaning to your classroom practice via the project-based approach that prioritizes the development of both you and your students.
• Engage in collaborative learning with other educators via structured cohorts that move through the strategically sequenced 10-course program together. 
• Complete the degree program in less than 1.5 years by taking two courses per semester – ideal for the busy classroom teacher looking for flexibility and applicability.

• Holistically support students' social, emotional, cultural, linguistic, and academic development and achievement. 
• Actively engage in the design and implementation of educational policies, programs, and services for multilingual learners.
• Align curriculum and instruction with the cultural and linguistic goals and resources of families and communities. 
• Plan and implement classroom instruction and assessment that integrates language into rigorous literacy and content area teaching.  
• Find and utilize culturally and linguistically relevant literature, materials and technology, to support learning, literacy, and biliteracy.
• Involve parents, families, and communities in meaningful ways to support students' learning, development, and achievement.
• Promote equity for multilingual learners via leadership and advocacy work both inside and outside of schools.

International Students: Educators from countries around the world are encouraged to apply to Loyola's Language, Culture and Curriculum Master's Program to develop their asset-based linguistically and culturally responsive practice and explore new ideas. Courses focus on theories, concepts, and skill development applicable to schools with bilingual and multilingual student populations in any context. 

For more information on taking part in this program as an international student, please visit: International Students. 

The program requires 30 semester hours, consisting of 10 classes taken one at a time spanning 6-8 weeks. Cohortss complete the program in 1.5 years, takings two classes each semester for five semesters (i.e., Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring, Summer). Should the need arise to deviate from the cohort, students have five years from acceptance to complete the program.

Master's students in Language, Culture, and Curriculum are required to maintain the status of continuous enrollment during their program of studies. This means that during each semester of each academic year (excluding Summer Sessions), each student must enroll in at least one course. A formal leave of absence may be granted upon request and the approval of the School of Education’s Assistant Dean of Student Academic Affairs.

Required Courses (30 semester hours; courses listed in order taken in the program)

• CIEP 508: Social Justice and Multilingual Learners 
• CIEP 503: Culturally Relevant Literature for Children & Adolescents
• CIEP 471: Theoretical Foundations for Teaching ESL/Bilingual
• CIEP 507: Language Demands & Development
• CIEP 474: Assessment of Bilingual Students
• CIEP 509: Literacy & Bilingualism
• CIEP 472: Methods and Materials for Teaching ESL/Bilingual
• CIEP 506: English Language Learning Practicum
• CIEP 504: Applied Linguistics for Teachers
• CIEP 473: Instructional Leadership for Multicultural Schools

Clinical Experiences: Students will complete clinical experiences integrated within individual courses. For students who are not currently teaching, additional clinical hours may be required outside of coursework.

Comprehensive Assessment: The comprehensive portfolio for this program will be completed throughout the program. The professional portfolio includes the focal project from each practice-based course, including:

• Personal philosophy for teaching emergent bilinguals
• Community study and culturally relevant library list
• Parent guide to federal, state, and local language policies
• Classroom displays for students' metalinguistic awareness
• Student case study and assessment portfolio
• Literacy and biliteracy student intervention plan
• Disciplinary unit plan with language lens
• Co-planning and co-teaching unit of study
• Applied linguistics problem and action plan
• Professional development plan for school change

Transfer Credits: With the advisor’s approval, MEd in LCC graduates, who earned the degree within the past 10 years, may be able to transfer up to 30 credit hours to the Ed.D. in 3Cs program (as part of the 60-credit requirement). The School of Education accepts only those courses for which the student received a grade of “B” (or its equivalent) or better. Please note that students who have not fulfilled two prerequisite research courses (RMTD 400 and 404) will need to meet these prerequisites as a part of their program. These two courses are not counted toward the 60-credit requirement for the Ed.D. program.

Students interested in pursuing the MEd in Language, Culture, and Curriculum are not required to hold a teaching license

Students will need to hold a valid teaching license should they wish to formally attach the ESL endorsement that is a part of this larger Master's degree program. 

This program will provide the coursework needed to receive an ESL endorsement if candidates hold an Illinois teaching license. The endorsement is for the grade range of the license with the exception of the middle grades. Adding the middle grade ESL endorsement may require additional course work if the middle grade endorsement is not currently on the license.

Applicants licensed to teach outside of the state of Illinois may be able to receive the ESL endorsement through the Language, Culture, and Curriculum program through reciprocity agreements.

• The following states have reciprocity agreements with Illinois: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. 

For more information, please visit: Illinois Licensure