Teaching Spanish to Heritage/Bilingual Learners Certificate

Department of Foreign Languages, College of Arts & Sciences

Vision Statement

A graduate certificate in teaching Spanish to heritage/bilingual learners will provide students with the opportunity to earn a graduate certificate after completion of 18 credit hours. Courses will focus on the study of sociolinguistic and pedagogical (theory and practice) subjects relevant to the intricacies and challenges of teaching Spanish to bilingual learners (children who are bilingual) and heritage learners (bilingual adults). 

Program Contact Information

Cecilia Tocaimaza-Hatch, PhD, Graduate Program Chair (GPC)
301 Arts & Sciences Hall (ASH) 
402.554.4841
ctocaimazahatch@unomaha.edu

Program Website

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Admissions

General Application Requirements and Admission Criteria

Program-Specific Requirements

Application Deadlines (Spring 2024, Summer, 2024, and Fall 2024)

Applications for this program are accepted on a rolling basis with a priority deadline of June 30 for fall admission, November 15 for spring admission, and April 15 for summer admission

Other Requirements

  • Undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0
  • English Language Proficiency: Applicants are required to have a command of oral and written English. Those who do not hold a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from the United States, OR a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from a predetermined country on the waiver list, must meet the minimum language proficiency score requirement in order to be considered for admission.

    • Internet-based TOEFL: 100, IELTS: 7.5, PTE: 68, Duolingo: 130 
  • Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation are required.
  • If Spanish was not the applicant’s major and it is not his/her native language, he/she must schedule an oral entrance interview with a MALT faculty member. Applicant needs to be rated as advanced-low. See the ACTFL 2012 guidelines for criteria information: https://www.actfl.org/resources/actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012

Degree Requirements

Required Courses
FLNG 8050THEORY AND METHODS IN THE TEACHING OF HERITAGE LANGUAGES3
FLNG 8060APPROACHES AND METHODS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING3
FLNG 8900DIRECTED READINGS3
Select one of the following:3
HISPANIC BILINGUALISM
HISPANIC SOCIOLINGUISTICS
SPANISH IN THE UNITED STATES
Select two of the following:6
LANGUAGE ENHANCEMENT THROUGH VOCABULARY LEARNING
INTRODUCTION TO HISPANIC LINGUISTICS
INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURES
THE STRUCTURE OF SPANISH
SEMINAR:FL/TESOL RESEARCH
SEMINAR: SECOND AND BILINGUAL LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THEORY
SEMINAR: ASSESSMENT & CURRICULUM DESIGN
Total Credits18

Students must complete all required coursework with a grade of B or better.