Degrees

Welcome to the ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) / Bilingual Education program area. We offer a variety of degree options to meet your professional goals and learning needs.

Student Experience

Our program is highly international in nature—we have the largest number of international students in the UF College of Education. Our students come from countries such as China, Costa Rica, Iran, Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, among many others. Click on the degree options in the Program Highlights table for more information.

Prior Experience

Our graduate students have a wide array of experiences in schools and learning sites, such as evening adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classes; heritage language programs in schools and churches; and homework and language tutoring programs held in and around Gainesville, Florida. ESOL/Bilingual Education students also network with the University of Florida English Language Institute (ELI) and interact with many international peers on our diverse UF campus.

Key Courses

TSL 6245: Principles of Language
TSL 6373: ESOL Methods
TSL 6145: ESOL Curriculum and Material Development
TSL 6440: ESOL Testing and Evaluation (Assessment)
FLE 6167: Cross Cultural Communication for Educators
FLE 6165: Bilingual-Bicultural Education
EDF 6812: International and Comparative Education

Career Outcomes

Our students have gone on to become leaders in language education and research in institutions around the globe. Most of our students go on to academic positions at the university level or P-12 teaching positions, both domestically and abroad. Some go on to careers in industry or become principals and leaders in different instructional contexts.

Research Opportunities

Our graduate students engage in research alongside the College of Education faculty in projects such as Project RIEL.

Graduate Seminars

Advanced graduate specialization seminars are offered annually by ESOL/Bilingual Education program faculty. Past seminars have included: Technology for Language and Reading Education; Translanguaging Across Educational Contexts.

Field Experiences

Students work directly with second language learners in schools and community learning sites as volunteers. They are also engaged in school-based practicums (field experiences) at the elementary, middle and secondary school levels working one-on-one with English learners.

Program Highlights

	Online-to-Campus Ratio	Time to Complete	Credit Hours	Thesis Required
Masters	20-25% online	18 months – 2 years	36	Optional
Doctorate	10-20% online	~ 4 – 5 years	90+	Yes (Dissertation)
Specialist	10-20% online	~ 3 years	90	No

Course Requirements

For ALL Prospective and Current Students: Students enrolled in the graduate program develop their program of study in consultation with their advisor to individually tailor the program to their interests and needs. The following core courses form the foundation of the graduate program (master’s, specialist, and doctoral degrees) in ESOL/Bilingual Education:

FLE 6165: Bilingual and Bicultural Education (offered every other year)
FLE 6167: Cross-Cultural Communication for Educators
TSL 6145: Curriculum and Materials Development for ESOL K-12
TSL 6245: Principles of Language for ESOL Teachers
TSL 6373: Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language
TSL 6440: ESOL Testing and Evaluation; and
EDF 6812: Comparative and International Education (offered every other year)

Please Note

Students seeking admission to any graduate program must meet the requirements of the School of Teaching & Learning and of the University of Florida Graduate School. The ESOL/Bilingual Education program area follows the School of Teaching & Learning deadlines posted here: https://education.ufl.edu/school-teaching-learning/admissions/

Applicants are encouraged to apply by January for admission the following fall semester. Applicants to the Ph.D. program who wish to be considered for scholarships and/or fellowships should apply no later than mid-December of the year prior to admission (e.g. the following fall semester).

Master’s Degrees

The Master of Arts in Education (MAE) and Master of Education (M.Ed.) degrees consist of advanced graduate coursework in the area of Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in ESOL/Bilingual Education. Students can combine the Master’s degree with a Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Certificate in collaboration with the UF Linguistics Program. The Masters degrees are 36 credit hours in total. Students can choose from a variety of areas such as Literacy, Reading, Education Technology, Linguistics, among others, to complete the degree.

Requirements:

A minimum of 23 on each subtest of the TOEFL iBT test (or equivalent) is required for admittance.
The program begins each year in the fall semester and does not admit spring or summer applicants.

Doctorate Degrees

Doctorate (Ed.D. and Ph.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction with ESOL/Bilingual Education specialization is obtained in the area of Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in ESOL/Bilingual Education.
Students without prior course work from this field and related to K-12 ESOL are expected to complete the program’s core courses (see section “Course Requirements”), in addition to graduate research courses and graduate seminars. Courses should be discussed and decided in collaboration with the academic advisor to ensure that key requirements for the degree have been met.

Language, Education & Technology Course Pathway

The intersection of language learning and educational technology is a rich and growing area for both research and industry. Emerging technologies such as GenAI, LLMs, AR, and VR, are increasingly being used to develop new language learning tools and improve existing approaches. In both higher education and industry, there is increasing demand for individuals with expertise in the research, development, application, and evaluation of educational technologies for language learning.

The Language, Education & Technology Course Pathway is available for students enrolled in the Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction, ESOL/Bilingualism specialization. The Language, Education & Technology Course Pathway requires core courses and electives from both ESOL/Bilingualism and Ed Tech, providing an interdisciplinary program of study that results in a strong foundation in both areas – preparing students for careers in academia and industry. Students in this course pathway have the opportunity to work with an advisory committee of faculty from both ESOL/Bilingualism and Ed Tech.

Language, Education & Technology Course Pathway is 15 hours at the doctoral level and includes the following:

RED 7019: Foundations of Literacy (Required)

EME 5054: Foundations of Educational Technology (Required)

9 credits of any approved EME, FLE, LAE, RED, and/or TSL prefix courses at the 5000 level or higher, or any approved EDF or EDG course that addresses languages and literacies in education or educational technology. The 9 credits will be selected by the student in consultation with the advisor and approved by the advisor in advance.

For more information, contact Dr. Sara Smith.

Specialist

Specialist (Ed.S.) in Curriculum and Instruction with ESOL specialization is obtained in the area of Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in ESOL/Bilingual Education. Students without prior course work from this field and related to K-12 ESOL are expected to complete the program’s core courses (see section “Course Requirements”), in addition to graduate research courses and graduate seminars. Courses should be discussed and decided in collaboration with the academic advisor to ensure that key requirements for the degree have been met.