The Master of Bilingual Education (M.B.E.) degree at Southern Methodist University is designed to meet the needs of practicing teachers.


Honoring human diversity in a multilingual and multicultural society

Program Structure

The Master of Bilingual Education degree program offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that prepares specialists in the field of bilingual education and master teachers of students who do not speak English as their primary language. Designed for in-service and pre-service teachers, the program includes requirements in bilingual education such as literacy, second language teaching, bilingual math and science instruction, linguistics, culture/multicultural education, and community-based research. The program meets the requirements of the Texas Education Agency for master's level programs in bilingual education.

The faculty is drawn from the various academic disciplines represented in the University as well as professors from the Bilingual Education program. Visiting professors and lecturers also contribute to the offerings of the program.

The program consists of 36 graduate-level course hours.  The required courses in methodology, linguistics, culture, research, and the history and rationale of bilingual education offer maximum flexibility to those who are interested in broadening both their academic preparation and classroom skills. This degree program is designed for completion within two years. All program requirements for the graduate degree must be completed within six years.

Requirements for Admission

The program is intended for Spanish/English bilingual educators who have a near native or native command of Spanish and English. All MBE specialization courses integrate the language and culture of students in the Spanish-speaking world, particularly of students of Hispanic heritage living in the United States.

Additional requirements can be viewed at Graduate Admission Process.

Scholarship Information

Generous need-based and program-based scholarships are available.

Transfer Credit

Applicants should not expect to receive more than six hours of transfer credit from other institutions. èßäÊÓƵapp will need to submit a letter requesting transfer credit describing the course content along with an official transcript with these hours during the first semester of enrollment. Only courses with a grade of B or above can be transferred. Generally, no credit will be allowed toward the Master's degree for courses taken more than six years before acceptance into the program. Any exceptions to the requirements and policies stated above must have approval.