Bilingual Education, Advanced Certificate (Online)

School of Education

Program Overview

This Advanced Certificate provides a New York State Bilingual Extension for graduate students who already possess an initial or professional certificate for birth through grade 12. Successful applicants must demonstrate proficiency in both English and in the language other than English for which they seek the extension. Our online courses cover bilingualism, research, methodology, biliteracy, content instruction in bilingual settings, and multicultural education. Some fieldwork may be conducted in person.

Bilingual Education, Advanced Certificate (Online)

Where you'll go

Our mission is to prepare both practicing teachers and career-changers for effective classroom practice of diverse students in urban settings. This Advanced Certificate prepares candidates to teach in bilingual settings where two languages are used as the media of instruction. The program will not only support you to gain New York State Certification but will also provide you with both the analytical and practical skills to offer students.

Program Details

The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2024–25 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.

Program Description

This Advanced Certificate provides a New York State Bilingual Extension for graduate students who already possess an initial or professional certificate (Birth–Grade 12, including Teachers of Students with Disabilities and for Teachers of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities).

This program of study prepares candidates to teach in bilingual settings where two languages are used as the mediums of instruction. The Advanced Certificate provides candidates with a solid foundation in the theory and practice of bilingual education; courses include the following topics: bilingualism, research, methodology, biliteracy, content instruction in bilingual settings, and multicultural education.

The course seminars/lectures for the program are online; courses may require in-person fieldwork/student-teaching bilingual settings.

Applicants must have a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00.

Interviews and writing samples in English and the language other than English are required for admission to the Advanced Certificate for bilingual extension (Birth–Grade 12).

Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in both English and in a language other than English (the language in which they seek the extension). Proficiency of the language other than English is determined by the Bilingual Education Assessment (BEA), which is offered by New York State.

International applicants for whom English is a second language are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test or 79 on the internet-based test before being considered for admission.

Degree Requirements (15 Credits)

The bilingual extension consists of 15 credits.

Required courses, which may be taken in any order, are listed below. This sequence of courses is applicable for candidates who already possess a certificate, except Teachers of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD) students.

7350T7351T7353T, and 7355T; and Puerto Rican and Latino Studies 7145X.

TSSLD students must complete the following sequence of courses: CBSE 7350T7351T7353T, Communications Arts, Sciences, and Disorders 7535/CBSE 7360, and Communications Arts, Sciences, and Disorders 7536/CBSE 7359.

All courses in the childhood bilingual education programs require departmental permission for registration.

Students should note additional requirements found at the beginning of this section as well as in the sections “Admission” and “Academic Regulations and Procedures” of the Brooklyn College Bulletin of Graduate Programs.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Understands the major concepts of bilingual education theory and practice across developmental levels including the history of bilingual education (InTASC, Standard #4)
  • Understands and inquires about the development and growth of a variety of emergent bilingual students across developmental levels and school contexts (InTASC, Standard #1)
  • Able to translate the most current bilingual education theories to practice that supports the development of emergent bilinguals across developmental levels and content areas. (InTASC, Standard #4)
  • Recognizes and respects the group and individual differences of emergent bilingual students and uses these differences as resources in student learning (InTASC, Standard #2)
  • Identifies, modifies, and executes practices that ensure that both the physical and interactional learning environment supports a healthy attitude towards language diversity and language learning and supports emergent bilinguals’ overall academic and social development (InTASC, Standard #3)
  • Understands how to support students’ language development alongside overall academic and social development through the use of their entire linguistic repertoire and multiple modalities (including play, art, digital literacies, etc).  (InTASC, Standard #5)
  • Thoughtfully plans developmentally appropriate and culturally sustaining pedagogy that results in rigorous learning of language and content (InTASC, Standard #6)
  • Can adapt and utilize a range of informal assessment tools to accurately assess emergent bilinguals’ growth in both content area skills as well as language (InTASC, Standard #6)
  • Can develop and implement instructional strategies that take into account the multiple dimensions of the bilingual learning (including linguistic diversity, cultural background, race, socioeconomic background) and honors and builds off students’ resources (InTASC, Standard #7)
  • Structures experiences so that bilingual students can build and develop metacognitive and metalinguistic practices to support bilingualism and learning in general  (InTASC, Standard #8)
  • Engages in frequent and collaborative professional development experiences that, at times, cuts across grade bands and languages, to develop an identity as a bilingual practitioner (InTASC, Standard #9)
  • Collaborates with other colleagues to discuss, share, and lead to improve the educational lives of emergent bilingual students alongside the collaboration of families and community members (InTASC, Standard #10)

Admissions Requirements

  • Fall Application Deadline: July 15
  • Spring Application Deadline: December 15

Supporting Documents for Matriculation

Submit the following documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

  • Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Applicants who earned a bachelor’s degree outside the United States need to submit a course-by-course international transcript evaluation. See Graduate Admissions for more information.
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Résumé
  • Copy of New York State or other state teaching certificate, and results from the Bilingual Education Assessment (BEA). Candidates without BEA may be offered an interview by the academic department to determine language proficiency.
  • Writing sample in English and Language other than English (the language in which the candidate seeks the extension). Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in both English and in a language other than English (the language in which they seek the extension.) Proficiency in the language other than English is by a writing sample in English and the language other than English and/or through an interview with the applicant. International applicants for whom English is a second language are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test or 79 on the internet-based test before being considered for admission.

Interview with a faculty member.

Required Tests

  • F-1 or J-1 international students must submit English Proficiency Exam. TOEFL—79, IELTS—6.5, PTE—58–63, Duolingo—105–160.

Refer to the instructions at Graduate Admissions.

Contact

Laura Ascenzi-Moreno

2105 James Hall
E: lascenzimoreno@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.5000, ext. 3757

Or contact:

Office of Graduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
E: grads@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.4536

Office Hours

Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

To make an appointment with a graduate admissions counselor, visit:

BC Admissions Appointment Tool

Internships and Employers

Students complete internships in public and private schools throughout the New York City region as well as across the United States. The internship is a supervised experience designed to hone the requisite skills and knowledge to work as a bilingual educator.

Learn More

Brooklyn. All in.

Brooklyn. All in.