Bilingual/Bicultural Education Minor

The Bilingual/Bicultural Education Minor program prepares future K-12 teachers to teach academic content in two languages, such as English and Spanish.

Through this program, you will learn how to read, write, and speak at an advanced academic level so you can teach your students effectively in both languages.

This minor prepares you to teach in a variety of bilingual settings where the goal is bilingualism and biliteracy for K-12 students. These include:

  • Spanish Immersion classrooms: English-speaking students learn academic content in Spanish for most of the day
  • Dual Language classrooms: English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students are combined for instruction that uses both languages to teach academic content
  • Maintenance Bilingual classrooms: Spanish-speaking students learn academic content in Spanish and English to maintain the native language and acquire English

Program Overview

Bilingual/Bicultural teachers are important, as the number of multilingual K-12 students is growing every year. There are many benefits to Bilingual/Bicultural Education for children such as:

  • Higher academic achievement than English-only instruction
  • Students are less likely to drop out of high school
  • Promotes reading and writing skills in two languages
  • Develops positive attitudes towards other peoples and cultures
  • Builds self-pride and self-esteem

This program will prepare you to serve these student’s needs by teaching curriculum in 2 languages. This minor must be accompanied with a teacher education licensure major.

You will complete 22 hours of clinical teaching in a bilingual classroom with guidance from a bilingual teacher and the program advisor, so you are prepared before you student-teach and before you start looking for a job. 

Our minor program is approved by the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, so you can apply for an endorsement to your Minnesota teaching license. WSU is the only public institution in Minnesota that offers a minor in Bilingual/Bicultural Education for pre-service teachers.

Minnesota currently allows these teaching licenses to add the Bilingual/Bicultural Education endorsement:

  • Elementary Education (K-6)
  • Math Education (5-12, 7-12)
  • Science Education (5-12, 7-12)
  • Social Studies Education (5-12, 7-12)
  • School Health Education (5-12, 7-12) 

View the Bilingual/Bicultural Education Minor course requirements.

Bilingual/Bicultural Education vs. TESOL

The goal of Bilingual/Bicultural Education is proficiency and literacy in two languages, while the goal of TESOL programs are proficiency and literacy in English. 

Are you interested in teaching English as a Second Language? Check out the ESLT major and the TESOL minor.

Are you a licensed teacher who wants the Bilingual/Bicultural endorsement? Contact us to find out how we can help. 

Contact the Global Studies & World Languages Department
Dr. Mary Hudgens Henderson
Bilingual Education Program Advisor, Assistant Professor

507.457.5500

Email Mary Hudgens Henderson