UMass Global Announces New Master of Arts in Bilingual Education

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (June 25, 2026) — University of Massachusetts Global today announced the launch of a new Master of Arts in Bilingual Education, designed to prepare educators and aspiring professionals to serve linguistically and culturally diverse learners in schools and communities around the world. The program is now enrolling students in Fall I 2026. 

Offered fully online and asynchronous, the Master’s in Bilingual Education gives busy students a flexible way to earn a graduate degree while gaining practical, real‑world experience. The program highlights how students learn a second language, teaches culturally responsive teaching practices and fair assessment, and builds skills in leadership and advocacy in bilingual and multilingual settings, so students can apply what they learn in their own languages, countries, and classrooms.

The program responds to growing demand for qualified bilingual educators in the United States and globally. More than 67 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, and English Learners now represent over 10 percent of the K–12 student population. Bilingual education is consistently identified as a high‑need area, with school systems and communities seeking educators who can support multilingual learners and advance linguistic equity. 

“The Master of Arts in Bilingual Education is about honoring the full linguistic and cultural identities of our students,” said Dr. Weina Chen, Associate Dean of the School of Education at UMass Global. “By combining research‑based coursework, intercultural competence, and flexible online learning, we are equipping educators around the world to design programs, classrooms, and policies that expand opportunity for multilingual learners.” 

This master’s program uses authentic, scenario‑based simulations and assignments to help students build workforce‑relevant competencies they can immediately apply in their roles. Courses cover foundations of multilingualism and multiculturalism, language and literacy development, sociolinguistics, equitable assessment, needs‑based program design, and critical issues in bilingual and multicultural education, culminating in a capstone project in bilingual education. 

Students can transfer up to 9 qualifying graduate credits into the 30-credit program, and if you’ve completed UMass Global’s CTEL or Bilingual Authorization, 6 of those credits are automatically satisfied. This program is open to educators and educators‑to‑be worldwide who can complete graduate‑level coursework in English; students do not need to be bilingual to enroll. 

Graduates will be prepared for roles such as bilingual or multilingual teacher or specialist (subject to local licensure), instructional coach, program or curriculum coordinator, policy analyst, educational consultant, and community or nonprofit education leader in bilingual and multilingual settings.