Bilingual Endorsement/Approval

View information for Accepted Students or Current Students

This online program is designed to enable licensed teachers with proficiency in another language to add the Bilingual endorsement to their current professional educator license. Upon completion of the endorsement coursework, candidates may complete additional coursework to receive a Master of Arts in Education degree.

The Bilingual Endorsement program is designed for teachers who are either:

• Employed currently in bilingual education programs, or
• Preparing for or seeking employment as bilingual education teachers.

Candidates with a valid Learning Behavior Specialist I endorsement on their current educator license are eligible to complete a Bilingual approval. The difference between the approval (9 semester hours) and the endorsement (18 semester hours) is that the approval allows individuals with a Learning Behavior Specialist I endorsement to work with bilingual learners who have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), whereas the full endorsement allows individuals to work with bilingual learners at the PK-12 grade range.

Bilingual Endorsement Flyer (pdf)

Endorsement Requirements

You may apply for the bilingual endorsement upon satisfactory completion of the prescribed curriculum while maintaining a grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0.

In addition to coursework, candidates for the Bilingual Endorsement must:

• Complete 100 clock hours of bilingual field experience (must be in a bilingual setting) or have three months of teaching experience in a bilingual education program.
• Successfully complete a language proficiency examination.

Endorsements can only be added to a valid Professional Educator License. Upon completion of the coursework, apply for this endorsement through the License Office at Dominican University. Once entitled, you must apply for the endorsement in your Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) account.

Application Deadlines

• Summer I 2025: May 5–June 24; application deadline April 25
• Summer II 2025: June 30-August 18; application deadline June 20
• Fall I 2025: August 25–October 17; application deadline: August 15
• Fall II 2025: October 20–December 13; application deadline: October 10
• Spring I 2026: January 12—March 6 ; application deadline December 12 (Please note the university is closed from December 22-January 1)
• Spring II 2026: March 16-May 1; application deadline February 27 (Please note spring break is March 9–15)

Approval Requirements

Candidates for the approval must hold a valid Illinois Professional Educator License with a Learning Behavior Specialist (LBS) I endorsement. Upon completion of the coursework, apply for the approval by submitting an application online in your Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) account.

The program takes approximately three to four semesters to complete. 

Bilingual Endorsement Learning Outcomes

• Understand theoretical foundations of bilingual education and teaching ESL
• Demonstrate assessment of the bilingual student
• Apply methods and materials for teaching ESL
• Apply methods and materials for teaching limited-English-proficient students in bilingual programs
• Understand cross-cultural studies for teaching limited-English proficient students

Curriculum for the Bilingual Endorsement

For course descriptions, please visit the University Bulletin.

Curriculum for the Bilingual Approval - Candidates Who Have Learning Behavior Specialist I Endorsement

For course descriptions, please visit the University Bulletin.