In 1986, Texas A&M University at College Station began offering coursework in the areas of Bilingual and English-as-a-Second Language Education. Since that time hundreds of students have graduated and virtually all have secured positions in public and higher education institutions that serve culturally and linguistically diverse students. Click here for a printable version of the program description (in English) Oprima aquí para una versión imprimible de la descripción del programa en español Bilingual Certification Information Click here to download a copy of the program's Student's Evaluation of Instruction Questionnaire. Currently the bilingual program (under the direction of Dr. Rafael Lara-Alecio) offers both doctoral and masters degrees. In addition, undergraduates may work toward endorsement/certification by taking Bilingual/ESL coursework. As a land grant institution, and in response to the Regent's Initiative for Excellence in Education, the College of Education and the Bilingual program have been vital in providing qualified teachers and faculty that serve a much needed role in the future of our state. In the 2000 - 2001 school year in Texas, elementary/bilingual and ESL positions were the hardest to fill with over 20% of the needed positions left vacant. Furthermore, over 48% of the current bilingual and ESL classroom teachers are considered less-than-fully certified. Read more... This trend is expected to continue as the Hispanic/Latino population in Texas continues to increase. In order to better address this critical need, a major focus of the bilingual program is outreach beyond our College Station campus. For example, we have implemented the first Masters Program in the nation in Bilingual Education offered fully via distance technologies. For over 10 years, the program has been involved in numerous school-based partnerships in the Houston and Bryan areas. Faculty and students in the Bilingual Program have made significant contributions to the field of bilingual/ESL education through various regional and national publications and conference presentations. View summaries of some of our most recent research and conference presentations. The combination of traditional face to face teaching, distance technologies, research, public school partnerships, and federal funding awards have proven to be a successful formula for the bilingual program at Texas A&M and the state of Texas. By reinforcing critical ties between A&M, public schools and community colleges, this fast growing program provides a successful model and demonstrates Texas A&M's leadership and commitment to providing additional educators in the state's critical teacher shortage areas.