American Indian Education provides knowledge about current issues in Indian education which support self-determination and the enhancement of sovereignty in Indian communities. Courses include information on the history of American Indian education, community-based curriculum development, language maintenance and revitalization, and strategies in teaching the American Indian child.

The Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) doctoral and masters degree programs offer specializations in Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language (TESOL). The program also offers teaching endorsements in Bilingual Education or English as a Second Language. Students are able to conduct research and study theory, pedagogy, and curriculum development in bilingualism and second language development. The program also encourages students to explore educational issues across cultures and linguistic groups, and to become knowledgeable about bilingual and English as a second language issues across the curriculum. Courses address the social, political, cultural, and linguistic contexts that affect language minority students, schools, and communities. Faculty in this program affirm and are committed to educational equity, cultural, and linguistic rights and social justice for language minority students, their families, and communities.

The Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) doctoral and master’s degree programs offer a specialization in Educational Thought and Sociocultural Studies (ETSS). ETSS offers an interdisciplinary and broad educational approach to concepts and debates (historical and contemporary) in the social foundations of education. The primary focus in ETSS is on using critical theories of race, class, gender, and language to better understand educational phenomenon. The programs rich and varied curriculum consists of courses that range from traditional educational foundations (e.g., Education and Anthropology, History of Education, Sociology of Education) to emerging perspectives (e.g., Critical Race Theory, Feminist Epistemologies, Whiteness Studies) to qualitative research (e.g., Ethnographic and Qualitative Research).

The Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) doctoral and masters degree programs offer a specialization in Literacy and Language Arts. Students in this area are able to conduct research and study theory, pedagogy, and curriculum development in literacy and language arts, pre-K through college. This includes courses in reading, writing, language arts, and related areas, in school and community settings. The program also encourages students to explore educational issues across cultures and linguistic groups. Students who complete the Ph.D. in this area often take positions in colleges and universities as teacher educators and researchers.

The Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS) masters degree program is an opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge of social studies education by combining graduate work in LLSS and in history and the social sciences. Its purpose is to deepen the curricular and instructional competence of social studies teachers in settings that serve racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students and communities.