UAS launches Alaska’s first licensure program for teaching Indigenous languages

Master of Arts in Teaching Indigenous Languages prepares speakers to advance language revitalization as fully licensed teachers.

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: September 16, 2026

Classes are underway for the inaugural cohort of the Master of Arts in Teaching Indigenous Languages (MAT-IL) program at the University of Alaska Southeast. It is the first program in Alaska to prepare Indigenous language speakers to become fully licensed teachers.

“We are honored to collaborate with the UAS Alaska Native Languages program in launching the Master of Arts in Teaching Indigenous Languages,” said Angela Lunda, dean of the School of Education. “While educational institutions across Alaska once played a role in the erosion of Indigenous languages, the UAS School of Education is committed to leading efforts toward their revitalization. Only through the languages rooted in this Land can our worldviews truly be understood.”

Becoming fully certified enables educators to earn a full salary and benefits as they teach critically endangered languages. Currently, many Indigenous language educators in Alaska work under a Type M limited teaching certificate, which limits scope of work and compensation.

Rose Willard, a Tlingit language teacher in Juneau, is a student in the program’s first cohort. Willard holds a Bachelor’s in Alaska Native Languages & Studies from UAS. Because a master’s degree has not been available in her area of specialization, she teaches under a Type M certificate.

“I previously was in a different Master of Arts in Teaching program, but Indigenous language teaching wasn’t the focus, and I realized I needed to wait until the right program became available,” Willard said. “I’m excited to learn techniques and strategies to improve my teaching skills — to adapt lessons to reach students of all language skill levels, to facilitate positive engagement and to have more doors opened with a full teaching license.”

Alongside approaches for teaching, students in the program are equipped for the social and institutional transformations that allow language revitalization to take place.

“Indigenous languages across Alaska are endangered today because of harmful actions taken by governments, churches, and education,” said Professor of Alaska Native Languages X̱'unei Lance Twitchell. “We collectively commit to repairing those harms and restoring the health of Indigenous languages and people by transforming education in positive and helpful ways.”

The program delivers instruction through a flexible hybrid model, combining online education courses with hybrid courses that can be attended online or in-person on the Juneau campus. It is open to high-fluency speakers and advanced learners of any Indigenous language.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents approved the degree program in May, followed by provisional approval from the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development in June. In July, it was approved by UAS’ accreditor, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and opened for enrollment.

Indigenous language courses have been offered at UAS for nearly 40 years, with key support from community partners including Sealaska Heritage Institute.

For more information about the new program, visit the Master of Arts in Teaching Indigenous Languages webpage.