Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) will host a Master of Education Program Information Session on Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Guerin Preparatory High School, 8001 W. Belmont Avenue, in River Grove, Ill. 

The accelerated Master of Education (M.Ed.) program at SMWC, which can be completed in one year, is designed for practicing teachers with at least two years of teaching experience. The program’s curriculum focuses on the development of leadership skills and excellent teaching, empowering teachers to integrate collaborative technology tools and other pedagogical resources to address diverse student needs and circumstances.

The M.Ed. program incorporates a hybrid delivery model that blends Internet and classroom study, and to bring the program into the Chicago area, SMWC has partnered with Guerin Preparatory High School. With the hybrid course format of the M.Ed., students are required to engage in classroom study approximately every eight weeks throughout the one-year program. For the convenience of the students in Chicago, Guerin Preparatory High School will host all of the face-to-face components of the program. This new Chicago-area cohort will begin in February 2009.

During the M.Ed. Information Session, prospective students can also learn about scholarship and financial aid opportunities. Each year, SMWC awards 12 need-based scholarships to students who are admitted to the College’s graduate programs. Six $6,000 scholarships and six $3,000 scholarships are awarded to graduate students who demonstrate financial need as assessed by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) results.

To qualify for the need-based awards, students must be admitted to one of the College’s graduate programs, they must complete the FAFSA, and their FAFSA results must be sent to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. The Graduate Student Need-Based Scholarships will be awarded to those students who have the greatest financial need, and each scholarship recipient will be notified 30 days before the start of his/her graduate program.

In addition to the M.Ed. program, SMWC offers five other graduate programs in art therapy, earth literacy, leadership development, music therapy and pastoral theology. All of the graduate programs at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College are open to women and men, and they are delivered through distance education, which means that students spend minimal time on campus.

To register for the Master of Education Program Information Session, or to receive more information about graduate studies at SMWC, contact the Office of Distance & Graduate Admission by phone at 800-499-0373 or by e-mail at gradadms@smwc.edu.