Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) will host a Graduate Studies Open House on Monday, Oct. 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Presidents’ Room of the Mary and Andrew Rooney Library. During the Open House, prospective students can learn more about the graduate programs at SMWC and scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

SMWC currently offers six graduate programs in art therapy, earth literacy, education, 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.

The newest graduate programs at SMWC are the Master of Education program and the Master of Leadership Development program. These accelerated programs, which are designed to be completed in one year, incorporate a hybrid delivery model that allows students to complete the programs while continuing to work full time. Both programs will begin new cohorts in February 2009.

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) program 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 accelerated Master of Leadership Development (MLD) program is open to women and men in all types of organizations and businesses including for-profit, not-for-profit, civic, education, religious, and government. The program is designed to develop leaders with critical thinking and problem-solving skills who can effectively and ethically lead an organization in the global environment today and in the future.

SMWC also offers graduate programs in pastoral theology, earth literacy, art therapy and music therapy. The Masters of Arts in Pastoral Theology (MAPT) program provides advanced theological training for those who are, or who plan to be, active in church ministry, and the Master of Arts in Earth Literacy (ELM) program uses interdisciplinary learning to foster the capacity to understand the world in order to promote sustainability. The Masters of Arts in Art Therapy (MAAT) program is designed for persons who utilize or plan to utilize art in therapy or art as therapy, and the Masters of Arts in Music Therapy (MAMT) program welcomes qualified music therapists seeking an advanced understanding of the therapeutic uses of music. Start dates for these programs vary.

In addition to offering students quality graduate education in a convenient distance format, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is committed to making higher education affordable. To assist students who wish to pursue graduate studies, SMWC is awarding 12 need-based scholarships to students who are admitted to the College’s graduate programs. Each year, SMWC awards six $6,000 scholarships and six $3,000 scholarships 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.

SMWC has also partnered with several businesses to provide their employees with a 10 percent tuition discount when they enroll in either the Woods External Degree (WED) program or one of SMWC’s graduate programs.

To register for the Graduate Studies Open House at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, or for 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.