Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Guerin College Preparatory High School in River Grove, Ill., to bring SMWC’s one-year Master of Education program to the Chicago area. In addition, the College is celebrating this new partnership by offering a 20 percent tuition discount for all students who enroll in this first Chicago-area cohort.

SMWC’s accelerated Master of Education (M.Ed.) program incorporates a hybrid delivery model that blends Internet and classroom study. With the hybrid course format of the M.Ed., students are required to engage in classroom study for one weekend every eight weeks, or six times total, throughout the one-year program. For the convenience of prospective students in the Chicago area, Guerin College Preparatory High School will host all of the face-to-face components of the program. The Chicago-area cohort will have its first set of classes Feb. 21-22, 2009.

The 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 program is designed to be completed in one year, but a two-year option is also available.

In addition to the 20 percent discount being offered to students who enroll in this first Chicago cohort, all students who enroll in the M.Ed. program at SMWC are eligible to apply for scholarships and financial aid. 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.

In addition to the M.Ed. program, SMWC offers five 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 receive more information about the Master of Education program or 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.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is also a sponsor for the 2009 Opening Minds Conference, which is coordinated by Chicago Metropolitan Association for the Education of Young Children. Information about the M.Ed. program and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College will be at booth number 609 during the Conference, which will be held Jan. 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, 2233 S. Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago, Ill. More information about the Conference can be found online at www.chicagometroaeyc.org/opening-minds/.