Education Master’s Degree Program Overview

Important Notice Regarding Franciscan’s MSEd Programs

On April 22, 2023, the Franciscan University Board of Trustees voted to close the Master of Science in Education and Master of Science in Educational Administration Programs pending Higher Learning Commission and Ohio Department of Higher Education approval.

Effective immediately, the programs are no longer accepting new students.

The Programs are now in a teach-out phase that will conclude May 2024. Students currently enrolled in these programs are strongly encouraged to contact their advisor for details related to degree completion during the teach out period or for transfer options.

 

Enroll any time in the online master’s in education degree program at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, and take classes year round to earn your graduate degree from a Catholic university in as little as one year. The integrated online curriculum features contemporary content-based course work, interdepartmental and interdisciplinary collaboration, and team teaching for relevant, practical training. With an in-depth, holistic vision of leadership in education rooted in the rich Catholic tradition, you will develop a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in curriculum design, human development, models of teaching, and educational theory.

The art of teaching and science of education

Grounded in ethical and educational principles of the Catholic faith, Franciscan University’s online master’s in education degree program will help you grow personally, intellectually, interpersonally, and spiritually. As a master teacher and informed educator, you will be prepared to help achieve organizational goals, function in an online or traditional learning environment, and operate more effectively and efficiently with morals and values of the Catholic Church.

Explore More of the Education Master’s Degree Program

Here are just a few other ways Franciscan’s online master’s degree program in education stands out from the rest:

  • Financial aid and scholarships: The tuition rate for Franciscan’s online education master’s program is highly competitive compared with degree programs at other Catholic and public universities in Ohio and across the country. Still, you may be able to get help paying for graduate school from the Office of Financial Aid.
  • Applied learning: From internships to graduate research opportunities, you’ll have a variety of opportunities for hands-on experience within the area you are passionate about. For example, you can be paired with a practicing administrator in a clinical experience while being guided by former school administrators who serve in the faculty.
  • Experienced faculty: Online classes in the education master’s degree program are designed and taught by the same instructors who bring their experience, dedication, and Catholic faith to the classrooms on Franciscan’s campus in Ohio. They have all worked as teachers, building-level administrators, or central office administrators and are experts in educational philosophy, curriculum, instruction, technology, supervision, and research.
What Can You Do With an Education Degree?

Graduates of Franciscan University’s online master’s in education degree program assume a variety of leadership roles in both Catholic and public schools in Ohio and across the country.

Potential Employers

  • Public Schools
  • Private Schools
  • Catholic Schools
  • Faith Based Organizations
  • Youth Organizations
  • Child Care Centers
  • Pre-Schools

Potential Job Titles

  • Adjunct Professor
  • Assistant Superintendent
  • School Principal
  • Director of Special Education
  • Director of Curriculum
  • School Founder
  • Program Supervisor
Leadership In Education

The Master of Science in Educational Administration and Master of Science in Education share the same organizing theme: developing educators who possess leadership abilities and qualities.

The Core Area is common to both master’s degree programs. It is imperative that students are well grounded in philosophical foundations and research skills to be informed educators.

The designated courses provide an in-depth view of all facets of education, expanding the student’s academic knowledge base, encouraging independent thought and aiding the development of professional growth. The courses are vital to the development of teacher leaders who are to become effective change agents and share in the achievement of organizational goals.

Ultimately, the curriculum, preparing teachers as leaders, is designed to prepare the individual to grow intellectually and spiritually, to share in the achievement of organizational goals, to function more effectively within the classroom environment, and to operate effectively and efficiently regardless of the designated role within the organization.

Degree Programs

Franciscan University of Steubenville offers two graduate degrees in education:

GRADUATE DEGREES

  • Master of Science in Education
  • Master of Science in Educational Administration

Graduate Programs Details

Both programs share the same organizing theme – developing educators who possess leadership abilities and qualities. With these skills, educational administrators and master teachers can anticipate, cope with, respond to, or initiate change effectively in the school system.

The MS in Education prepares educators to be master teachers and leaders by emphasizing curriculum, instruction, leadership, and the classroom environment. Through team teaching and interdepartmental and interdisciplinary collaboration, participants in the program strengthen their intellectual, interpersonal, and spiritual growth. Educators are encouraged to develop an educational philosophy and curriculum responsive to students’ changing needs.

The MS in Educational Administration prepares leaders by sharpening independent thought, knowledge in academic fields, and interpersonal, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.

Continuing Education – If you currently hold a teaching license, you may take the continuing education coursework necessary to renew your license through the Graduate Education program.

To talk it over, contact us in our Graduate Admissions Office at (740) 284-5249 or at [email protected]

Program Philosophy

The basic philosophy of the Master of Science in Educational Administration is to impart to its students knowledge in academic fields, special skills in research and sharpened powers of independent thought. The program is designed to develop individuals who exercise leadership qualities to improve their effectiveness in education both personally and professionally.

The purposes and objectives of the Master of Science Program in Education are in keeping with Franciscan University of Steubenville’s mission as well as being responsive to the interests and needs of teachers. The faculty and administration who support the program leading to a Master of Science Degree in Educational Administration express compatibility of the program with the mission, goals and convictions of Franciscan University of Steubenville.

The graduate program, through its faculty, seeks to create and maintain the academic milieu for excellence in graduate work. Therefore, its influence and encouragement extend first to its own members and their scholarly activities. Educators completing the Franciscan University of Steubenville Master of Science in Educational Administration program are individuals who bring to their position knowledge in academic fields, special skills in research, sharpened powers of thought and leadership abilities and qualities that include lifelong learning skills, problem solving, appropriate decision-making, maturation, coping abilities, responsibility, interpersonal skills, and effective time management. Yet, while it gives them the resources, the guidance, and the inspiration of a scholarly staff in its classrooms, laboratories, and libraries, it expects the students themselves to bring marked initiative and energies to their work and to assume full responsibility for the progress of their studies.

In short, graduate work for the student at Franciscan University of Steubenville has for its purpose an integrated program of advanced study based on adequate undergraduate preparation in a specific field. It presupposes academic and personal maturity and makes more than an average demand upon the initiative, the industry, and the scholarship of the candidate for an advanced degree.

Men and women graduates of approved colleges or universities who hold the Bachelor’s Degree are eligible for admission. Applicants must have had adequate undergraduate preparation in their proposed fields of study and must show promise for pursuing higher studies satisfactorily.

Franciscan University of Steubenville accepts into its graduate program applicants who can present undergraduate records showing them capable of meeting the standards of graduate work. An applicant must hold a teacher’s certificate or a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, unless specific exceptions are granted, i.e. individual departmental evaluations by the Director of Graduate Education, and must have attained an undergraduate quality point average of at least 2.75 of a possible 4.0.

To talk it over, contact us in our Graduate Admissions Office at (740) 284-5249 or at [email protected]

Curriculum

MS in Education

The MS in Education requires 36 hours of coursework, which includes nine hours in philosophical studies, educational research, and a master’s project.

MS in Educational Administration

Completion of the MS in Educational Administration requires 36 hours of coursework and includes 15 hours in philosophical studies, research methodology, field experience, and a master’s project. Eighteen hours in school leadership courses round out the curriculum.

To talk it over, contact us in our Graduate Admissions Office at (740) 284-5249 or at [email protected]

Oath of Fidelity
Pope with teachers
BOTTOM ROW: Dr. Megan Reister, assistant professor of education; Dr. Susan Poyo, associate professor of education; Prof. Rebecca Rook, instructor of education; Dr. Mary Kathryn McVey, Education Department chair; Dr. Tiffany Boury, associate professor of education; TOP: Dr. George Ash, associate professor of graduate education; Fr. Sean O. Sheridan, president, Franciscan University of Steubenville; Bishop Jeffrey Monforton, Diocese of Steubenville.

It was an historic moment when six members of Franciscan University’s Education Department stood before Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton of Steubenville at the 2018 Orientation Weekend Mass and one by one, placed their hands on the Book of the Gospels to declare, “In my words and in my actions, I shall always preserve communion with the Catholic Church.”

Since 1989, when the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith first required those directly connected with teaching Catholic doctrine to profess their adherence to the magisterium, the Oath of Fidelity and Profession of Faith have been publicly taken by Franciscan University theology faculty and pastoral personnel. Ever since, all new theology and pastoral ministers took the oath, and more recently, philosophy and sacred music professors have taken the oath as well.

Now, add to that list Franciscan’s undergraduate and graduate Education Department faculty.

Dr. Mary Kathryn McVey, chair of the Education Department, said that while the Education Department is one of Franciscan’s professional programs, and therefore, not directly connected with teaching Catholic doctrine on faith and morals as stipulated by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, its identity “is still in Christ and the Catholic Church.”

“With this oath, we affirm we have this Catholic and Christian worldview that flows through every aspect of our lives, including our teaching,” said Dr. Susan Poyo, associate professor of education. “It reminds us to look through a Catholic lens in every aspect of our teaching.”

For education professor Dr. Megan Reister, “The oath becomes a way to show we’re not keeping religion separate from creating our syllabi, our assignments, and how we model ourselves to students. It means our Catholic identity is integrated into everything we do as educators.”

McVey said the department spent a year in study and discernment leading up to the public profession, beginning with a summer retreat attended by all education faculty members. A task force was created to provide direction, speakers presented information on a range of pertinent topics, and the educators researched Church documents related to education and studied new ways to deepen Catholic identity more explicitly into the curriculum.

Finally, the Education Department voted unanimously to participate in the Oath of Fidelity, including non-Catholic faculty members who cannot take the oath.

“It was an inspirational moment watching my colleagues take the Oath of Fidelity,” said Dr. Mark Furda, director of Graduate Education Programs. “As a non-Catholic at Franciscan, the University has warmly welcomed me. In turn, I have embraced the university mission and have grown spiritually in my own faith. I have found that my values of focusing on truth and the whole person are congruent with those of Franciscan, and I strive to integrate these into my classes.”

Professor Rebecca Rook, who teaches math education, summed up the thoughts of several of her colleagues on the oath’s connection to the education program’s mission: “It’s important we educate the next generation of teachers so they can teach in light of the Gospel and are able to encourage the next generation to preserve the deposit of faith.”

Program Admissions

Important Notice Regarding Franciscan’s MSEd Programs

On April 22, 2023, the Franciscan University Board of Trustees voted to close the Master of Science in Education and Master of Science in Educational Administration Programs pending Higher Learning Commission and Ohio Department of Higher Education approval.

Effective immediately, the programs are no longer accepting new students.

The Programs are now in a teach-out phase that will conclude May 2024. Students currently enrolled in these programs are strongly encouraged to contact their advisor for details related to degree completion during the teach out period or for transfer options.

Academic Catalog

View the Graduate Education Program on the Graduate Catalog

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Alumni Profiles
Beyond the Classroom
Global Perspectives

As an online degree program, Franciscan University’s master’s in education offers a Catholic faith-filled, enriching learning environment, with students from Ohio and across the country bringing their diverse passions, experiences, and perspectives to the online classroom.

Programs Related to the Master’s in Education

Still undecided? You might also be interested in these graduate programs at Franciscan that are similar to the education master’s degree.

Ethically Formed. Prepared to Serve. Trained to Lead.
Graduate Education Faculty
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Tiffany Boury portrait 9-11-2020 -9628

Dr. Tiffany Boury

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Dr. Mark Furda

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