The School of Leadership and Education Sciences at USD Prepares to Launch the Online MEd Degree

In direct response to the need for a master of education program that serves students, improves program quality and provides a cost-effective program for students in a difficult economy, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences Department (SOLES) of Learning and Teaching is pleased to make available their Master of Education degree in an online format. The online MEd degree program at the University of San Diego is designed to be accessible for working professional educators who seek quality higher education.

According to Dr. Lattimer, associate professor and chair of the Department of Learning and Teaching, “The online MEd program goals build on the department’s mission statement and our commitment to access and equity, urban education, research-guided practice, and internationalization. Graduates of USD’s online MEd program will possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to prepare K-12 students for success in a globally connected 21st century society, promote equity and excellence through inclusive teaching practices that empower all students and advance social justice, and engage in systematic inquiry of classroom teaching and learning for leading transformation in the classroom, school, and professional community.”

“K-12 education,” said Dr. Paula Cordeiro, Professor and Dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, “has changed in significant ways; the structure has evolved to concerns within specific specializations and the need for educated professionals in these areas has increased: STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics); 21st Century Literacies; and UDL (Universal Design for Learning and Inclusive Education). The new format will maximize the flexibility required by working educators to obtain an advanced degree with online learning, while continuing their teaching full time.”

Coursework in the 20-month program is fully online and includes action research assignments conducted in the degree seekers’ K-12 classrooms. The online format makes the degree accessible for educators and guides them through many experiences of researching and implementing new approaches and techniques in their own classrooms. “This innovative dynamic enriches the learning by allowing participants to connect their own learning in the MEd program with the teaching they provide for their K-12 students,” said Jason Lemon, Dean of Professional and Continuing Education at USD, who is leading the online education initiative to reach, recruit and retain students for the online degree in collaboration with SOLES.

The program received final approval from the University on February 22, 2013, and is pending regional accreditation. Potential students for the fall 2013 launch are lining up. For further information, visit the website created to inform the public about the program at MEdOnline.sandiego.edu. 

About the University of San Diego

The University of San Diego sets the standard for an engaged, contemporary Catholic university where innovative Changemakers confront humanity’s urgent challenges. With more than 9,000 students from 69 countries and 50 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. The university's eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. USD's Envisioning 2024 strategic plan capitalizes on the university’s recent progress and aligns new strategic goals with current strengths to help shape a vision for the future as the university looks ahead to its 75th anniversary in the year 2024.