Graduates of ICLE’s Catholic Educator Formation and Credential Program seeking deeper formation as Catholic educators have a new graduate program option that will award credit for their ICLE credential: Belmont Abbey College’s new Master of Arts in Classical and Liberal Education. This 30 credit hour program, offered through an online, synchronous format, offers ICLE credential holders up to nine credit hours toward their M.A. degree.
Belmont Abbey is now the third Catholic institution of higher education to offer graduate-level credit to graduates of ICLE’s CEFC program. Franciscan University of Steubenville offers CEFC graduates up to nine graduate credits toward their Master of Arts in Catholic Studies program, and the Augustine Institute offers CEFC graduates up to nine graduate credits toward their Master of Arts in Catholic Education program.
“Our CEFC program grounds teachers in curriculum and pedagogy that reflect the great treasures of the Catholic intellectual tradition, and the M.A. in Classical and Liberal Education at Belmont Abbey will further deepen their intellectual formation,” said Dr. Alyssan Barnes, Director of ICLE’s Credential Program. “It is an excellent next step for many of our CEFC graduates.”
This degree program, offered in a synchronous blended seminar/lecture format, will provide strong formation in the Great Books, the liberal arts, and the Catholic intellectual tradition. Intended for individuals with a passion for the long-standing tradition of education, it will enlighten educators on the formation of their students in the moral, intellectual, and theological virtues. In turn, these qualified educators will be well-equipped to meet the growing demand for liberal arts education in the PreK-12 arena.
Dr. Joseph Wysocki, Dean of the Honors College and Interim Provost at Belmont Abbey, speaks to the need for this program. “At Belmont Abbey College, we believe in the development of the whole person—mind, body, and soul. At the graduate level, individuals come to us with career and industry experience and a desire to lead. The new Master of Arts in Classical and Liberal Education takes this idea of educating the whole person and edifies educators on how to implement this approach so they can form future generations,” said Wysocki.
Belmont Abbey’s Master of Arts in Classical and Liberal Education application for fall 2024 is open now! Apply today.
About ICLE’s Credential Program
The Catholic Educator Formation and Credential is a robust 18-month hybrid program that prepares educators to infuse a deeply Catholic philosophy and practice of education into their teaching and serves as an alternative to state teacher licensure. It serves entire dioceses across the country, including the Archdiocese of Denver, the Diocese of Colorado Springs, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, and the Diocese of Tulsa. It is also available to interested Catholic educators nationwide through a national cohort model. The application period for the next national cohort will open on December 15, 2023. Learn more and apply here.