The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education is pleased to announce that graduates of its unique alternative teacher licensing program, the Catholic Educator Formation and Credential (CEFC), are now eligible to receive up to 12 graduate credits toward an online Master of Arts in Liberal Arts Education from Catholic International University.
Founded in 1983, Catholic International University offers a comprehensive schedule of fully online undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, and continuing education programs. CIU’s Master of Arts in Liberal Arts Education is a 33-credit, two-year program rooted in the Catholic intellectual and educational liberal arts tradition. Offering a set of core and elective courses tailored to specific needs, the MA in Liberal Arts Education prepares teachers and school leaders to awaken in their students a Catholic worldview, develop the tools needed to think broadly and creatively, and grow in the habits of excellence in mind and heart.
The MA in Liberal Arts Education is a fully online, asynchronous program with options for class-related pilgrimages to various sites in the US and abroad. Students on a full-time, two-year completion track take two courses each Fall and Spring semester and one course in the summer; however, students have up to five years to complete the full program. Applications are currently being accepted for 2024-25 and are accepted on a rolling basis. Scholarships for this program are available, with special scholarships for students enrolling before October 16, 2024.
“Catholic International is delighted to partner with ICLE in driving forward the renewal of Catholic education,” said Dr. Ann Brodeur, Director of Liberal Arts Education at CIU. “Firmly anchored in the Church’s intellectual and educational tradition, our MA program allows faculty and school leaders to focus on pathways that best support their professional and personal development. Classes such as the Trivium and the Catholic Imagination, The Foundations of Western Education, Organizational Leadership for Catholic Schools, and Education for the Renewal of Christian Culture will renew and deepen educators’ sense of mission and give them the vision and skills to transform our classrooms, schools, and communities for Christ. We look forward to helping ignite, build, and sustain that transformation!”
“Our CEFC program imbues Catholic educators with a sense of hope as they discover the great treasure of the Catholic intellectual tradition and its distinctive wisdom about faith and reason in education,” said Elisabeth Sullivan, ICLE’s Executive Director. “The MA in Liberal Arts at Catholic International University offers an excellent channel for our CEFC graduates to continue their intellectual formation and enter more deeply into their vocation in Catholic education.”
Catholic International University is now the sixth Catholic institution of higher education to offer graduate-level credit to students who successfully complete ICLE’s CEFC program. Upon graduation, students are now eligible to receive up to 6-12 hours of graduate credit from the following institutions:
- Augustine Institute’s Master of Arts in Catholic Education
- Belmont Abbey College’s Master of Arts in Classical and Liberal Education
- Catholic International University’s Master of Arts in Liberal Arts Education
- Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Master of Arts in Catholic Studies
- The Saint Paul Seminary’s Lay Graduate Programs, including the Master of Arts in Pastoral Leadership or the Catholic School Leadership Graduate Certificate
- University of St. Thomas’s Master of Arts in Catholic Studies
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 a growing number of 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. Sign up here to be notified when the 2025-2026 national cohort application period opens.