Master of Education (MEd)

Introductory Seminar (1 Credit)

• EDGR600 - Profile Seminar (1)

Curriculum (6 Credits)

• EDGR610 - Dimensions of Curriculum and Management  (3)

• EDGR615 - Curriculum and Management Decision Making (3)

Assessment (6 Credits)

• EDGR630 - Dimensions of Assessment and Evaluation (3)

• EDGR635 - Applications in Assessment and Evaluation (3)

Learning & Development (6 Credits)

• EDGR650 - Dimensions in Learning and Development (3)

• EDGR655 - Learning and Development Applications (3)

Technology (6 Credits)

• EDGR620 - Dimensions of Teaching and Instructional Technology (3)

• EDGR625 - Teaching and Instructional Technology Applications (3)

Teacher Leadership (6 Credits)

• EDGR640 - Dimensions of Leadership & Organization (3)

• EDGR645 - Challenges in Leadership (3)

Action Research Practicum (4 Credits)

• EDGR601 - Action Research Practicum I (1)

• EDGR602 - Action Research Practicum II (1)

• EDGR603 - Action Research Practicum III (1)

• EDGR604 - Action Research Practicum IV (1)

Capstone Seminar (1 Credit)

• EDGR690 - Capstone Seminar (1)

SNHU Vermont recognizes that sometimes you have to see it and be part of it in order to learn it. We are pleased to provide students with multiple opportunities for "extra-cultural" travel during their Field-based Graduate Program in Education. These opportunities for alternative field study can be either domestic or international, and they are designed to provide the educator with new perspectives in the area of technology integration, student assessment, and/or action research practices. Alternative field study experiences can be arranged to be convenient for the educator (school vacations, summer, etc.) and scholarships are available to cover costs associated with airfare and up to five days of housing.

Examples of recommended field study opportunities include becoming a visiting scholar at another university, visiting one or more schools in another geographic area (domestic or abroad),and attending certain professional conferences. The SNHU Vermont Campus has partnerships in place that students can take advantage of, but we also encourage and assist our students to develop their own partnerships as well, thus ensuring that each field study fills a unique learning need.

Students enrolled in the M.Ed program have the option to select a pathway that can support them in pursuing a Principal license through the Vermont Agency of Education's Transcript Review Process. Students wishing to add an administrative endorsement will modify and add coursework to the M.Ed. program.  Through this process, the administrative endorsement adds one four credit course and 21 credits of administrative practicum experience to the 36 credit M.Ed. program.  Here is how the administrative pathway is customized for individuals:

• One Curriculum Supervision and Evaluation course replaces a classroom-focused curriculum course and one Learning Community & School Culture course replaces a course that focuses on individual student learning and development
• An additional four-credit course on School Operations & Ethics is added
• Three 7-credit Administrative Practicum courses are added

In addition, students will need to meet any additional requirements the Vermont Agency of Education sets forth within the Transcript Review Process, includes the successful completion of the a Praxis exam specifically for administrators. 

Alumni of the Vermont Field-based Graduate Education Program have the option to take additional courses necessary to meet the requirements of an administrative endorsement within the State of Vermont if they have previously completed the Masters of Education degree. If you are interested in these administrative courses, please let us know by completing our inquiry form.

New Cohort Organizational Meetings

New cohort organizational meetings provide an opportunity for people interested in being a part of a new cohort to ask questions and imagine their new regional cohort. Each cohort includes students seeking either an Masters of Education degree or a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study. 

Organizational Meetings occur in the months leading up to the beginning of a new cohort.  If you are interested in attending or hosting an Organizational Meeting, you can submit and inquiry form or contact us about the program. 

Program Locations

MEd and CAGS cohorts are intended for a specific regional location. Each regional cohort member has an opportunity to have a voice in the exact location of a new cohort. 

1. How is Southern New Hampshire University affiliated with Trinity College of Vermont?

Our Field-based Graduate Program began at Trinity in 1994 and has been very successful ever since!  In December 2000, Trinity College announced that they would be affiliated with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) after a series of negotiations and discussions with several colleges and universities. Trinity College closed on June 30, 2001.  SNHU currently supports a continued strong presence in Vermont by maintaining a center in Colchester in order to insure that professional educators have the spirit of the original Trinity program available to them.

2. Is Southern New Hampshire University accredited?

SNHU is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, which means that your degree carries with it international recognition.

3. Where do classes take place and who teaches the off campus classes?

All classes take place at a school district that is centrally located to the participants in the class. Although we do not usually hold classes at the Vermont Campus, located at 463 Mountain View Drive in Colchester, VT, students are welcome to stop by our administrative office for assistance with anything at any time. All classes are taught by recognized experts in the area of study and employed by Southern New Hampshire University.

4. What is the work required and is it doable when I am a full-time teacher?

The M.Ed. program is a 36 credit master’s degree. The program begins with a 1 credit ProFile Seminar, continues with ten 3 credit courses in the following areas: Curriculum, Technology Integration, Assessment, Learning & Development, and Leadership. In addition, a 5 credit action research practicum takes the place of a graduate thesis.

It is doable for today’s full-time teacher because our graduate programs are almost entirely action based, allowing teachers to make progress on the initiatives associated with their school district simultaneously while achieving their advanced degree. Also, the Field-based Graduate Education Programs have been supporting professional adult learners for over twenty years and fully understand how to best accommodate students as they balance a professional life, academic life, personal life, and family life.

5. What is the typical class schedule?

Face-to-face classes typically classes meet on Thursdays and Fridays from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm and on Saturdays from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm in condensed time frames during the school year.  Three weekend sessions with several weeks between sessions constitute a three-credit course.  These condensed weekend courses are often taught in a “hybrid model” sometimes substituting an evening of class for an evening of online collaborative work/assignments. During the summer months, classes for three credits are usually offered for one week sessions (all day, every day).

6. How do I choose my classes?

A master schedule of classes is developed after input from the site participants at the ProFile Seminar (the first 1 credit course). Each required class is then offered once at a site for the whole group to take together – this is called a cohort model of graduate study. In years two and three of the program, students interested in the opportunity to get an administrative endorsement will choose two online classes in place of two of the face to face classes that the rest of the cohort will be taking.

7. So I can get an administrator’s license through this program, how do I do that?

Should you be enrolled in the M.Ed. program (as opposed to the CAGS) and wish to finish eligible to take advantage of our alignment agreement with the VT Agency of Education, you would need to substitute two of the face to face course for online options (giving you Supervision and Evaluation as well as Community Collaboration for School Leaders), add an additional online summer course (School Operations and Ethics), and complete three 100 hour practica (which you really can do while teaching full-time).

8. Can I travel internationally during my program?

Yes. An Master’s in Education student has three opportunities for domestic or international field studies in place of three program requirements (EDGR 625, 635 or 690).  A CAGS student has one opportunity for such travel (EDGR 635 OR 625). Should you choose these options, you will be eligible for a scholarship to cover the costs of your plane ticket and up to five days of housing anywhere in the world. Really.

9. What is the cost of a semester hour?

As of March 2019, tuition is $417 per credit.

10. What is the refund policy?

A full refund is made if you drop the course after the completion of the second night of class.  After the second night of class there is no refund.

11. Is financial aid available?

Yes, financial aid is available at our off-campus field-based sites if a student is taking three (3) credits or more per semester.  A graduate student must be accepted to our program to be eligible for financial aid.

12. Can credits be transferred in?

Credit may be transferred into the program from an accredited college or university, if they parallel any of the Graduate Program’s course work and have prior approval.  They need to have been taken within a five year period prior to the request for transfer (two years for technology courses).  These may be credits taken before beginning the program at SNHU or during the program.  Students in the M.Ed. program may transfer in a maximum of six credits. Students in the C.A.G.S. program may transfer in a maximum of three credits. Final approval for credit transfer is made by the Program Director or the Associate Program Director.

13. How many classes may a student take a semester?

A student may take up to nine semester hours a semester if the cohort group at a particular site agrees to such an accelerated schedule.  SNHU usually offers one or two classes per site each semester.  All classes are taught at a designated location. 

14. How are sites chosen?

SNHU offers classes in locations which are convenient to the students, and centrally located so there is only a short drive to attend class.  A minimum of 12-15 students who are pursuing their Masters of Education degrees or Certificates of Advanced Study are needed to establish a site and form a cohort group.

15. How long do I have to complete my program?

You have eight years to complete your program, although most sites determine the length of their own local site, typically approximately 3 years. 

16. When do I apply for the program?

You may apply as soon as you know that a particular field-based site is being “locked-in” (which is usually after the ProFile Seminar is completed at a particular site).  Part of the Admission requirement is successful completion of this one-credit ProFile Seminar, the very first class at any new site.  One may take up to seven credit hours before being admitted.  M.Ed. students must be admitted to the program as a pre-requisite for action research practica.

17. Am I allowed to take classes at a site even if I don’t join the full Program?

Yes – educators who are teaching and who have an undergraduate degree are welcome to join any class at any given site as itinerant students.

18. Am I allowed to join a site that is already established?

If you are interested in joining an existing site, it would be necessary to know at what point that site may be in their schedule.  Once a site is established, each course is offered only one time; therefore, the individual site’s current schedule will determine if you are able to join a current site.

New sites may be created in a specific region if there are enough interested students in an area to begin our Field-Based Graduate Program.

19. What happens if I miss a course at my home site due to illness or other emergency?

Typically, this can be worked out by either taking that missed course at another site, taking a comparable (and previously approved) class at another college/university at your convenience or perhaps even transferring in a class that you may have taken for professional development within the last five (5) years (two for technology courses).  You and our program staff are typically able to work out the details.

If you have additional questions that have not been answered here, please e-mail us at AdvancedStudy@snhu.edu  or call us at 1-802-489-5080. We would look forward to talking with you!