The Master's of Education in Catholic School Administration

The Master's of Education in Catholic School Administration is a program conceived by the Catholic Education Foundation in conversation with Pontifex University, and is specifically geared toward current or aspiring Catholic school leaders; it is thoroughly professional in its demands, inclusive of all normal requirements, accredited, and unabashedly Catholic in its outlook. Course work is done on-line, in addition to a one-week summer session, so as not to ignore the invaluable dimension of personal influence in the pedagogical enterprise.

The rationale for this program is simple: the Church in the United States needs Catholic schools today more than ever. The conviction of the indispensability of the school is enunciated in GravissimumEducationis, various documents of the Congregation for Catholic Education, as well as in the statements of the Popes and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Our schools are highly regarded within the community of the Church and in society-at-large.

All that having been said, it is equally clear that, in the foreseeable future, our schools will be run predominantly by laity, many of whom have not had a Catholic elementary and/or secondary school education themselves or have had poor experiences of such; even many of the clergy and religious currently involved in the Catholic school apostolate fall into the same category.

There do exist some programs at other institutions similar to this one, however, most of them merely offer a course or two that is explicitly Catholic, while the remaining courses merely mimic the educational vision of the government schools. This program, on the other hand, will give administrators the wherewithal to help their faculties permeate the curriculum with religious and moral values, providing their students with a Catholic world-view.

The research course provides the framework for the required thesis or research project, which is intended to contribute to building up a body of literature designed to expand our scope of influence throughout Catholic education in the United States and beyond. The Master’s thesis can serve as the basis for the doctoral dissertation. The doctoral program is exclusively research-based.

All candidates must demonstrate proficiency in Catholic doctrine by passing a qualifying examination; failure to pass that examination will require a non-credit remedial course.

Required Courses:

Organization & Administration of Catholic Education (3)

Philosophical Foundations of Education (3)

Psychological Foundations of Education (3)

Civil & Canonical Issues in Education (3)

Finances for Catholic Schools (3)

Curriculum Development & Evaluation in the Classical Mode (3)

Formation of Catholic School Teachers (3)

History of American Catholic Education (2)

The Way of Beauty: The Catholic Cultural Heritage (3)

Educational Research (2)

– 28 credits

Elective Courses:

School Community Relations (2)

Tests & Measurements (2)

The Spiritual Life of the Catholic School (2)

Supervision & Evaluation of Instruction (2)

Leadership Training & Assessment (2)

Catechetics for the Catechist (2)

– 2 additional credits needed

The Atlanta-based campus of Pontifex University, Holy Spirit College seeks to educate and to form students who, as leaders in professional and civic life, will live by the highest intellectual and ethical standards. In service of this goal, the Holy Spirit endeavors to create an environment in which integrated learning is a shared responsibility. Shared responsibility for the life and governance of the College should lead all its members to make the best of their own talents, to work together, to be sensitive to one another, to serve others, and to seek justice within and beyond the Holy Spirit community. Set in on a beautiful and mature campus setting shared with both Holy Spirit Parish and Holy Spirit Preparatory School. The College enjoys dedicated facilities within the parish complex with classrooms, a satellite library, a break room, offices, and a student commons room.