WATERVILLE — Thomas College is pleased to announce a partnership with Lee Academy to extend graduate education in the master’s of education (M.S.Ed.) degree program to the school’s 16 faculty members. The partnership offers a generous reduction in tuition, and once teachers have completed their degree, they will be qualified to teach dual enrollment courses.
As part of the first Thomas College M.S.Ed. cohort to be 100 percent online, Lee Academy teachers will gain convenient access to a flexible, rigorous program that advances their career in the classroom.
“Without the ability to attend Thomas College online, I wouldn’t be able to participate in the M.S.Ed. program,” explained Michael Richardson, an English teacher, coach, and advisor to several extracurriculars at Lee Academy. “If our goal is to provide Maine students with the best education we can, programs like the online Master’s format at Thomas College are essential to reaching and helping develop educators and educational professionals living in remote areas of our state.”
This employer partnership is the fifth announced by Thomas College in recent months, and the first partnership for Lee Academy where faculty members will receive graduate classes at a reduced tuition rate.
“Lee Academy truly appreciates this partnership which allows our faculty to further enhance their professional knowledge and provides the opportunity to teach dual enrollment courses in the future,” stated Chris Murphy, head of school at Lee Academy. “The online platform enables our dedicated faculty to pursue their master’s degree and implement newly learned pedagogical knowledge in the classroom. We are certain this partnership with Thomas College will be beneficial to our schools, the faculty, and most importantly, the educational enrichment of the students at Lee Academy.”
The M.S.Ed. program is the final Graduate & Professional Studies program to transition to a 100 percent online format. With tracks available in Educational Leadership, it’s a practical choice for busy professionals, and the online availability is particularly valuable for rural professionals.
“We are pleased to partner with Lee Academy – we are opening doors for faculty to advance their skills and gain the ability to teach college classes, and we are creating opportunities for high school students to earn college credit and decrease their long-term education debt,” said Thomas College Senior Director of Graduate and Professional Studies Mikaela Ziobro.
For more information about Thomas College’s master’s of education degree program, visit Thomas.edu/gps.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Thomas College #2 among colleges in Maine for social mobility of our graduates. Located in Waterville, Maine, Thomas College is your pathway to a promising future, guaranteed, with our Guaranteed Job Program, 3-year accelerated offerings in all undergraduate degrees, and graduate offerings ranging from in-person and on-campus to 100% online. For more information, visit www.thomas.edu or contact MacKenzie Riley Young at [email protected] or 207-859-1313. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
