MEd in International Higher Education

You'll understand social justice and the application of social justice concerns in the domain of higher education, particularly in regard to comparative and international education, intercultural communication and understanding, and critical perspectives on international higher education theory and practice.

You will be a reflective leader, able to work in diverse cultural contexts to better understand, analyze, evaluate, and advance the missions and programs of higher education institutions around the globe. You'll also be adept policy analysts, able to conduct data-driven decision making and develop and undertake effective, high-quality assessments and program evaluations.

Graduates of Loyola's higher education program are committed to advancing social justice through education. You'll become a scholar-practitioner who is an agent of change on campus and in your professional field.

Our dedicated faculty are experts in their fields who will support students throughout each stage of the program. Faculty for this program come from both the Higher Education and Cultural and Educational Policy Studies units.

Our program has been set up as a cohort because we find that students benefit greatly from joining a learning community and from networking and bonding with one another during the course of their program. Once a cohort is formed, the students participate together in all of the required courses leading to the MEd degree.

As part of a global cohort program, students in the IHE MEd receive the following benefits:

• A 20 percent tuition discount across the entirety of the program
• Exemption from various university fees, including the Student Activity Fee and the CTA U-Pass
• Exemption from proof-of-immunization and proof-of-health-insurance requirements that apply to Chicago-based students.

Continuous Enrollments

Master's students in international higher education are required to maintain continuous enrollment during their program of studies. This means that during each semester of each academic year (excluding Summer Sessions), each student must enroll in at least one course. A formal leave of absence may be granted upon request and the approval of the School of Education’s Assistant Dean of Student Academic Services.

A student may petition the IHE Program Director to be allowed to take a course out-of-sequence, yet remain a cohort member. Only one course may be taken out of sequence during a cohort student’s course of study. We cannot guarantee that seats will be available in an out-of-sequence course, nor that all required IHE courses will be offered in an online format. Taking a course out of sequence may result in a student being unable to complete the degree in two years. Permission to take a course out of sequence will be granted at the discretion of the Program Director.

Completion of this International Higher Education (IHE) MEd degree requires 36 semester hours and completion of a final electronic portfolio. Most of the courses take place online in an asynchronous format; the study abroad courses take place in person at Loyola's John Felice Rome Center and in Mexico.

IHE M.Ed. Course Sequence: 2021-2023 Cohort (36 semester hours)

Securing the necessary visas to travel along with related expenses are the student's responsibility.