Although education courses were offered at Loyola University as early as the 1930s, the first teacher education program was established in 1948. That same year, the State of California granted the University the right to recommend its fifth-year graduates in teaching for the secondary teaching credential. In 1951, the Teacher Education Program became the Department of Education, with a chairman and two additional full-time faculty.
In the 1950s, the Department of Education established a Counseling and Guidance Program, a program in School Psychology, a Reading Clinic, accepted its first female graduate students, and moved from bungalows to the basement of Sacred Heart Chapel (Presently, the School of Education is located in University Hall). The 1960s saw the expansion of course offerings and the initiation of an M.A. degree in School Administration. In 1972, several years prior to the State's requiring such training, a program in urban and inner-city education was inaugurated leading to a Master's degree or a certificate in inner-city education. With the merger of Loyola University and Marymount College in 1973, the Department of Education inherited an academically strong elementary teaching credential program. It was in 1979 that LMU established a Special Education program encompassing the Learning Handicapped credential and Master's degree. In 1980, a Bilingual/Cross-Cultural emphasis was added to the Multiple Subjects Credential program, and throughout the 80's the emphasis expanded so that all teaching programs (Elementary, Secondary, Special Education) include training in cultural, language and ethnic diversity, including a Master's degree specializing in Bilingual/Bicultural Education. In 1992, the Department of Education became the School of Education, with its first Director being the previous Vice President of Academic Affairs, Fr. Albert Koppes. Each of the degree and master's programs are guided by a Coordinator, an expert in his/her particular field, who sets the curriculum and advises students in the programs.
In 1998, the School of Education was nationally accredited by the National Council for Accreditation in Teacher Education (NCATE), one of a handful of private institutions in California. In recognition of this status, the University supported the appointment of the first Dean of the School of Education in Spring 2000, Fr. Albert Koppes. In Spring 2002, an Associate Dean, Dr. Shane Martin was appointed to assist the Dean in unit governance, accreditation and assessment processes.
Following the departure of the University's Academic Vice President in Fall 2004, Fr. Koppes was appointed Acting Academic Vice President and Dr. Shane Martin was appointed the Acting Dean of the School of Education and subsequently, the Dean. The School of Education has seen rapid growth in the past several years and has worked hard with the University administrators to keep pace with the growth.
In Fall 2004, the SOE began the first doctoral program at Loyola Marymount University, the Ed.D. in Leadership for Social Justice. The Ed.D. program is dedicated to preparing future educational leaders for Los Angeles, and serves as a preeminent illustration of our commitment to improving urban education for a culturally diverse citizenry. Our partnerships with Teach for America and with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for our PLACE Corps (Partners in Los Angeles Catholic Education) and CAST (Catholic Archdiocesean School Teacher) Programs focus on under-resourced public and Catholic schools respectively, further concretizing our commitment to the inner city and connecting us with the communities we serve.
In 2019, the SOE became the first California School of Education to receive full accreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the national accrediting body that replaced NCATE.