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For programs where pursuing a credential without an M.A. is an option*, we encourage you to weigh the decision carefully. The benefit of completing a Master of Arts degree alongside the credential provides you the opportunity to deepen your knowledge and skills in your selected focus area of concentration, further enriching your personal experience at LMU.
- For elementary and secondary, the M.A. in Transformative Education is 16 additional units beyond the credential coursework, and for mild to moderate support needs, the M.A. in Special Education is 12 additional units. The M.A. provides an opportunity to build upon and deepen your knowledge and skills offering further specialization in the field.
- Candidates have a total of five years from beginning of first credential course until completion of last M.A. course to complete the degree. After five years, a new program would need to be started.
- Federal loan limits for financial aid are higher for M.A. degree programs than credential only programs, if that is a consideration. Candidates are responsible for exploring financial stipulations for their individual situation affected by program selection.
- Candidates that choose to pursue a credential program without Master of Arts are required to reapply to LMU if/when they choose to add the degree program at a later date.
- Most school districts and educational institutions provide higher placement on a salary scale (ranging from an additional $4,000-$10,000 year) and the M.A. provides more leadership opportunities within organizations.
- Candidates wishing to pursue a doctorate degree later in their careers are frequently required to hold a master’s degree.
*Eligible credential only elementary and secondary programs include Intern Field Experience Pathway and CAST Partnerships. All candidates in the Education Specialist Credential in Mild to Moderate Support Needs program are also eligible.
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We review a number of factors that we believe make for a successful candidate. They include:
- Bachelor's Degree from a Regionally Accredited Institution
- Personal Statement of Intent for the Program
- Commitment to Social Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Understanding of the respective field that relates to the program you are applying to
- Life experiences related to your program’s field
- Expressed motivation
- An openness to affirm diversity in multiple realms
- A curious stance towards learning
- Undergraduate GPA and/or a Request for Exception to GPA based on life experiences as an undergraduate. Graduate level coursework of 9 semester units or more can also be used in lieu of a undergraduate GPA.
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Yes, the online Graduate Application fee is $50. Debit and credit cards are accepted.
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The School of Education takes a holistic approach to admission and reviews candidates on the diverse experiences and strengths that you bring to the field. We encourage all to apply.
For candidates who do not hold a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 overall, or 3.05 in your last 60 semester (90 quarter) units of undergraduate work, or a 3.0 in 9 semester units of graduate level work, we ask that you submit a form, "Application for Exception to the GPA Requirement," along with an accompanying statement as detailed on the form. An SOE Admissions Consultant will provide you with the form after you've submitted your application.
During the graduate program, candidates are required to maintain a “B” average.
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If you do not meet the undergraduate GPA requirement of 3.0, you are still encouraged to apply to the School of Education. Once your application and transcripts are received, we review and verify your cumulative GPA. If after review and possible recalculation of your last 60 semester (or 90 quarter) undergraduate units, we determine if your GPA falls below the minimum requirement. In this case, a School of Education admissions specialist will reach out to you and provide you with a form to complete along with instructions on completing a statement that speaks to your educational journey as an undergraduate that details what led to the lower GPA. Graduate coursework of a 3.0 in 9 ore more semester units also waives the undergraduate GPA requirement.
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At the time of admission to a program, and if approved by your department, program director, and/or dean, you may transfer a maximum of two graduate-level courses (six semester units total), towards an M.A. degree, from an accredited institution for work completed no more than five years ago. For coursework transferring into a credential only program, please consult with an academic advisor. For each course of requested transfer, you will need to provide a syllabus and course catalog from the appropriate college or university for each course being reviewed.
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As part of the application process, the School of Education admissions team does review your transcripts and will happily consult with you on questions you may have regarding their applicability for the graduate program of study you wish to pursue.
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Yes, absolutely. We pride ourselves on personalized attention from inquiry to application to enrollment to credential completion and degree graduation! Each candidate is assigned an academic advisor that remains with you throughout your School of Education program. They help keep you on track with credential requirements (if applicable), appropriate coursework and sequencing, and serve as your general resource person throughout.
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Yes, you are welcome to visit and observe a class. Your visit will be coordinated by the respective program coordinator and/or Director. Be advised that candidates are limited to one class visit. (During pandemic restrictions, you are able to visit an online virtual synchronous course.) An admissions specialist will serve as a liaison to get you connected with an appropriate faculty member to foster this request.
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LMU is a semester-based university, offering course enrollment for fall, spring, and 2 summer sessions. Each fall and spring semester is 16 weeks long (including holidays and breaks). Summer sessions are 6 weeks in length. In the fall and spring, 3-unit courses generally meet once per week for 2.5 hours each. In the summer sessions, 3-unit courses generally meet twice per week (3 hours each) for a total of 6 hours per week. Please refer to LMU's academic calendar for start and end dates, as well as holidays, student free days, and other important dates for all upcoming semesters.
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Yes. We need one official transcript from colleges and universities from which you have previously completed coursework and received (or will receive) a Bachelor's Degree. This includes an official transcript from any college or university where you completed coursework (e.g. community college, etc.) that transferred into the college or university where you ultimately earned your Bachelor's degree. If you have earned a Master’s and/or Doctorate degree, please also submit transcripts from that/those institutions.
All official transcripts are to be delivered to the Graduate Division as follows:For electronic delivery direct from the college or university use this email:
For postal or express mail delivery direct from the college of university of official transcript, use this address:
Graduate Admission Office
1 LMU Drive, Charles Von der Ahe Building, Suite 235
Los Angeles, CA 90045 -
If you are still in school and will not complete your studies before our application deadline, please still submit your most current, official transcript for admission purposes. We will process your admission file using those transcripts. Simply alert your current college or university to send your transcripts NOW, without the grades from your current semester of enrollment and without your degree posted.
Should you be admitted to one of our programs, you will then be required to submit an updated, final official transcript that reflects final grades as well as shows that you now hold a Bachelor's degree.
Your final official transcript reflecting your Bachelor's Degree will need to be submitted to the Graduate Division as follows:
For electronic delivery direct from the college or university use this email:
For postal or express mail delivery direct from the college of university of official transcript, use this address:
Graduate Admission Office
1 LMU Drive, Charles Von der Ahe Building, Suite 235
Los Angeles, CA 90045 -
Letters of recommendation should be submitted from professors, instructors,or professionals within your field of study with whom you have worked or been supervised, who can comment substantively on your academic ability and potential to perform graduate-level work. Letters of recommendation from friends or relatives are considered “character recommendations” and are not acceptable. During the online application experience, you will provide the name, title, and email address for each recommender. It is advised to begin this process as soon as possible in order to allow ample time for your recommender to submit a letter. You may simply begin the graduate application and register your recommenders, so that they may receive an email with further instructions. You can begin this process right away early in your application process. You do not need to submit the application in order to initiate this process.
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Per Federal Regulation 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v), all LMU School of Education credential/licensure programs meet the California state requirements as specified by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) and for the CA Board of Behavioral Sciences as appropriate. LMU (the institution) has not made a determination as to whether these credential, licensure, and professional preparation programs meet the requirements of states outside of California. If you are interested in practicing outside the state of California, it is recommended that you contact the respective licensing entity of that state to seek information or guidance regarding their licensure and credential requirements in advance to allow for appropriate planning.
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After submitting the online graduate application, you should expect an immediate submission confirmation. Within a day or two, you’ll receive an email from the Graduate Admission office, providing you with a status update. Following that, the SOE admissions team will contact you directly via email with further application updates. Once the SOE admissions team has determined that your application is complete, your file will be forwarded to the appropriate SOE department to begin the review process. For programs requiring interviews, you will then be contacted to schedule an interview with the director of the program to which you have applied. Interviews are held here at LMU, but out-of-state or international applicants may have the option to do a phone or Skype interview. Please contact the director or assistant director of the specific program to which you are applying to find out if a phone or Skype interview is offered.
After the interview, the final admission decision will be made. Once a decision has been made, you will receive an electronic (email) admission decision letter from the Graduate Division. If admitted, and following the release of acceptance letters, you will be contacted by your academic advisor to discuss course selection and registration.All communication is conducted via email so please do provide an email address that you review regularly. We don't want you to miss out on important or exciting information!
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LMU does offer off-campus housing options for graduate students at Playa Del Oro. For more information, please click here.
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As Loyola Marymount University is a private institution, international students have the same tuition rates as domestic and out-of-state students. International applicants however, may potentially be asked to submit additional admission requirements. Upon being admitted to a graduate program, they must abide by certain criteria outlined by the Office for International Students & Scholars (OISS). For further information, please refer to OISS.
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For any, and all, questions pertaining to billing, payment options, and other student costs, please refer to Student Accounts. If you’d like to know the School of Education’s cost per unit, please check out the most up-to-date graduate tuition rates. To determine your program’s estimated overall cost, you will need to multiply the current School of Education’s graduate tuition rate by the program’s overall unit count. Several School of Education programs also offer generous grants so do be sure to consult with the Program Advisor for any given program to research all available financial assistance options.
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A variety of School of Education programs and partnership programs offer grants to admitted students. Additionally, there are specialty scholarships that meet your needs you may wish to apply for. There are also a variety of graduate and research assistantship job openings available across campus. Graduate and Research Assistantships are on-campus, flexible, part-time employment opportunities for our graduate student body.
Graduate students usually also qualify for Student loans (private, state, and federal), as well as for Departmental Scholarships. As with your undergraduate studies, most every form of graduate student financial aid starts by completing and submitting the FAFSA.
Some of these opportunities require students to first be admitted and also sometimes enrolled in order to apply. For instance, departmental scholarships are available beginning in your second semester of study. Graduate and Research Assistantship listings, are available at our student job portal, LionJobs via Student Employment Services which you gain access to once you've enrolled in a course.
For very specific financial aid questions please feel free to direct your inquiries to the Graduate Financial Aid Office. You may also call them at 310.338.2753.
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By and large, all admission requirements are outlined by program on the academic portion of this website. They are also available via an inquiry request for more information on a specific program, and of course, the online application (graduate.lmu.edu/apply) describes and walks you through each requirement as you move through the process. We're all here to help! Please do not hesitate to reach out and ask for further assistance.