Ursuline College offers an accredited, accelerated, one-year Master of Arts degree and teacher’s licensure

By Patricia Nugent

For anyone who has ever said to themselves, “I wish I knew back then what I know now,” and is exploring a more rewarding second career as a teacher, the Ursuline College Master Apprenticeship Program (MAP) is the perfect place to pivot.

This accredited, accelerated, one-year program offers a Master of Arts degree and teacher’s licensure.

According to Dr. Marc Gray, Jr., associate professor and director of MAP, the pandemic has caused many people to take pause and re-evaluate their careers, asking themselves if what they are doing is really what they want to be doing the rest of their working years.

For anyone who thinks they might not have the time or the opportunity for second chances, think again.

Jobs Waiting for Students Upon Graduation
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, kindergarten through high school teaching employment is projected to grow by 7-8% between 2016 and 2026.

“Each year we have about 25 students go through the program and after they graduate, the percentage who have good jobs waiting for them is about 95%,” Dr. Gray says.

Starting in early June and over the summer, students take foundation classes. Then that fall and for the rest of the school year, they are immersed in the classroom under the guidance of a mentor/teacher. Licensure is available for primary pre-K- fifth grade, middle fourth-ninth grade, adolescence seventh-12th grade, special education K-12th grade and multi age visual arts K-12th grade.

“It’s certainly an interesting time right now to be a teacher,” says Melanie Steele, who is director of graduate admission at Ursuline. “Despite Covid, we’ve kept our programs thriving virtually and shown our students how to overcome challenges.”

Although other local colleges have similar programs, they do not offer the accelerated one-year model that Ursuline does.

“Our program is unique in that the student teachers get a full year of experience with the same teacher in the classroom,” he says. “We support our candidates throughout the MAP program. And the group itself becomes close-knit and highly supportive of each other.”

What MAP Students are Saying
Like many MAP students, 27-year-old David Blatnik had been out in the work world for a few years before deciding to switch careers.

“After a four-year bachelor of science degree in health science from Cleveland State University, I was working as a nursing assistant at Hillcrest Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic,” says the 2019 Ursuline grad. “A personal family tragedy made me want to make the leap and transition out of healthcare and into teaching. Ursuline has an excellent reputation and I liked that I could achieve a master’s degree and be teaching following only one year.”

“I loved the guidance I received from my mentor, making connections in the teaching community, and being able to work directly with students,” he says.

After graduation, David got a job as a science teacher at Magnificat High School in Rocky River. He is thrilled with his career change.

“Even though I’ve graduated, I still feel like everyone at Ursuline is cheering me on,” he says.

As a college student at Xavier University, Jamie Bergsman changed her major five times. After graduating, the now 29-year-old—who is currently a MAP student—put her business major to good use as a marketing coordinator and then sales executive. But after a few years, it just wasn’t working for her.

“I hated coming home at the end of the day and feeling like I didn’t really make a positive difference in anyone’s life,” she recalls. “I reflected on what I really wanted and decided to go back to school to become a teacher.”

She says what stood out to her about the MAP program, in addition to Ursuline’s excellent reputation, was being able to move into the classroom so quickly after just 10 weeks of foundation classes in the summer.

“This year there were challenges due to the pandemic, and the administration at Ursuline handled things so eloquently,” she adds. “They took care of the teachers throughout the program and made us feel supported.”

Jamie graduates in May and hopes to get a job teaching in Northeast Ohio.

“When I started this degree last May, a handful of people said I was crazy to take a new career path during a pandemic,” she says. “But what better time than now to ensure I have a job that I love, making an impact on kids’ lives and futures?”

Find out more about the MAP program and apply online between now and Saturday, May 1, 2021. MAP students signing up for the upcoming year receive half off tuition. The program kicks off Tuesday, June 1, and runs through the following spring. Ursuline College is located at 2550 Lander Road, in Pepper Pike. It also offers several other master’s degrees for teachers who wish to become administrators, principals or superintendents. Call 440-646-8146 or visit Ursuline.edu/map for more information.