Pathways to Education and Teaching Degrees Offered at Saint Leo University
Saint Leo University appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Online Master’s in Instructional Design.
Students seeking a career in education have a variety of degree options at Saint Leo University. Undergraduate and Minor degrees can be earned either at the main campus in the Greater Tampa Bay, Florida area or at one of the satellite education centers located throughout the state. Students can choose a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, Middle Grade Education with subject area emphasis in either English or Social Sciences or in Secondary Education with the same subject area emphases. Minors are available in either Education or in Leadership.
Each of the BA degrees involves more than 800 hours of clinical studies and practicum experiences, roughly twice what is recommended by the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, ensuring students are highly qualified and prepared to command their own classroom after graduation. The Minor in Education is meant to complement a liberal arts undergraduate degree program, offering strategies for teaching the materials and skills learned in the major in a secondary education setting. The Minor in Leadership provides a more general overview of personal leadership and communication skills that can be applied in a variety of workplace settings. While the Minor in Leadership involves a total of six courses, students can also earn a Certificate in Leadership by taking only four of the six courses.
Graduate degrees in Education are offered exclusively online. Students can earn an MEd degree in Educational Leadership, Instructional Leadership, Exceptional Student Education, Reading, and Instructional Leadership and Reading. An MS degree is also available in Instructional Design. Students looking to go beyond the Master degree have a choice of earning an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership or a Doctor of Education in School Leadership. These programs are geared toward professionals already working in education who wish to further their career options or add on to their professional certifications.
About Saint Leo University
Saint Leo University is a private, liberal arts university with roots in the Catholic religion but open to people of all faiths. In addition to the main campus, Saint Leo has 35 regional locations across Florida and the United States, as well as a strong online presence. Serving more than 2,200 students at the main campus, total enrollment across all campuses and online reaches closer to 15,000 annually, many of whom are members of the military or veterans. Many of the satellite campuses are located on military bases, making it convenient for Saint Leo to provide quality higher education to the American military.
Saint Leo was originally founded as the first Catholic university in the state in 1889 by the Order of Saint Benedict in Florida and is today the oldest Catholic higher education institution in the state. In keeping with the Benedictine traditions, the university emphasizes balance in growing the body and spirit as well as the mind through higher education. Core values include community, personal development, and responsible stewardship, values that are emphasized across the degree programs and curriculums. These beliefs and practices have consistently earned Saint Leo a spot on the list of top southern Universities, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” list.
Saint Leo University Accreditation Details
Regional accreditation for Saint Leo University is granted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges. In addition, the teacher education programs are approved by the State of Florida Department of Education. Beyond accreditations, Saint Leo also has memberships in various associations, including the American Council on Education (ACE), the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education, and the National Catholic Education Association.
Saint Leo Application Requirements
For main campus studies, students should submit either the school’s application or the Common Application, preferably online. Freshmen applicants would then need to submit high school transcripts, while transfer students would submit college transcripts for all previous college coursework. Letters of recommendation and test scores for the SAT or ACT may be submitted but are not required. Students not submitting standardized test scores should instead show higher than average grades in challenging high school courses as a means of determining eligibility.
For undergraduate studies at a satellite campus or online, students would also submit the application online, and pay a $45 application fee. Students would then submit high school transcripts or fill out an Undergraduate Transcript Release Form so that Saint Leo can obtain the student’s previous college transcripts. Students would also need to submit test scores for any Advanced Placement tests, CLEP, Regents exams, or any other that may apply.
The application for graduate studies is filled out and submitted online, along with an $80 application fee. Students would then include a current resume, two letters of recommendation, and a written statement of at least 250 words outlining how the student’s career and educational goals match the program being sought at Saint Leo. A Transcript Release Form is also needed and in some cases, a copy of a professional teaching certificate. If students can show a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the last 60 credit hours their undergraduate degree, scores for the GRE or MAT are not required.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Undergraduate students studying on one of the campuses are assessed a flat tuition rate of $11,550 per semester for a full-time course load of 12-18 credit hours. Part-time students are assessed $600 per credit hour, and students with 19 or more credit hours pay $320 for each additional credit over 18. Undergraduate students taking online courses are assessed $370 per credit hour for those courses, while active duty military members pay only $250 per credit hour.
Graduate students are assessed tuition based on their program of study, with the various Master-level Education degrees costing $495 per credit hour, and doctoral degrees in Education costing $690 per credit hour. There is no differentiation between on-campus and online for these programs as they are offered exclusively online.
Students may seek financial aid to help offset the cost of their higher education. In order to determine eligibility for the widest range of possible aid, students are encouraged to fill out the FAFSA and submit it shortly after applying to the college. Aid may be available as scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs.
Saint Leo is committed to preparing students to be morally responsible leaders within the communities they serve. Students seeking to be part of the educational systems in Florida and the United States will find themselves ahead of the curve with a degree from Saint Leo University.
