MCLA Master of Education Program is Accepting Applications

Print Story | Email Story
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is accepting applications for the Spring 2026 semester for the Master of Education (M.Ed.) program.
 
The M.Ed. program serves working educators across Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont. Graduates emerge with a blend of classroom and fieldwork experiences that prepare them to make an impact in their school communities. Programs include M.Ed. with initial licensure, professional teacher licensure with M.Ed., M.Ed. with individualized plan of study non-licensure, and accelerated 4+1 bachelor's degree with M.Ed. 
 
"When you finish our program here, you will be licensed as a public school teacher in Massachusetts," said Maggie Clark, Associate Professor of Education. "That means, upon graduation, you can immediately go into the field. This is a license that you can bring anywhere. So many states are looking for educators from states like Massachusetts, because they know we’ve done it well."  
 
MCLA's Education Department also provides essential support to emergency license holders within Massachusetts public school districts. The mission is to guide and assist educators in transitioning from emergency licenses to provisional or initial licenses, ensuring stability and excellence in our educational system. 
 
Designed for working professionals, the program offers an online format. MCLA is a fully approved educator prep program through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for Initial Licensure in early childhood, elementary, middle school, secondary education, and moderate disabilities. 
 
Information Sessions: 
  • October 14 at 5 p.m. 
  • November 20 at 6 p.m. 
  • December 10 at 6 p.m. 
Students can complete the degree in as few as five semesters with fulfillment of many subject matter knowledge areas. The program welcomes applications from well-qualified candidates who have evidence of academic success and a bachelor’s degree.  Applications for the Spring 2026 semester are due by December 1, 2025, for priority consideration.  
 

Tags: MCLA,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

North Adams Updated on Schools, Council President Honored With 'Distinction'

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff

Superintendent Timothy Callahan gives a presentation on the school system at Tuesday's City Council meeting. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council got an update on what's up in the school system and its president was inducted into the mayor's Women's Leadership Hall of Fame.
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey, as the city's first woman mayor, established the Hall of Fame in 2022, during March, Women's History Month, to recognize local women who have had a positive impact on the city. Past inductees have included the council's first woman president Fran Buckley, Gov. Jane Swift and boxing pioneer Gail Grandchamp. 
 
She described President Ashley Shade as a colleague and a friend and a former student. 
 
"Ashley is known not just for her leadership, but for her compassion, her ability to listen, to understand and to stand up for those whose voices are often gone unheard," the mayor said. "She has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ plus community and marginalized communities at both the local and national level here in North Adams."
 
Elected in 2021, Shade is the first openly transgender person to hold the role of council president in Massachusetts. She also leads the first-ever woman majority council in the city's history. 
 
The McCann Technical School graduate also has served on boards and commissions, "always working to make our city more inclusive, equitable and welcoming," said the mayor. "Ashley not leads not only with strength, but with a heart, and our community is a much stronger place because of it."
 
Shade, wearing her signature pink suit, was presented with a plaque from the mayor designating her a "woman of distinction."
 
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories