University of the People and International Baccalaureate partner to announce tuition-free Master of Education program

Pasadena, CA. (October 4th 2018)—To increase the amount of highly skilled teachers across the world, the University of the People (UoPeople) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) have launched a tuition-free, online Master of Education (M.Ed.) program.

The program was developed to address the shortage of qualified educators around the world, especially in underrepresented areas, and to enable teachers and educational administrators to advance their knowledge and careers regardless of where they live or how much they can afford.

Starting today, UoPeople will begin accepting applicants to commence their M.Ed. studies as early as January 2019. Applicants do not have to be associated with the IB or plan to be IB teachers. The M.Ed. program can be completed in seven to eight terms (each term is nine weeks long) and as it is online, students can start in any given term, from anywhere in the world. There are no tuition or textbook fees, however there are minimal assessment .

Increasing access to affordable education
The new program offers teachers and schools around the world a cost-effective opportunity to receive a Master of Education degree. “We are extremely excited to be collaborating with the IB to launch this program, based on our compatible missions and values, which include a commitment to increase access to quality education”, said UoPeople President Shai Reshef. The demand for teachers with a master’s in education is high, according to President Reshef, and other degree holders who don’t have a bachelor’s in education also need the qualification if they wish to become teachers. Unfortunately, many teachers who are qualified to achieve the M.Ed. cannot afford it. The UoPeople and the IB hope to fix this problem.

President Reshef continued: “Launching the world’s most cost-effective M.Ed. was a natural progression for UoPeople, and we couldn’t be prouder about collaborating with the IB to make it happen. We see this as a great milestone—both for teachers around the world and the university to mark its 10^th anniversary”.

The curriculum reflects the IB’s approaches to teaching and learning so the program will also meet the needs of IB World Schools who are looking to recruit teachers familiar with IB pedagogy. The M.Ed. program will produce a new generation of globally-minded educators with an in-depth knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment to support student-directed inquiry, interdisciplinary learning, intercultural competence, and critical thinking.

George Rupp, Chair of the IB Board of Governors and UoPeople President’s Council Member, praised the program: “Education that is academically rigorous, deliberately multi-cultural, and concerned with developing personal values that include a commitment to community service is an invaluable resource for any and all of us”. He continued, “That the IB Diploma is recognized internationally as a mark of academic distinction opens doors worldwide for UoPeople graduates. We look forward to providing this enormous benefit to increasing numbers of students around the world”.

Accelerating teacher development
“To continue to sustain the quality of teaching and learning demanded by IB programmes, there is a pressing need to ensure there are a sufficient number of high quality teachers”, said Dr Siva Kumari, Director General of the IB.  “The IB is pleased to collaborate with University of the People toward a rigorous online postgraduate teacher education program based on principles common to IB pedagogy to increase the supply of highly competent teachers across the world at a low cost, who would have the qualifications necessary to join the professional community of engaged IB teachers”, she said. The launch of the M.Ed. program coincides with the IB’s 50^th anniversary.

The founding Dean of UoPeople’s M.Ed. program is Professor James W. Fraser of New York University, previously the founding Dean of Northeastern University’s School of Education. The new UoPeople Educational Advisory Board includes esteemed volunteers and academics: Claude Steele (Stanford), Siva Kumari (IB), Arthur Levine (Columbia University), Roy Pea (Stanford), Hannele Niemi (University of Helsinki), Rebecca Hughes (IB), Conrad Hughes (International School of Geneva), Eduard Vallory (UNESCO), Gavin Dykes (Education World Forum) and David Thomas (Trevor Day School). The M.Ed. is accredited by the Distance Education and Accreditation Commission.

Contact: The PR Team, University of the People

US: 626-219-8402; communications@uopeople.edu

Contact: Freddie Oomkens

Senior Branding and Communications Manager, International Baccalaureate

NL: +31 70 352 6280; Freddie.oomkens@ibo.org

About University of the People
University of the People (UoPeople) is the first non-profit, tuition-free, American accredited online university. Dedicated to opening access to higher education globally, UoPeople is designed to help qualified high school graduates overcome financial, geographic, political, and personal constraints keeping them from collegiate studies. With over 17,000 enrolled students from more than 200 countries and territories, the university’s student growth is doubling in number every year. Its ability to do so leans on its use of open-source technology, Open Educational Resources and the assistance of 7,000 volunteers. The university offers two-year associate’s and four-year bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, computer science, and health science as well as an MBA  and M.Ed. program. Founded in 2009, UoPeople has partnered with Yale ISP Law School for research; New York University (NYU), University of California (UC) Berkeley, and The University of Edinburgh to accept students. UoPeople has been supported by The Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Fondation Hoffmann, and companies such as HP, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Western Union, Estee Lauder and many more. Learn more at uopeople.edu.

About the International Baccalaureate (IB)
In 2018, the International Baccalaureate (IB) celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Pioneering a movement of international education in 1968, the non-profit foundation now offers high quality and challenging educational programs to students aged 3-19 years old. Through a unique curriculum with high academic standards, the IB champions critical thinking and flexibility for learning by crossing disciplinary, cultural and national boundaries. Currently, more than 1.7 million IB students attend almost 5,000 schools in over 150 countries. To learn more, please visit www.ibo.org.