Graduate College | School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences
St. Kate’s MAED: Montessori Diploma program at the Montessori Center of Minnesota (MCM) includes courses and experiences to build your professional competencies.
Program Details
Format: MCM’s primary courses meet on weekday afternoons during the school year. The elementary courses meet on weekdays during the summers, and include some meetings and online coursework during the school year.
Completion time: 1–2.5 years (depending on concentration)
Credits: 42
Cost per credit (2020–2021): $630
Start: Each fall (primary option); every third summer (elementary option)
Many graduate students are eligible for financial aid, usually in the form of student loans, employer tuition benefits, or scholarships.
Montessori Training Through the Montessori Center of Minnesota
At the Montessori Center of Minnesota (MCM), you will prepare for a career as a Montessori guide and earn the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) diploma. MCM provides training at the primary (ages 3–6) and elementary (ages 6–12) levels. St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN has partnered with MCM to offer students the option of earning graduate credit for the credential coursework and completing a Master of Arts in Education (MAED) degree.
If you are pursuing the elementary credential, you may also take additional courses to prepare for a K–6 teaching license. In the MAED: Montessori Diploma/Elementary License option, you'll meet requirements for both an AMI diploma and a Minnesota teaching license.
New cohorts for the primary option begin each fall. The elementary option begins every third summer, so the next opportunity to start the elementary option will be summer 2022. Students who already have an elementary diploma and are interested in the initial license option may begin each fall.
The Montessori method is a child-centered educational approach that incorporates self-directed activity, hands-on learning, and collaborative play. Children are able to make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the teacher offer activities to guide the process.
As a graduate of St. Kate's MAED: Montessori Diploma program, you provide support for the development of the whole child — physical, emotional, cognitive, and social — in a thoughtfully prepared learning environment.
Throughout the year, St. Kate’s offers dynamic professional development opportunities for Montessori teachers.