Hillsdale to Offer Graduate Program in Classical Education
Written by Doug Goodnough
Hillsdale College is leading a national push to bring classical education back into American classrooms.
But just what is “classical education?”
“The education your grandparents received when they went to school,” said Dan Coupland, dean of Hillsdale’s new Graduate School of Classical Education. “That’s kind of the quick answer. If you were going to define classical education in two words, it would be ‘wisdom’ and ‘virtue.’ It is the wisdom of the ages, which is an understanding of knowledge, skills, and ideas. It is intellectual, but it is not just intellectual. It is also of the heart. It is also about the cultivation of character. Classical education is primarily focused on those things.”
To aid this effort, Hillsdale is offering a new, two-year, residential master’s degree program in classical education. Completely tuition-free to students admitted to the program, Coupland said the first cohort of up to 20 students will begin classes on campus in August 2022.
“At Hillsdale College, we really honor and appreciate the idea of in-person learning,” said Coupland, who is completing his 16th year at the College and also serves as the chairman of the education program. “We really value that. In opening up this graduate program, we wanted to continue doing that which we do well, which is having that classroom experience.”
The 36-credit-hour M.A. in Classical Education program will have students taking nine credits per semester for four semesters. There will also be opportunities outside the classroom, including administrative and teaching apprenticeships and graduate research assistantships, Coupland said.
With nearly 10 K-12 classical schools within a two-hour drive of campus, Coupland said the apprenticeships are the “most practical classes we offer,” and will create opportunities to shadow both administrators and teachers.
On-campus research assistantships will be offered to admitted students that will provide a $2,500 per-semester stipend to help offset living costs, according to Coupland.
Successful program applicants will ideally have a minimum of two years of teaching experience following completion of their undergraduate degree.
“The typical candidate is probably going to have a couple of years of teaching experience, because this is about education and it’s primarily focused on K-12,” Coupland said. “So it makes sense that the successful applicant would have already spent some time in the classroom and would bring that experience with them to the graduate program.”
A core curriculum will be taught in the first year, including classes in history, philosophy, and literature, Coupland said. In year two, only the Pedagogy and Classical Education course is required. Students can pursue elective tracks in leadership or administration, liberal arts, or curriculum and instruction. Faculty will also provide special topics courses on scholars like C.S. Lewis or Augustine.
Coupland said one of the program goals is that graduates will go on to become leaders—as teachers or administrators—in the field of classical education.
“But it may also involve being a dean of students, or being a department head, or maybe even writing curriculum,” he said. “We want our graduates to be leaders across the board.”
Coupland said he expects Hillsdale College to continue to lead in the area of classical education.
“Our goal is to be THE place to study classical education,” he said. “We want to be the place where people go when they hear classical education. We want to be THE standard of graduate study in the field of classical education.
“If there are alumni who are interested, I hope they apply. But I also hope they tell people they know.
For more information about Hillsdale’s Graduate School in Classical Education M.A. program, click here.
Daniel Coupland, dean of Hillsdale’s Graduate School of Classical Education
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s new director of Alumni Marketing. He’s looking forward to connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in March 2022