Human Rights • Animal Protection • Ecological Ethics
Frequently Asked Questions About the Humane Education Graduate Programs
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The Institute for Humane Education designed these degree programs and curates the course materials and objectives. Antioch University hosts students and courses on it’s University platforms, and confers the degrees.
Yes. IHE’s graduate programs in humane education are offered through a partnership between IHE and Antioch University which is a fully accredited university in New Hampshire and part of the Antioch University system.
No. Each state has its own regulations and requirements for licensure. If you are interested in becoming licensed to teach in your state’s public school system, you must contact the department of education in your state to find out what the requirements and criteria for licensure are. Antioch New England offers an M.Ed. program that leads to teacher certification. More information can be found here.
Yes. As an online student, we will help you receive a student ID and gain access to services such as access to the university library and career services, writing center, IT help, financial aid counselors and accommodation support.
Yes, Antioch will accept transfer students and credits. Please contact Mary Pat Champeau, IHE Director of Graduate Programs: marypat@humaneeducation.org for details.
In any given semester, there are approximately 35-50 students in the humane education graduate programs.
IHE’s graduate programs in humane education have been offered since 2000 — first through a partnership with Cambridge College (2000-2010) and then through Valparaiso University (2011-2019). In addition, IHE and Valparaiso University partnered with Saybrook University to offer a Ph.D. program with a humane education specialization in 2014. Our current university partner (as of January 2020) is Antioch University New England.
Comprehensive humane education is a relatively new field. We work with each student to determine professional goals and plan practicum, elective, and capstone work to support these goals.
Graduates work in many different arenas, including education, the arts, business, technology, non-profit management and outreach, health and human services, animal protection, environmental preservation, and social entrepreneurship.
Yes, as long as you have the equivalent of an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree.
All degree programs in humane education share five foundational courses:
Assignments and readings within the courses are differentiated. The M.Ed. program is designed for classroom educators; other programs are designed for non-classroom educators. Program and course descriptions are available here.
Courses are rigorous. Students are encouraged to take no more than two courses per semester (6 credits), though you may take up to 3 courses (9 credits) if you wish.
No, although students are welcome to visit, participate in commencement ceremonies, and attend other activities offered on any Antioch campus.
Students come into the program with varying levels of experience with technology. Beginning with your first course, there is plenty of support available for those who’ve never participated in online studies. Contact the IHE Director of Graduate Programs if you have any difficulty with the online delivery system. The courses are set up to be very user-friendly.
Community is very important to us. We have designed the courses to include many opportunities for communication and collaboration among students. For example, in each course, students have a chance to get to know their classmates through personal introductions, discussion boards, video conferencing, a virtual student lounge and optional collaborative projects.
No. Courses are delivered via SAKAI, Antioch’s online Learning Management System. Students receive their course syllabi at the start of each semester, along with instructions on how to access the discussion boards, participate in video salons, post responses to film festivals, and submit assignments. Real-time video discussions are scheduled based on students’ availability.
Yes, with the exception of a one-week, 3-credit Humane Education Residency that is not required, but is highly encouraged!
We offer the following fully accredited degrees in partnership with Antioch University:
M.Ed. in Humane Education
M.A. in Humane Education
Graduate Certificate in Humane Education
Ed.D. with a specialization in Humane Education
Please find the most up-to-date information about tuition for the Humane Education program on Antioch’s website here.
Applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university (in any subject) and must be willing to provide two letters of recommendation and a statement of purpose essay (500-750 words). International students must demonstrate a working knowledge of English. The admissions process includes a telephone or video interview with Mary Pat Champeau, IHE Director of Graduate Programs.
In certain cases, Antioch University does not require an applicant to have completed an undergraduate degree. Information can be found here.
Ed.D. admissions requirements can be found here.
Please contact the IHE Director of Graduate Programs, Mary Pat Champeau at marypat@humaneeducation.org.
“Changing the world one child at a time.” Those words have inspired my work for more than four decades in education, and they continue to inspire me now. We are at a pivotal point in the evolution of our world. We are facing a climate crisis, a health crisis, a crisis of racial justice, a crisis in our treatment of animals, a crisis of media bias. The list goes on. And perhaps our greatest crisis is our consistent struggle as a society to simply come together respectfully, intelligently, and ethically to solve our problems and save our planet. We need solutionaries. We need young people who have been educated not only to think critically, creatively, and systemically about real-world issues, but also to be passionate, persistent, and humane in their implementation of real-world solutions. And that is IHE’s mission: to support teachers and educational institutions in preparing young people to become solutionaries – and the next caretakers of our planet.
IHE offers a healing vision and a tangible pathway forward for a struggling world. As Executive Director, I am excited, humbled, and deeply honored to join with others to promote that vision and that pathway in ways that make them foundational to systems of education throughout the world – and to each child who is committed to making that world a better place.
Passionate about preparing young people to lead lives of joy and purpose, Steve Cochrane has had a remarkable journey through the field of education. It is a journey that has taken him from the campus of Princeton University, where he served as an admissions officer and an assistant dean of students, to the classroom of a public elementary school, where he had the privilege of teaching – and learning from – his fourth and fifth grade students. Steve has been a dorm director and associate dean of admissions at Wheelock College in Boston. He has also been an elementary school principal, a middle school principal, an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and, prior to his work at IHE, he was the superintendent of the Princeton Public Schools in Princeton, New Jersey where he was honored with the award of County Superintendent of the Year. In each of these roles, Steve has collaborated with others to prioritize innovations in learning, wellness for students, equity, and a belief that every child should be supported and inspired to achieve their highest potential.
Steve received his undergraduate degree in English from Princeton University and his master’s degree in educational administration from Harvard. He is a competitive road cyclist who also enjoys the thrill of mountain biking. Steve and his wife are both vegans and advocates for holistic health. They currently reside in Spencerport, New York, with their two dogs and a very large Maine Coon cat.
