What is the Overseas Summer Cohort Program?

Every summer, MSU students pursuing the MAET degree and/or the Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology have the option to enroll in our exciting overseas summer cohort program. Together, the three cohort experiences comprise nine of the 10 courses required for the MAET degree.

How is the Overseas Summer Cohort structured?

Year 1 Cohort:

Foundational Skills and Mindsets for Technology Integration in Classrooms

3 courses, 9 credits: CEP 810, CEP 811, CEP 812

To get a sense of learning experiences typical of the Year 1 Cohort, please explore prior years’ Year 1 Cohort course pages.

Year 2 Cohort:

Leadership, Advanced Theories of Learning and Technology Integration in Educational Settings

3 courses, 9 credits: CEP 800, CEP 815, CEP 822

Students in the second year cohort design, coordinate and run a day-long educational technology conference, write a research paper about learning processes and conduct research. To get a sense of learning experiences typical of the Year 2 Cohort, please explore prior years' Year 2 Cohort course pages.

Year 3 Cohort:

Creativity and Design

3 courses, 9 credits: CEP 807, CEP 817, CEP 818

Students in the third year cohort focus on the interactions of learning, digital tools and creativity. Using the book Sparks of Genius (Root-Bernstein & Root-Bernstein, 2001) as their guide, students explore ways to integrate creative uses of digital tools into their work as educators. They also focus on professional leadership, the nature of compelling learning experiences and ways to make compelling learning experiences for others. To get a sense of learning experiences typical of the Year 3 Cohort, please explore prior years’ Year 3 Cohort course pages.

Why should I do it?

The Overseas Summer Cohort program appeals to innovative educators who thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy collaboration and who crave an exciting (and dare we say, mind-blowing) professional learning experience for one, two or three summers in an overseas location.

This program works well for teachers who prefer face-to-face instruction, and who have a block of time for professional learning during a month in the summer.

Many of our overseas students teach at international schools around the world, or teach in US Department of Defense schools. Because our student body is global, instructional focus necessarily transcends discrete-level curricular focus. So, although overseas summer students may teach in IB, AP, British, Canadian, American and/or Common Core focused schools, instruction in the overseas program focuses on core ideas and research that inform good learning, teaching and technology integration.

What do students say about our programs?

MAET alum Debbie McHorney created this welcome video to give you a taste of the MAET overseas experience in Galway:

“This program has reignited my passion and faith for education. It expects excellence from its students, but also earns the respect of the student by being practical, transparent and creative.” — Overseas Student, Summer 2013

“The MAET overseas cohort is a wonderful experience to work with teachers from all around the globe. The various backgrounds of your class members enrich the experience as you not only learn about technology, but about teaching in different settings. Building a network of colleagues to bounce ideas off and share challenges and celebrations with around the world is a great aspect of the overseas cohort.

The courses have been very well designed to allow teachers from all different subject areas and levels to be able to apply the theoretical content to their own context. The assignments are open-ended and allow for each person to customize the final product based on their background. The instructors are there to really support you and help you get the most out of the courses.
Outside of the class time, being in a foreign city is a gateway to explore other cultures and spaces. Being able to travel on weekends into the surrounding communities was a definite benefit of the experience.”

~Marcie Lewis, MAET ’14 Teacher, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

“Doing the course in the summer is great. The month overseas is intense, but the work gets done. The trick is to figure out the balance between work and play. There is time for both, but not every night. A big plus is that all your classmates are there with you so there is a lot of support available for the thinking and work to be done. The school day is a regular work day in terms of time. After class, you will have additional work, either readings or projects, pretty much every day. But, again, you can do this and still go out to eat or socialize. It is not all work, no play. There are optional outings on the weekends to enable students to enjoy the country of study. A student can do every one of these outings and still complete the required work. MSU and the organizers of this cohort do a good job of creating an environment where the study can be meaningful, but the country in which the study takes place can also be explored and enjoyed.”

-Dana Schwarzkopf, MAET ’13 Technology Integration Coordinator, Zambia

“I just finished my second year in the overseas cohort. I did the online portion for my first year. In the overseas cohort, I was able to bounce ideas off of other students for feedback and was able to assist others with their projects, which allowed for me to understand other viewpoints of the same project. I have been out of college for many years, the workload was harder than I remember, but I had to remind myself that it was a full course load in four weeks! Even though this was hard work, I plan on doing the overseas portion again next year.”

~Ryan Brown, MAET ’14, and Middle School Mathematics Teacher, Moscow, Russia

“I did Year 1 and Year 2 in the overseas cohort and it changed my life! I had very little technology experience and I knew I couldn’t learn it online – I would need live people to help me! The work is very intense, but there is a feeling of “we are all in this together” and people are willing to help and share their ideas. I work at a very intense school and felt overwhelmed at the thought of having to do regular work and work on MAET at night so I liked that the summer was really intense but I didn’t have to worry about it during the school year. For an introvert, it is a little tough living in the dorms and having everyone around all the time, but it is great to have teachers from all over the world around to have rich discussions with – teachers rarely have time to do that! The professors are great and even though you work hard, you also get time to explore the host country. I have really enjoyed both my summers with MAET.”

~Bobbi Jo Staley, MAET ’12, Middle School Mathematics Teacher, Mumbai, India

How much is it?

Costs below are from Summer 2019 and are in USD. Costs for Summer 2020 will be posted mid-Fall:

Tuition ~ $755.50/credit hour x 9 credits = $6,799.50
Departmental Fee* ~ $500.00
Activity Fee ~ $200.00

Housing ~ ALL students automatically receive a $1,000.00 housing credit
$1,645.00 ~ Single En Suite** ($645.00 after credit)

Voucher Card Meal Plan (optional) ~ $230.00. Meals will be served in a group cafeteria setting, Monday – Friday.

Estimated Cost (without optional meal plans and reflective of housing credit)

Tuition + Departmental Fee + Activity Fee + Housing = $8,144.50

*The departmental fee is assessed for the extensive service provided in making arrangements for the course.

**Each apartment has 4-6 rooms, each room has a private en suite bathroom. There will be a limited number of double bed en suites available in each apartment, which will be assigned by lottery and to accommodate special needs. Visit the housing information website from NUI Galway to view full apartment amentities and view a gallery.

How long will it take me?

You can complete the program in three summers (along with one online course.)

Students have five (5) years to complete the MAET degree. You may transfer one 3-credit course from an accredited institution into your MAET program plan. Remember, your “academic clock” starts ticking with the date of the first course you apply to your program plan. (e.g. if you took the course in 2015, then that’s when your “clock” starts ticking.)

Are you a MSU College of Education Teacher Education graduate? Find out more about how your Teacher Preparation Program (TPP) courses can be used towards your degree.

How do I apply?

A limited number of spots are available for our popular overseas study program. To reserve a spot in the summer cohort, please fill out the Summer 2019 Reservation Form. This is not a guarantee of admission. The form does reserve a spot for you as you are applying to the program, however.

Students should apply to the Master of Arts in Educational Technology degree program. Specify program code #2299 on your university application form. This is the special overseas code for the MAET degree.

If you are an MSU teaching internship graduate, please consult specific program planning options that may be uniquely available to you for overseas study. The GRE is not required to apply to the MAET degree program.