Top 6 reasons to take professional development courses at Mount Holyoke College
1. Learn from the best.
You will study with master teachers, teacher leaders and scholars. Our faculty are practicing teachers, active in the field. They understand the context: both the challenges you face and how to support your success. They are inspiring collaborators, mentors and advisors who will help you grow.
Don’t just take our word for it: The Princeton Review rated Mount Holyoke faculty No. 1 in the “Professors Get High Marks” category.
Meet some of our professional development faculty:
Sarah Brown Wessling
National Board Certified Teacher, 2010 National Teacher of the Year, Laureate Emeritus for the non-profit Teaching Channel, and author.
Jemelleh Coes
Her work has a laser focus on equity and disrupting traditional ways of engaging in education. She believes that equity is the thread that runs through everything! Jemelleh says, “In the sweater of life, if you remove the equity thread, you can guarantee indecent exposure.”
Nancy Gardner
National Board Certified Teacher, Center for Teaching Quality Teacherpreneur, national consultant and speaker, and published author.
2. Our programs and classes are supportive, flexible and convenient.
We know the work/life balance limitations educators are up against. So our professional development courses use a range of teaching formats to support and provide flexibility to our students. Our interactive online courses allow you to attend class from anywhere in the world. In our accelerated courses, you dive right in and finish your course in just a few weeks!
3. Credit and non-credit courses that support your professional growth.
Whether you are a professional looking to build your skills, a visiting student enrolled in another institution, or non-degree student seeking personal or professional enrichment, we invite you to explore our courses to see what might be a good fit for you.
In all of our courses you will get access to top-notch faculty and engaging content.
You may want to take a course for credit in order to receive an official transcript. This may be the best option if you are using the course towards a licensure requirement or other professional development requirement.
Our non-credit courses provide you with all the content and opportunities for engagement without the stress of grades. They are our most affordable option. We can provide you with a certificate of completion for proof of participation. Some of our short seminars and special topic professional learning opportunities are only available in non-credit formats.
Learn more about the affordability of our programs.
4. We’re here when you are ready to learn, year-round.
We offer courses throughout the year that meet the schedules of working teachers. We offer evening classes so you can keep cultivating your skills all year long. During the summer our accelerated week-long courses let you boost your skills in a focused, concentrated timeframe.
5. Start with a course — or dive deeper with an institute.
Feel free to start slow. Try a course and explore what our programs have to offer: the energy, the intellectual engagement, the community and the support you get to help you be successful.
If you decide to go further, transfer any for-credit course into one of our Professional Development Institutes to develop your area of expertise or for an additional license. Taken at your own pace, with typically just 12-14 credits required, you can demonstrate your commitment and excellence in more than a dozen different domains, ranging from pedagogy, equity, research and leadership.
Want to go deeper?
Leadership and Advocacy
Lead without leaving the classroom.
Mathematics
Improve the learning and teaching of mathematics.
Independent Schools
Created by independent schools faculty for independent schools faculty.
Differentiated Instruction & Inclusive Education
Build a framework and deepen their skills to support and empower diverse learners.
6. We offer affordable custom programming for your organization
Whether you want to address specific challenges, support organizational development or stay on top of the latest research and best practices in teaching and learning, we can help. We collaborate with you to develop custom, interactive professional learning opportunities, bringing in experts to ensure we meet your organization’s goals.
Sign up now for a free consultation and we can develop an affordable program tailored to your needs, team size and schedule.
Examples of our work
Global Action Research Collaborative
Mount Holyoke College partners with National Coalition of Girls' Schools
Mount Holyoke partners with Pathlight
Whole Selves is designed to help kids build and maintain healthy relationships.
Contact Us
Professional and Graduate Education (PaGE)
Mount Holyoke College has been on the forefront of providing a rigorous education to passionate changemakers who have gone on to break new ground in education, the sciences, the arts, public service and social justice movements for over 180 years.
- 413-538-3478
- Merrill House
Amy Asadoorian
- Assistant Director of Communications, Outreach, and Admissions