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Home > Programs & Degrees > Why MA at Stanford?
Dear Prospective Master's Student:
You may be wondering if you should apply to a master’s program in the Stanford University School of Education (SUSE). There’s not enough space to give you all the reasons that might make this the right place for you, but let me tell you about two important characteristics of our program.
First, we’re a relatively small school. With about 45 faculty members and 80 non-teacher-preparation master’s students across 6 different programs, you’ll have close contact with faculty. And with about 200 course offerings a year, classes are small. Nearly all your classes will include a mix of master’s and doctoral students, since we don’t segregate courses by program. So if you ever apply to a doctoral program, you can say you’ve already done doctoral level work. As a school without departments, you’ll find that the boundary between programs is low. And since the school is also closely integrated with the university, students are encouraged to take courses in other departments on campus.
Although these factors are important, the primary reason for picking any academic program is really the quality of the faculty; and SUSE’s faculty is extraordinarily accomplished. Just take a look at the lineup of faculty members whose interests are related to your own. You know they’re good because of their publications and other accomplishments. You also know they’re good because of the school’s ranking among the nation’s best education schools. (U.S. News and World Report perennially ranks us in the top 4 overall and number 1 in the assessment of our peers.) You’ll find that our faculty care a lot about teaching as well as research, working hard to craft effective classes and to enhance the professional development of our master’s students. This close attention also extends to the admissions process; every master’s application is read by two faculty members in the applicant’s field.
With these factors in mind, I do hope you’ll apply. I’m confident that, like others before you, you’ll be enriched by your experience in our program.
Best,
David Labaree
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
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