Western Education's MPEd | Field of Global and International Education
The MPEd in the Field of Global and International Education focuses on critically examining, understanding and steering professional practice across a range of education organizations and contexts, in Canada and globally (e.g., local and international schools, colleges, higher education institutions, government departments, NGOs and international organizations, placement agencies, etc.). It supports student-driven professional ‘problems of practice’ in global and international educational contexts and activities such as: internationalizing curricula and programming, international student supports and recruitment, study abroad programs, international placements and internships in education, educational initiatives in global development, and internationalization policy. Students in the MPEd in the field of Global and International Education will consider applications and implications of current research in the mobilization of knowledge to address professional goals and objectives in their current and/or aspirational career paths.
This is a fully online, two-year, course-based program. Students can be based anywhere in the world.
Shape international education
Online degree – study anywhere
Understand international education trends
Work with diverse communities
The program has helped me gain many professional and academic skills. I have found myself challenges through class discussions and being in the classroom.
- Kristen Ciechanowicz, Graduated 2020
Beyond the program details
Admissions
Required:
- A four-year degree (20 full courses or equivalent) from an accredited university.
- Minimum "B" standing (70%) or equivalent in the final two years of study.
Recommended:
- Professional teaching or other experience working in an area related to global or international education
Application Deadlines
| Master of Professional Education (MPEd) - Application Deadlines | ||
| Field of Study | Priority Review Deadline | Application Availability |
| Applied Behaviour Analysis | Applications Closed | |
| Curriculum and Pedagogy | Applications Closed | |
| Early Childhood Education | Applications Closed | |
| Educational Leadership | Applications Closed | |
| Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice | Applications Closed | |
| Global and International Education | Applications Closed | |
| Leadership in Indigenous Education | Applications Closed | |
| Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) - September 2026 cohort | Applications Closed | |
| Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) - January 2027 cohort | September 30, 2026 | |
| Teaching Students with Exceptionalities | Applications Closed | |
Tuition
Tuition amounts are set each year by Senate and then published on the Office of the Registrar's Fees Schedules web page. Fees are assessed once each term (Fall, Winter, Summer).
Current students can access fee information by logging into the Student Centre (use your Western email log in and password). Students are notified each term once fee amounts have been posted in the Student Centre; it is each student's responsibility to log into the Student Centre and pay fees by the due date indicated. Failure to do so may result in a late payment fee or deregistration.
For questions about fees, including how to pay fees and the methods of payment that are accepted, students should go to the Student Financial Services pages of the Office of the Registrar's web site or contact Student Financial Services (Office of the Registrar) at 519-661-2100.
The Graduate Student Affordability Calculator was designed for you to get a better estimate of what it will cost to attend one of Western's graduate programs for one year. The calculator is not a promise of funding or a place to access scholarship support or financial aid; rather, it is intended to provide you with an accurate estimate of how much money you will need to pay for your tuition, fees, housing, food, and many other necessities for a 12-month (three-term) academic year.
Funding
The Faculty of Education recognizes the financial commitment required to pursue professional graduate studies.
As the majority of our programs are fully online, we offer students flexible learning that allows them to fund their education by remaining in their current employment. Some employers offer subsidization or time release opportunities for the professional learning of their employees. As a result, internal funding is not available for these programs.
There are also many external funding opportunities for competitive candidates in our professional programs. Download this PDF file for an additional list of over 30 external awards (see more information below). Also, visit online sites that contain numerous award opportunities.
Please note that students must apply for these awards individually. Read the qualifications carefully, and contact the award provider for more criteria and award information. Some application support is available from the Research Office for research-based awards only.Many private financial institutions offer financing options (with particular rates and payment plans) to full-time students. Please contact a representative of your preferred financial institution for more information.
Provincial governments offer a variety of loan programs to help students finance their studies. Ontario residents may be eligible to apply for OSAP.
The Government of Canada's CanLearn website provides a listing of contact information for the offices of all government student financial assistance programs. Please visit CanLearn to find your province or territory listing. The Government of Canada implemented the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) to encourage higher education and training. The LLP allows you to withdraw up to $10,000 a year from your registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance training or education for you or your spouse or common-law partner. For further information on this plan, visit the government's LLP website
Technology
Instructors of onsite courses use the Brightspace OWL platform, although it is not required. Access to a course in Brightspace OWL is typically opened the first business day of each term. Please note that although your own access may be granted prior to the first business day, course content may not be posted until closer to the scheduled term start. Your Western University login and password is required to access the course (your Western email without the @uwo.ca and its accompanying password). Access to the learning management system is found here: Brightspace OWL.
For online and in-person courses, students are required to have access to the following:
- High speed Internet access
- Access to a computer that enables connection to outside websites (flexible firewall restrictions)
- Multimedia playback capabilities (video/audio)
- WebCam
- Computer capable of running a recent version of Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox; and/or Cisco MOVI client for PC or Mac
- Audio headset and microphone for computer
Program information
Description
The Master of Professional Education (MPEd) in the field of Global and International Education is designed to develop students’ understanding of key issues and current debates in global and international education from multiple perspectives and apply these to their professional practice. The field employs critical approaches from which students develop and assess their perspectives and everyday practices, empowering them to actively build and apply knowledge to address the practical demands of their work.
The field is suited to a range of education-sector professionals such as, teachers, administrators and directors, program staff and managers, working, or aspiring to work, in settings such as:
- international schools, colleges and universities in Canada and abroad
- international offices, student services, program marketing and international student recruitment
- international experiential learning (e.g., study abroad, international exchange, service learning)
- culturally-diverse education and learning organizations (e.g., community programming for new immigrant or refugee populations)
- private-sector training and specialized service and development sector institutes.
As a fully online degree, this field may be taken at any location in the world. Time commitments for each course will likely range from approximately 10-15 hours per week.
Please note that the MPEd and EdD programs do not qualify you to teach in the K-12 school system in Canada. See our Teacher Education section for more information.
Objectives
- Develop a breadth of understanding on foundational, conceptual, and methodological approaches, and key issues and current debates in global and international education from multiple perspectives; and apply these to professional practice.
- Identify taken-for-granted assumptions in the research and practice of global and international education and reflexively consider one’s own domain of professional practice.
- Critically engage with and appropriately use education research, data, and policy and professional resources and apply them to address issues of professional relevance in global and international education
Timing/delivery
The MPEd is designated as a full-time program. Full-time status requires that students complete four half-courses in one year. MPEd students will complete one course per semester (fall, winter, intersession, summer) for two years. Full-time students have access to all student services at Western. See SGPS for details.
This program of study is a course-based cohort model. Approximately 20 students will be admitted to the cohort. This cohort structure will provide ongoing support within the course work, enabling students to develop a professional community of practice. To ensure the integrity of the cohort model, continuous enrollment is required, and will necessitate that students complete all the required courses within the timeframe stipulated.
The program's concentration in international education exposes students via their coursework to cutting edge research and emphasizes the application of theory to practice. The program ends with a final capstone project.
Courses
~Year 1~
Year 1 Fall 9420 – Framing Global and International Education
This course provides an overview and analysis of the discourses and practices of global
and international education. It introduces key concepts such as globalization and
internationalization. Students apply these understandings to examine new developments,
opportunities, and challenges to education practice, and reflect on their implications for
their own professional domains.
Year 1 Winter 9422 - Global Education in the 21st Century: from policy to practice
This course critically examines policy frameworks and agendas designed to advance
initiatives in global and international education. The course will analyze Canadian (local,
national and provincial) international education policies, and transnational (e.g., OECD,
UNESCO) policies, as relevant. Students will consider how these frameworks affect
practice in their various professional contexts, and how they structure their work.
Year 1 Summer - Intersession 9421 – Examining Culture and Difference in Transnational Contexts
This course explores and problematizes popular and theoretical notions of culture and
intercultural learning under heightened transnationalism. Students engage with popular,
literary, and visual representations of interculturality to critically reflect on self other
relations in an interconnected world.
Year 1 Summer - Summer Session 9425 – Supporting Diverse Learners: language, power, and identity
This course examines the significance of language in international educational processes.
Conceptually, it examines the relationships between languages in specific contexts, social
power, and identity. Practically, it explores productive pedagogies in working with
linguistically and culturally diverse learners.
~Year 2~
Year 2 Fall 9424 – Domains of International Education
This course examines the qualities and tensions of the movement to ‘internationalize’
education. It considers multiple domains, such as: international schools and the
International Baccalaureate; internationalizing elementary and secondary school
curricula; student recruitment and support services in colleges and universities; study
abroad and international service learning, etc. Students will also develop expertise in a
domain of internationalization related to their professional practice.
Year 2 Winter 9426 – Reading and Using Research on Global and International Education
This course introduces students how to critically read and appropriately use relevant
research and resources on global and international education. The focus will be to
identify relevant resources, examine and synthesize research and data sources, and assess
research studies. Students are encouraged to search, collate, and synthesize resources
relevant to their professional domain in preparation for the Capstone course.
Year 2 Summer - Intersession 9423 – Exploring Educational Technologies and Digital Learning
This course explores emerging educational technologies and learning and literacy in the
digital age. It examines the implications of educational technology for pedagogy and for
global and international education. Students will be required to actively employ new e
learning technologies in completing course assignments.
Year 2 Summer - Summer session 9427 – Capstone: Mobilizing Knowledge for Professional Practice in Global and International Education
Students mobilize the knowledge and learning they have developed through their
coursework and throughout the program in relation to a problem of practice they identify.
Students are required to produce and present a concrete research-informed product (i.e.,
professional learning resource, curriculum document, policy brief, research synthesis)
that best addresses the problem of professional practice.
