SOE - Loyola Marymount University

LMU School of Education

At Loyola Marymount University School of Education, our students, faculty, alumni and staff are changing the face of education in California and across the nation. Through undergraduate teacher preparation, graduate and certificate programs, and our signature Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership for Social Justice, LMU SOE prepares tomorrow’s researchers and educational leaders to impact their students, their institutions and our world.

The school’s reputation for academic excellence is on the rise. LMU SOE is the first institution in California to receive full national accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. The Journal of Catholic Education announced that we will continue to host the premier peer-reviewed Catholic education journal through 2025. And in 2020, U.S. News & World Report ranked LMU SOE in the top 15 percent of graduate schools for education nationally. Our success is a testament to the school’s high-quality programs designed to make an impact.

True to our Jesuit and Marymount traditions, we are transforming educational systems through innovative, entrepreneurial and reform-oriented programs, initiatives and research, along with the magis-fueled work of our students, faculty, staff and alumni — all of whom work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of all children, because they know that education is the way to a better, more just world.

Dual Language Education

LMU SOE's Center for Catholic Education is spearheading a unique effort to advance the implementation of dual language immersion in a network of eight Archdiocesan Catholic schools in Los Angeles. These DLI schools, located in diverse geographical areas, are participating in professional development together, while supporting and learning from one another under the leadership and guidance of the CCE and the Archdiocese. SOE's Center for Equity for English Learners, a recognized leader in promoting equity and excellence in bilingual education through research-based resources and professional development, continues to expand and deepen its research, policy, advocacy and professional development activities.

Going Global

A group on a bus heading to a historical site in Soria, Spain

LMU SOE remains steadfast in its commitment to graduate study-abroad programs. We offer an immersive study-abroad experience in Mexico City through a partnership with Universidad Iberoamericana (IBERO) for the SOE Specialized Programs in Professional Psychology department, and an International Colloquium on Languages, Cultures, Identity, in School and Society in Soria, Spain, led by SOE faculty.

Bolstering the Pipeline

A teacher holding a small white board with an illustration of a lion asking for the proper spelling

The Center for Undergraduate Teacher Preparation is taking proactive measures to bolster the pipeline of educators and address the teacher shortage in California. The new Educational Studies Integrated 4+1 Program, offered through the Center for Undergraduate Teacher Preparation, allows undergraduates to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from LMU and preliminary teaching credential from the School of Education in four years, then a Master of Arts in Educational Studies from SOE in just one additional year.

Meet the Dean

Mary K. McCullough, Ph.D.

Mary K. McCullough, Ph.D., serves as the interim dean of the School of Education for the 2019-2020 academic year.

McCullough has served as the associate dean for faculty in the LMU School of Education and is a professor in educational leadership. She has held several leadership positions including department chair, inaugural director of the doctoral program, director of the administration programs, and faculty senate president. McCullough earned her Ph.D. in policy, planning and administration at USC and had a distinguished career as a principal and assistant principal in public and Catholic schools prior to joining LMU.

She has been honored as an impactful educator, administrator, and leader throughout her career. Her recognitions include: Outstanding Administrator of the Year from the Torrance Unified School District, Outstanding Alumna of the Year from Mount St. Mary's College, Outstanding Graduate of the Year from the National Catholic Educational Association, and the Hidden Heroes Award from the CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice. McCullough served for three years as editor of Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development, the journal of the California Association of Professors of Educational Administration, and is currently the editor for the Journal of Catholic Education. She edited two books including "The Just One Justices: The Role of Justice at the Heart of Catholic Higher Education," and authored books and articles on K-12 and university leadership, organizational change, and continues her active involvement in the LMU doctoral program.