All ACE teachers pursue a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree through the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame. In fact, participation in the Master of Education program is limited only to members of ACE. Directed by Professor Michael Pressley, the program is staffed in part by Notre Dame faculty from a number of different departments, among them Psychology, English, Liberal Studies, and Sociology. In addition, a distinguished group of faculty from leading universities across the United States travel to South Bend to teach in the summer program each year.

The summer program for ACE participants covers eight weeks of study over each of two summers, typically beginning in early June and ending in late July. Courses cover the following topics, among others, and are informed by a wealth of educational research: instructional methods; lesson planning; classroom management and discipline; professional responsibilities of educators; development and assessment of students; exceptional learners; and social, historical, and philosophical foundations of Catholic education.

The M.Ed. degree is tuition-free, as is room and board during each of the summer sessions. ACE members are expected to pay for their text books and for their licensure and testing fees.

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