The Barzun Fellowship offers Great Hearts teachers an interest-free loan to pursue a Masters degree in Classical Education through a partner university at a negotiated tuition rate.

Any teacher in the Great Hearts network is eligible to receive a Barzun Fellowship from the time of hire, with the recommendation of a headmaster and acceptance to an affiliated university.

Barzun Fellows who are new to the profession of teaching are encouraged to participate in the Great Hearts Teaching Workshops, held the summer prior to employment, worth six graduate credits with affiliated universities.  Great Hearts Teaching Workshops introduce teachers to the basic principles of classroom management, lesson planning, and professionalism, and are run on location in each state.

The value of the degree acquired by Barzun Fellows is approximately $27,000, but Barzun Fellows will pay a total of approximately $18,000 for the degree, which will be withheld from their paychecks over three years on an elected schedule.  Barzun Fellows must commit to Great Hearts for the duration of these three years, and should expect lower take-home pay in the first two years.  However, raises in years two and three worth approximately $5000 reduce the effective overall cost of the degree to around $13,000, and Barzun Fellows will have higher earning potential moving forward.  The earnings of a Barzun Fellow who worked with Great Hearts for five years total would have more than made up for the cost of the degree.

More importantly, Barzun Fellows will have acquired a depth of understanding in the tradition and a professional network of teachers and scholars that can help establish Barzun Fellows for a career in classical education.