The first Bermudian graduates of a "unique'' Master of Science degree programme, offered by Wheelock College in Boston, celebrated their achievements at the weekend.

A reception was held on Sunday at the Harbour Terrace in Belmont Hotel for 33 local women who earned their master degrees in early childhood and elementary teaching.

The group are the first to complete "The Wheelock College Masters of Science in Bermuda Program''.

Visiting faculty from the college offered classes during the weekends, late afternoons, and evenings during the academic year. They also held intensive summer sessions.

"Wheelock has given these students the same high-quality education offered at the college in the US,'' public relations director Jennifer Wilder said.

"Wheelock specialises in a combination of advanced theoretical coursework with extensive and closely supervised field experiences.

"Over the course of the two-year programme, 13 top-ranking Wheelock faculty members visited the Island to teach courses and supervise field work.'' Ms Wilder explained that the Bermuda programme was similar to one offered in Singapore.

"The Bermuda Program was the first to be evaluated and approved for accreditation as an overseas degree granting programme by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges,'' she said.

The Wheelock graduate programme in Bermuda was organised by faculty from the college, the Education Department, and Bermuda College faculty members.

The graduates, ranging in age from 23 to 60, said they were mainly attracted to the programme because it was an unusual opportunity to earn a graduate degree in Bermuda that was not a correspondence programme; because of Wheelock's outstanding reputation for educating leaders in the teaching profession; and because of the college's mission to improve the lives of children and their families.

"Because the Island is relatively small and compact, the 33 teachers who attended the Wheelock Program have already taught and influenced a large segment of the Island's children,'' Ms Wilder stated.

During the two-year programme, she explained that the teachers worked with more than 900 Bermudian children each day, performed 31 workshops for colleagues, and have held more than 15 staff development training sessions.

"This is a remarkable influence on one community in a very short period of time,'' Ms Wilder added.

Wheelock is planning to enrol a second group of local students in the Masters of Science in Early Education and Teaching programme.

The programme has not yet been entirely defined. But Bermudians interested in details about the programme should contact the Office of Admissions of the Graduate School at Wheelock College, 200 The Riverway, Boston, Massachusetts 02215.