Program Outline: Master of Education (MEd)
in Educational Leadership

This 51-credit Master of Education in Educational Leadership program offers current research and best practices to enable candidates to become effective leaders within the broad range of constituents served by principals and district administrators.

To be eligible for entry into the MEd in Educational Leadership program with the intention of earning a Principal Certificate, you must be a certificated teacher or certificated Educational Staff Associate (ESA). If you are seeking the Program Administrator Certificate, you are not required to hold a teaching or ESA certificate for entry into the program.

With the exception of one course, the academic program is virtually identical whichever certificate you seek, including course requirements, certification requirements, and class locations. Only the internship location and focus varies.

Program Components

Professional Core

You will be required to take core classes "Moral Issues in Education," "American Education: Past and Present," "Human Development and Principles of Learning," "Survey of Instructional Strategies," and "Interpreting and Applying Educational Research I and II."

Major Core

Major core classes specific to the Educational Leadership program include "Educational Administration," "The Principalship" "School Finance," "School Law," "Human Resources Administration," "Instructional Supervision," "Current Issues in Education," and a 3-credit elective at the graduate level.

Internship

The MEd in Educational Leadership includes a one-year integrative internship (9 credits, spread over three quarters).

If you are pursuing a Principal Certificate, you will perform administrative and leadership activities under the supervision of a mentor principal or vice principal in a school setting. In this setting, you can acquire and practice effective management and leadership skills that are crucial to your future success as a school principal.

If you are pursuing a Program Administrator Certificate, you will also fulfill the internship requirement. In your case, however, the internship would occur in a district or administrative office rather than in a school.

In conjunction with the Educational Leadership faculty, students in the program are responsible for securing the site and mentor for their internship. Internships are designed to be completed in conjunction with the student's current full-time contract. It is not necessary to take a year off.

Comprehensive Exam

You will complete this two-part examination, consisting of a written essay and an oral defense of the answers to these questions, at the end of the program.

Submit your request to take the exam to the graduate programs manager one month in advance. The oral defense is arranged individually through the chair of the program. You will complete the written exam prior to your oral defense.

Certification

Candidates for the Principal Certificate or the Program Administrator Certificate are required to submit a formal application to the certification officer in the School of Education for the issuance of the certificate.

Find information about this Program Overview, Program Outline, and Admission Information.