Education Leadership
The Master's of Education Leadership is designed for teachers and other professional staff in Birth-12 schools who want to develop their leadership capacities as productive change agents and supporters of school-wide initiatives through the promotion of continuous improvement strategies and effective administrative practices.Education professionals who enter this degree program are the leaders and future leaders of our schools. They are distinguished from other educators, in part, by their willingness to take a more active role in the decision-making processes that occur at their schools.
Students in the Master's of Education degree program may choose one of two paths. One path leads directly toward the (Post-Master's) K-12 Principal licensure. Elective coursework is directly related to K-12 Principal preparation.
The other path allows students who are not interested in becoming a K-12 Principal to focus elective coursework on their professional interests and aspirations (e.g., student services, curriculum and instruction, educational technology, student assessment, team leader, mentoring, school business management, early childhood education, alternative education, charter leadership, community relations, and so forth).
Graduates provide leadership in their school building or program. Often this means they become:
- Team leader
- Curriculum and instruction
- Educational technology
- Student assessment
- School business management
- Alternative education such as charter leadership
- Student services
- Dean of students
Required Coursework
The Leadership Education program consists of 33 credits in a combination of core Leadership Education courses and courses specific to the Leadership Education emphasis. A capstone writing project and a comprehensive examination are also required for a Master’s in Education Leadership.
Leadership Education Core Courses (15 S.H.)
LDRS 612 - Systems Thinking (3 S.H.)
LDRS 614 - Change Leadership (3 S.H.)
LDRS 615 - Communication (3 S.H.)
LDRS 618 - Scholarship (3 S.H.)
LDRS 619 - Leadership Capstone Experience (3 S.H.)
Education Leadership Required Courses (18 S.H.)
EL 604 - Curriculum Planning, Development and Diverse Learners (3 S.H.)
EL 654 - Context of Leadership (3 S.H.)
Electives (12 S.H.)
K-12 Principal licensing path: student may select from the EdS core
Non-licensing path: subject to advisor approval, the student may select from a variety of education and leadership graduate courses
These twelve credits are determined in collaboration with an academic advisor and are intended to enhance general leadership skills and/or provide career and job specific knowledge.
A detailed description of the courses and additional information about the Education Leadership emphasis can be found in the course catalog.
