Program Objectives

The major educational objectives of the program are to develop educational leaders who have advanced knowledge and skills by:

1. Encouraging participants in the program to self-direct their personal and professional growth as educators by:
   • Taking responsibility for their own learning;
   • Initiating professional inquiry through conversations with colleagues;
   • Critically reading professional literature;
   • Participating in personal and professional development opportunities; and
   • Setting high expectations for their professional performance.
2. Guiding participants to promote in P-20 students and education professionals the skills to respond effectively to student differences by:
   • Developing and advanced understanding of human development;
   • Expecting and respecting diversity among individuals in educational settings;
   • Promoting understanding and respect for all members of the educational community;
   • Helping students, stakeholders, and colleagues develop a global perspective; and
   • Applying their knowledge at all levels of interaction with students by creating educational environments where all individuals feel welcome as leaders and successful learners.
3. Improving educational practice through self-refection, self-evaluation, and applied research by:
   • Engaging in study that leads to continuous improvement of educational leadership;
   • Actively investigating and solving educational problems through data gathering and assessment;
   • Continuously monitoring the learning problems and successes of each learner;
   • Making appropriate adjustments in practice based on analysis of data.
4. Serving as educational leaders by:
   • Actively participating as leaders in areas in which they can contribute to solving educational problems: schools, school districts, community colleges, universities, and affiliated organizations;
   • Taking responsibility for sharing in decision-making relative to institutional issues;
   • Readily asking for and sharing successful instructional approaches and solutions with colleagues, supervisors, and educational leaders; and
   • Providing mentoring for students and colleagues.

Admission Requirements

In order to be considered for admission to the M.Ed. program, applicants are expected to submit an online application through the Graduate School and meet the following requirements:

1. Bachelor’s degree (or its U.S. equivalent) from a college or university that is accredited by U.S. Department of Education-recognized institutional accreditors.
2. GPA 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).  If an applicant has earned or attempted a post-baccalaureate degree (i.e., master’s, doctoral, or other), grades in that program will also be taken into consideration.
3. A Statement of Purpose (essay) submitted online as part of the application submission process.
4. At least three recommendation forms from persons familiar with your personal, academic and/or professional qualifications. These Recommendations are submitted directly from your recommender via the online application system.
5. Unofficial transcripts of all academic work attempted beyond high (secondary) school can be used for admission review. An official (officially certified) final transcript must be submitted if an applicant is offered admission.International transcripts provided in a language other than English should be uploaded, but a translated version should be uploaded as well.
6. A description of previous relevant employment.
7. Reports of GRE/GMAT test scores (optional).
8. For non-native English language holders:official English Language Proficiency Scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).Required is either a minimum score of 83 on the Internet-based TOEFL, or a minimum overall band score of 6.5 on the IELTS.

Priority application deadlines are March 1 for Fall admission and October 1 for Spring admission.

Degree Requirements

The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program requires 30 credit hours, including 9 credit hours of professional education core courses, 15 credit hours of coursework in educational leadership, and 6 credit hours of elective courses.  Students are encouraged to work with advisors to select courses relevant to their professional interests (P-12 or Higher Education).  M.Ed. completers must successfully prepare an electronic portfolio housing appropriate artifacts and evidences under the direction of program faculty.

Degree Total = 30 Credit Hours