About the Educational Leadership Master’s and Doctoral Programs
The MEd (Principal-Certification) in Educational Leadership is a 36-hour online two-year degree leading toward principal certification in Texas. The program includes a year-long (fall and spring) principal preparation internship in your school to develop leadership and instructional skills for the school leader role. The program curriculum supports 268 and PASL certification, and courses are delivered synchronously online via web-based links. Two years of completed teacher of record and successful teaching experience is required to apply and join the program.
The MEd (Non-Certification) in Educational Leadership is a 36-hour online program designed to prepare graduates for non-certified positions in education, government, the private sector, nonprofits, leadership and policy institutes, research-based advocacy groups, or to continue to a doctoral degree. Emphasis is on (1) understanding the relationships between education, leadership, and policy; (2) using evidence to make education-related decisions and policies; and (3) preparing to lead meaningful change through policy, research, and practice. Program courses are delivered online synchronously via web-based links.
The Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) program is designed for current school leaders with a design-based school improvement focus for instructional coaches, assistant principals, principals, and central office leaders. The Superintendent Certification is integrated into the program coursework and available for school leaders to continue advancing their learning. The doctoral curriculum is theoretically aligned to both the Texas Education Agency frameworks and the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) delivered synchronously online via web-based links. Applications are reviewed twice a year in November for a January cohort and April for a June start. The program requires participation in a weekend Orientation Colloquium and participation in a weekend Summer Institute at the end of June as part of the summer coursework designed to build capacity and a collaborative network of cohort members and faculty.
The Educational Leadership Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in EC-12 Education Policy is an online program preparing students for leadership positions in a wide variety of settings at local, state, national and international levels, including school districts, universities, government agencies, nonprofits and policy think tanks. Students receive rigorous training in leadership, organizations, policy theory, research methods, policy implementation and advocacy. Coursework involves the application of theory to real-world issues such as racial and economic disparities in student achievement or the role of school vouchers in education reform. A cohort model allows students to move through the fully online program together and be part of a learning community. The program courses are delivered synchronously online via web-based links using video conferencing, students regularly engage in a virtual classroom as if they were face-to-face. Applications are reviewed in the spring for a summer cohort start every year.
