Program Overview 

The Educational Leadership M.Ed. Program is designed for certified educators who wish to earn the credentials necessary to become a school- or district-level administrator.  Upon completion of this program, candidates will be eligible to add Tier I Leadership Certification to their certificates, provided all GaPSC certification requirements are met (see Notes below).  While in the Educational Leadership M.Ed. program, candidates are expected to be employed in a professional role in an organization that provides professional educational services (e.g. school, school district, regional educational service agency department of education).  This program prepares candidates for P-12 school-level positions below that of principal (e.g. assistant or vice principal, etc.) and for district-level positions that do not supervise principals.

Notes:

1) The GACE Leadership Ethics Exam must be taken prior to enrollment in the Tier I certification program.

2) All candidates must obtain a signed Mentor Agreement Form to be submitted as part of the admissions process.  The candidate's mentor must be an individual who holds certification in educational leadership and is employed in a supervisory capacity over the candidate at the time of application.  The Mentor Agreement Form may be obtained from the CSU Admissions Office or program coordinator.

3) The GACE Educational Leadership content exam must be passed in order to officially earn Tier I certification.

Career Opportunities

Educational Leadership Tier I certification prepares you for a broad range of careers including:

    *Assistant principal

    *Central office administrator (that doesn’t supervise principals)

    *Other leadership roles in education

Career Opportunities

Career Opportunities with Tier I

After obtaining an educational leadership degree, there are job options available - if the candidate is certified. Examples of these careers are assistant school principals and other leadership roles such as academic/instructional coaches or system level curriculum instructional coaches. Assistant principal and principal positions are on the rise and are expected to grow 25% before the end of the decade. Students obtaining the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership may be eligible for leadership positions in private or parochial schools which do not require certification.  Some districts may require the candidate hold a Tier I certification to be an academic/instructional coach; it is best to check with the individual districts to determine their exact requirements for leadership positions.

Program of Study 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Area 1: Research
EDUL 6116	Applied Educational Research	3
Area 1 Total		3
Area 2: P-12 Educational Leadership
EDUL 6128	Instructional Strategies for Student Success	3
EDUL 6129	Supervision of the Learning Environment	3
EDUL 6138	Continuous Improvement in Schools	3
EDUL 6165	The Principalship	3
EDUL 6185	School Law and Ethics	3
EDUL 6189	School Culture and Diversity	3
EDUL 6195	Technology In the Learning Environment	3
EDUL 6227	Obtaining and Using Resources Wisely	3
Area 2 Total		24
Area 3: Internship
EDUL 6691	Internship for School Leaders	1
EDUL 6692	Internship for School Leaders	1
EDUL 6693	Internship for School Leaders	1
Area 3 Total		3
Total Credit Hours		30

 Total Hours Required: 30 credit hours combined with 250 Internship hours

Admission Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree is a pre-requisite for entry into this MEd Program
• GPA of 3.0 or better in fulfillment of the requirements for your latest degree.
• 3 years of teaching experience and current employment in a P-12 school as a certified teacher.
• An administrative Mentor committed to working with you (see below) which has been signed by your mentor and by the district superintendent.
• 2 Letters of Reference (at least one from a building or system level administrator)
• Ethics Assessment++   If you are enrolling in this program, you must submit a copy of your Completion Certificate of having taken the GA Ethics for Educational Leadership Assessment Program entry (370) pre-assessment as a condition of enrollment.
• All candidates seeking Educational Leadership certification in GA will be required to take the Ethics completion assessment (380) and pass it to obtain certification.
• A clear background check:  CSU recognizes a combination of a current copy of your current state teaching certification and your verification of current employment by your superintendent or designee as adequate proof for a background check.

Additional Program Requirements

• Students must earn a 3.0 GPA calculated on all graduate work attempted. "Academic Forgiveness" policy does not apply to graduate studies.
• Students cannot graduate with a grade of "C" or below in more than two (2) graduate courses (may be appealed to the College of Education and Health Professions Graduate Council).
• A minimum of 27 hours of the hours required for the degree must be earned in residence (75%). Asynchronous (online) and distance learning courses administered through Columbus State University constitute courses taken in residence.
• A total of 250 hours of internship work is required by GA PSC.
• A maximum of six (6) semester hours of transfer credit or courses taken at CSU prior to full admission to a masters degree program may be applied toward the degree. Courses with earned grades of "C" or below cannot be transferred. The student's advisor and the coordinator of the program in which the student is enrolled must approve any courses transferred.
• All degree requirements must be completed within seven (7) years of initial enrollment.