Educational Leadership (Principal Licensure 486), Ed.S. (30 hrs)

Location(s): 100% Online

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Program Overview

The Specialist in Education will prepare leaders to be caring, reflective decision makers. This online program will equip candidates to become change agents for positively impacting their students’ lives socially, emotionally, and academically.

This program meets the requirements for applying for a K-12 administrator’s license upon successful completion of coursework and clinical practice. Flexible course offerings allow this program to meet the needs of full-time working professionals. Classes are designed to help prepare students to be successful on the School Leadership Licensure Assessment (SLLA).

Goals and Objectives

The goals and objectives for this program are instilled through the following principles:

Effective leaders develop and articulate reasonable personal and school goals;
Effective leaders are instructional leaders and are knowledgeable about analyzing data, identifying, securing, and organizing appropriate resources for school reform (human, technological, etc.);
Effective leaders create nurturing and caring educational environments;
Effective leaders are knowledgeable about safe practices regarding ethical, legal, social, and political issues;
Effective leaders skillfully communicate with internal and external publics;
Effective leaders emphasize the importance of literacy; and
Effective leaders skillfully practice leadership theories in real world settings.

Program Admission Requirements

General Admission Requirements

Hold an approved master’s degree or graduate degree from an accredited college or university.
Provide official transcript(s) of all college work completed to date. An official transcript is defined as one issued directly from the institution to William Carey University.

Program Admission Requirements

Complete and submit an online application to William Carey University graduate school.
Pay application fee.
Hold a valid, standard 5-year teaching license or waiver of licensure form completed.
Have a GPA > 3.25 in a graduate program.
Submit a scholarly narrative of 1-2 pages of your personal philosophy of educational leadership.
Submit two reference forms from present or previous administrators who have supervised your work.
Provide documentation certifying a minimum of three years teaching experience.
No student will be admitted on a provisional or probationary basis.

Transfer Credit

Students may transfer six hours of approved coursework from an institution that is fully accredited by a recognized accrediting agency. Coursework used in a previous degree may not be used toward the specialist degree.

Program Progression and Graduation Requirements

Students move through the program in cohorts.
A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate work must be completed with a GPA > 3.0 maintained. Only two grades lower than a ‘B’ are allowed. Upon receiving a second grade lower than a ‘B’, a student is advised to repeat one of the first two grades lower than a ‘B’ before continuing in the program. A student making a third grade lower than a ‘B’ will be dismissed from the program. All appeals to policy relative to academic standing are made through the appropriate dean and, as necessary, to the graduate academic appeals subcommittee of the graduate committee.
A student must complete all required work within a period of six years after enrolling in graduate courses.
A signed program of study should be on file prior to completing 12 credit hours.
Participation in the graduation ceremony is encouraged. Degrees are not conferred in absentia, except by special permission of the registrar. A student must submit a written request.
Candidates are required to have two approved mentors (K-12 licensed administrators) and complete 300 hours of clinical practice.

Program of Study (30 hrs)

EDL 6010 - Organizational Leadership 3 hrs
EDL 6020 - Roles of the Principal 3 hrs
EDL 6040 - Data-Driven Decision Making 3 hrs
EDL 6050 - Human Resource Management 3 hrs
EDL 6060 - Judicial and Ethical Consideration 3 hrs
EDL 6090 - School and Business Management 3 hrs
EDL 6170 - Human and Student Diversity 3 hrs
EDL 6880 - School-Community Climates 3 hrs
EDL 7890 - Educational Unit Self-Study through Assessment Inquiry Research 3 hrs
RSH 7020 - APA Style for Professional Writing 3 hrs
EDL 6350 - Practicum and Internship 1-6 hrs (if needed)

Program Requirements and Professional Licensure Disclosure

Teacher education programs at William Carey University are designed to meet the professional competency standards for licensure in Mississippi. William Carey University cannot determine whether any program leads to licensure in any state other than Mississippi. It is recommended that students who intend to seek licensure in another state verify that their program of study meets the desired state’s licensure requirements.

Further, the Mississippi Department of Education establishes and maintains state licensure requirements, policies, and procedures, which supersede requirements listed in this catalog. Mandatory changes to this program of study will be communicated to the student through the School of Education.

Refer to the Mississippi Department of Education Office of Educator Licensure (http://mdek12.org/OEL) for the most current licensure requirements, application procedures, and deadlines.