Master of Education in Educational Leadership  

Degree overview

This degree will prepare you to take a leadership position in an educational setting, but may also be appropriate for individuals looking to assume leadership positions in other professions. 

Specialize in one of four areas

School Leadership K-12

Read more

This emphasis is designed to help you prepare to serve in a leadership position at the K-12 level, which does not necessarily require state administrator certification.

Such positions may include:

  • teachers serving as a department chair of an academic unit
  • leading curriculum initiatives
  • working with school and community programs

This emphasis requires 36 hours of coursework:

  • 12 hours of required foundations courses (including a research course and a course in school law)
  • 15 hours of required leadership skills development courses
  • 9 hours of specialization electives

Principal K-12

Read more

This emphasis is designed to prepare you to serve as a school principal at the K-12 level. The School Administration Principal K-12 emphasis requires 36 hours of coursework as follows:

  • 6 hours of required foundations courses (including a research course)
  • 27 hours of required leadership skills development courses
  • 3 hours in an internship experience requiring 135 clock hours and a separate application process

Educational Foundations

Read more

This emphasis is designed to prepare you to:

  • teach education courses to undergraduates at the college level
  • establish a foundational background to become a K-12 educational consultant
  • administer a charter school
  • pursue a doctorate degree and then teach at a higher institution in the Foundations area

This emphasis requires 36 hours of coursework as follows:

  • 18 hours of required foundations courses
  • 3 hours of research or statistics
  • 6 hours of required leadership skills development courses
  • 9 hours of other selected community college or leadership courses

Community College

Read more

This emphasis is designed to prepare you to work at a community college as a faculty member or in another leadership role.

This emphasis, which has a thesis option, requires 36 hours of coursework, as follows:

  • 12 hours of required foundations courses
  • 12 hours of required leadership skills development courses
  • 12 hours of required community college specialization courses

Program requirements

See the MEd Educational Leadership requirements under the Educational Leadership academic plans in the Academic Catalog for detailed information on this program’s requirements.

Admission

To be admitted, you must complete all of the application steps below:

1. Complete the Graduate College admission application, either paper copy or online, and submit the necessary fees and documents to the address listed on the form. 

*The Graduate College phone number is 928-523-4348. 

2. If you apply to the Graduate College online, our department will receive a copy of your program application. If you apply to the Graduate College using a paper form, you must also submit the program application to your adviser in paper form; your adviser should forward a copy to the EDL department office.

3. Meet with an adviser to establish a Program of Study (POS); your adviser will then submit a copy to the EDL department office in Mesa.

4. Copies of all admission paperwork, including a fully signed POS, must arrive in the EDL office in Mesa before you register for your second semester of EDL classes.

Application packet

For more information about the MEd Educational Leadership program, read our application packet.