What Is a Master of Education in Educational Leadership?

Published On: May 22, 2017

When experienced teachers are ready to take a step into leadership, they look for a Master of Education in Educational Leadership degree like the one offered by Mississippi College. This program is designed to prepare its students to be education administrators, superintendents or site coordinators.

How Is This Program Organized?

This 100-percent online program is convenient and affordable for working adults. Mississippi College “prides itself on offering a quality private school education at public university prices.” The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program offers nine specialized classes. The seven-week terms allow you to earn the 39 required credit hours at an accelerated pace, and multiple start dates throughout the year offer the flexibility teachers need. Students can complete the program in as few as twelve months.

What Coursework Should I Expect?

The nine distinct courses required to complete a Master of Education in Educational Leadership at Mississippi College focus on the unique dimensions of leadership. For example, Personal/Interpersonal Dimension of Leadership investigates human relationships and personal goal setting. Students discuss personal time management skills and professional and personal development. This course also covers written, oral and nonverbal interpersonal communication.

Instructional Dimension of Leadership is designed to emphasize the role of “Instructional Leader” and explores current research related to curriculum, instruction, assessments and special programs.

To better prepare for the fiscal responsibility and human resource components of leadership, students enroll in the Information Management and Resource Dimension course. They develop knowledge and skills in structured planning and in data-driven decision-making. Students also explore the best uses of school resources to provide effective instruction in a safe environment, meeting all required mandates, codes, and standards.

Students study school law, including the origin, structure, process and interpretation of those laws. The course also covers constitutional, statutory and common law as they relate to the local school and education. The course in the political dimension of educational leadership investigates how school districts communicate with the community when articulating vision, mission and priorities. Students will also analyze various ways of building support among cultural, ethnic, racial and special interest groups.

What Will I Learn?

Upon graduation from this program, you will have the high-level skills necessary to be an effective leader. These skills include the ability to integrate technology and use a variety of methods to assess students, teachers and overall school effectiveness. In addition, you will be prepared and empowered to appreciate and promote diversity. You will understand the importance of modeling integrity, trust and respect to all members in your learning community.

What Sets This Program Apart From Others?

Determined, experienced educators may earn a master’s degree in a variety of settings; however, there are a number of characteristics that set this program apart. The Master of Education in Educational Leadership offered by Mississippi College is faith-based and organized by cohort. It requires a significant number of focused internship and clinical hours.

For its online M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program, Mississippi College uses “a faith-based curriculum and a transcultural approach” to “prepare experienced teachers, school administrators and district personnel with the skills and knowledge to lead and the foundation of faith to apply Christian character in leadership situations.
Author and educator Kristine Fenning reports in her study of cohort-based learning, “working in cohorts does improve an individual’s ability to acquire new knowledge and perspectives, as well as improve their academic standing and personal expectations surrounding learning.” Mississippi College carefully selects cohort groups each enrollment period so that students can experience the program in the most positive and productive ways.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of this program is the number of focused internship hours required for graduation. Three hundred hours of focused internship and 360 hours of clinical experience are embedded into various classes throughout the coursework in order “to expand the knowledge, dispositions, and skills necessary to become an effective and efficient educational leader.”

The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program at the CAEP-accredited Mississippi College prepares experienced educators to become more effective and efficient leaders.

Learn more about the Mississippi College online M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program.

Sources:

College Quarterly: Cohort Based Learning: Application to Learning Organizations and Student Academic Success

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Affordable Educational Leadership Master’s Degree in Mississippi