Educational Administration, M.A.

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The graduate major in Educational Administration offered through the College of Education provides students the option of acquiring the background and specific skills necessary for employment as an elementary or secondary school principal. The curriculum includes a number of courses that provide essential knowledge and skills for continued growth in positions of educational leadership.

Licensure/Endorsement

Completion of Principal Leadership Sequence and compliance with other requirements presented in theLicensure of Teachers and Other School Professionals section of this catalog, leads to the Illinois Principal endorsement on the initial Professional Educator License.

Program Requirements for Principal Leadership Admission

There is a selection process for acceptance into the Principal Leadership Cohort. Evidence that the candidate has met the Program Selection Criteria must be submitted with the university application via the online application system. The program selection criteria include:

• undergraduate minimum GPA of 2.75 OR scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) of 300 General Test including a score of “4” or higher on the Writing Subtest;
• submission of official transcripts from all previously attended colleges;
• a letter of application expressing interest in the program with supporting reasons;
• letter of recommendation from a school administrator who can attest to leadership potential (do not submit directly; the system will send an email to the administrator requesting he/she upload the letter)
• valid IL Professional Educator License (download from ELIS account, print as a pdf, upload into application system); 
• a letter from the school district (Verification of Employment) verifying two years of full-time teaching experience on a valid Illinois Professional Educator License; and
• once selected, you will be required to provide evidence of continued employment as a teacher to meet the 4 year teaching requirement for principal licensure.

Transfer Credit

No more than nine credits (25%) from coursework taken at institutions of higher learning may be approved for transfer credit. Courses may be accepted pending transcript and syllabi review by the program faculty and graduate advisor, following University policy and the guidelines found in the Educational Administration Student Handbook.

Conditional Continuation

During the first course, EDAD-7801, the students are required to complete a professional portfolio demonstrating their current impact on student learning and teacher leadership which includes a successful oral interview and a written scenario. After the student has completed with a grade of “B-” or better EDAD-7801 and EDAD-7802 for Principal Leadership, the faculty will review this information and recommend that the student be permitted to continue in the program, continue in the program conditionally, or be dismissed from the program.

The faculty may permit a student to progress conditionally. In such cases, faculty review of the applicant’s record identifies evidence that the student will likely be successful in the program. The status of all students permitted to progress conditionally is reviewed by the faculty each semester, and students are informed in writing of the conditions necessary for them to be transferred to good standing status. When conditions are met, the student is informed in writing of the transfer to good standing status. A student may not be admitted to internship courses without achieving good standing status.

Admission to Candidacy

To continue in the Principal Leadership sequence, the student must be accepted as a candidate for the M.A. in Educational Administration degree program after completing EDAD-7801, EDAD-7802, and 6 additional credit hours of required courses,  each with a grade of B- or better.

Students must submit to the Division of Education Graduate Advisor an application for candidacy in the term that they expect to have completed the 12 credit-hours listed above. It must be submitted by the 30th of the first month of the term, e.g. September 30th, January 30th, May 30th. Contact the Academic Advisor for the application.

To qualify for candidacy, a student must

• have completed EDAD-7801, EDAD-7802, and 6 additional credit hours of required courses,  each with a grade of B- or better;
• display, or be judged as exhibiting, or developing, the dispositions expected of graduate students as listed in the section “Licensure of Teachers and Other School Professionals”; and
• receive a positive recommendation from the Educational Administration faculty.

Student Progress

The faculty monitor and evaluate student progress continually. The section Licensure of Teachers and Other School Professionals in this catalog provides a general description of the standards used to evaluate student progress.

A more detailed statement of the standards and processes followed by the Educational Administration faculty is available in the Educational Administration Student Handbook.

Student Handbook

The Educational Administration Student Handbook referred to in this catalog is available from the EDAD program coordinator.

Degree Requirements

Students must meet all university requirements for a master’s degree.

In addition, in order to qualify for graduation from this program, all students must:

1. successfully complete 36 hours of required course work including supervised internship;
2. pass all required examinations for Principal as Instructional Leader licensure in Illinois;
3. successfully complete initial qualification training to become a qualified evaluator of certificated personnel in Illinois schools (note - there is an additional charge students pay directly to an ISBE approved professional development provider); and
4. meet all other requirements listed in the Educational Administration Student Handbook.

Course Requirements for Sequence in Principal Leadership Endorsement

Required Courses - 36 Hours

• EDAD - 7801 Organizational Leadership (3)
• EDAD - 7802 Technology Driven Leadership (3)
• EDAD - 7803 Supervision and Evaluation (3)
• EDAD - 7902 Leadership for Learning (3)
• EDAD - 7907 Finance, Management, and Operations for Effective Schools (3)
• EDAD - 8101 School Improvement Process (3)
• EDAD - 8102 Leading All Students (3)
• EDAD - 8206 Principal Internship I (3)
• EDAD - 8103 School Law for Principals (3)
• EDAD - 8207 Principal Internship II (3)
• EDAD - 8105 Engaging the Community (3)
• EDAD - 8208 Principal Internship III (3)

Total 36 Hours