Leadership in education
Master of education/professional studies
Program
The master of education (M.Ed.)/professional studies program in leadership in education builds leadership skills and facilitates analysis of K-12 school culture, policies, and practice.
This program develops educational leaders who can serve in schools that foster continuous learning and improvement. Program participants are prepared to advance team, school-wide and district-wide reform initiatives for coherent educational systems and programs. This program addresses formal and informal leadership methods, emphasizing the roles and contributions of teachers as leaders of instructional improvement, including ways that teachers and principals work together to promote collaborative school cultures.
This 30-semester credit program emphasizes the essential components of leadership, including collaboration, group dynamics, continuous professional learning, school policy, school culture, design and facilitation of improvement initiatives, innovations in teaching and assessment practice, creation of coherent learning experiences, cross-cultural education, and technology.
Students are encouraged to begin the program with other educators from the same school or district. Most students complete the degree in two to three years while continuing to teach full time.
The program is offered jointly by the Department of Educational Policy and Administration (EdPA) and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). Some degree coursework is offered at convenient, off-campus sites in the Twin Cities area.
Admission
Admission requirements to this program include the
following criteria:
- A bachelor’s degree with a 2.80 overall grade point average (GPA) from an accredited institution
- At least two years of classroom teaching experience
- A résumé including professional practice and leadership experiences and responsibilities
- A one-page personal letter of intent
- Letters of recommendation from at least two persons familiar with the applicant’s performance who can attest to his or her capacity for teacher leadership (one letter from an administrator and one letter from a teaching colleague preferred)
- A completed
CEHD Application for Admission to
M.Ed./Professional Studies Programs, available at
the college’s office of Student Services,
150 Williamson Hall, 231 Pillsbury Dr. S.E., Minneapolis, MN
55455; 612-625-6501;
e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu; or on the Web.
The college reviews applications on an ongoing basis. Application reviews begin by the following dates. Students are encouraged to submit application materials to Student Services by the following dates:
- November 1 for spring semester admission
- March 1 for summer session admission
- July 1 for fall semester admission
Applicants are typically notified of admission decisions four to six weeks after application deadlines.
Transfer credits
A maximum of nine graduate semester transfer credits may be applied to the M.Ed. program. Credits may include any combination of the following coursework:
- Up to six graduate semester credits from fully accredited institutions other than the University of Minnesota
- Credits completed at the University of Minnesota before admission to the M.Ed. program
Transfer courses must be completed at the graduate level and approved by a faculty adviser and the college; a review of course syllabi is required. Contact the program’s faculty adviser for more information.
Curriculum
The 30-semester credit teacher leadership program focuses on three areas: leadership, contemporary educational issues, and professional teaching practice. The following coursework (16 credits) is required:
- CI 5155—Contemporary Approaches to Curriculum: Instruction and Assessment (3 cr)
- CI 5177—Practical Research (3 cr)
- CI 5178 or EDPA 5361—Project in Teacher Leadership (3 cr)
- EDPA 5364—Context and Practice of Educational Leadership (3 cr)
- EDPA 5374—Leadership for Professional Development (4 cr)
The faculty advise, guide, and mentor throughout the program, but the student’s individual vision provides focus for the leadership project (CI 5178 or EDPA 5361) and the remaining 14 credits of elective courses. Students often choose elective credits aligned with certificates in staff development, school technology, reading, and school administration. The University of Minnesota offers hundreds of courses from which students can select their electives. Some examples of electives include:
- Teaching and learning in a multicultural, pluralistic democracy
- Planning interdisciplinary and thematic learning
- Assessing student learning to differentiate instruction
- Cross-cultural perspectives on leadership
- Literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies
- Professional development
- School technology
- Women in leadership
Note: For course descriptions and schedules, refer to the University of Minnesota Class Schedule at the University’s One Stop student services Web site.
Registration
Currently admitted degree-seeking or non-degree seeking students may register online for coursework.
Students who want to begin M.Ed. coursework before admission to the M.Ed. program must complete a CEHD First-Time Registration for non-degree seeking Students packet [.pdf]. Packets are also available at the college’s office of Student Services, 360 Education Sciences Building, 56 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-625-3339; e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu.
For questions about registration, contact Student Services at 612-625-5815.
Core faculty
The following faculty participate as teachers and mentors in the program:
Aaron
Doering
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Learning technologies, online distance learning
612-625-1073; e-mail:
adoering@umn.edu
Deanne Magnusson
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Educational leadership and administration, performance-based
teaching and learning, professional development
612-626-9647; e-mail:
magnu002@umn.edu
David G. O’Brien
Ph.D., The University of Georgia
Literacy education
612-625-5337; e-mail:
dobrien@umn.edu
Kyla Wahlstrom
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
School change, leadership development, organizational
communication
612-624-1890; e-mail:
wahls001@umn.edu
Jennifer York-Barr
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Collaborative instructional teams, professional development,
teacher leadership, school change
612-625-6387; e-mail:
yorkx001@umn.edu
Program coordinators
Julie Shalhope Kalnin
Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley
Curriculum development, instruction and assessment, action
research, professional development, literacy education
612-626-5118; e-mail:
kalni001@umn.edu
Updated October 2008