School of Education

Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration Courses

Core Courses (9 Credits)

Refer to our catalog for course descriptions with greater detail.

Foundation Courses (Select 2 of the Following 7 Courses):

Purposes and Contexts of Education (EDLD 800 - 3 Credits)

Examine the values that have shaped American education.
Investigate ethics, equity, lifelong learning and global perspectives.
Reflect on the accomplishments and dilemmas of present educational systems.

Leadership and Organizational Theory (EDLD 801 - 3 Credits)

Examine how educational organizations develop and change.
Discover how leaders and followers interact within organizations from several theoretical and conceptual perspectives.
Observe the workings of educational institutions and programs.
Interview educational leaders.
Analyze your own understanding and practice of leadership.

Communication Skills for Leaders (EDLD 802 - 3 Credits)

Understand writing, listening, speaking and group process skills needed by leaders.
Participate in a communications assessment process.
Develop a personal plan to improve your communication skills.

Organizational Change (EDLD 803 - 3 Credits)

Understand the theoretical and practical dimensions of change within organizations and social change.
Review models of strategic planning and leadership issues.
Examine research on organizational innovation and analyze cases of successful and unsuccessful change.
Design planning strategies.
Prerequisite: EDLD 801.

Foundations of Leadership: An Intellectual and Ethical Practice (EDLD 807 - 3 Credits)

Understand the responsibility of educators to be attentive to the ethical aspects of relationships and decisions.
Review case studies to examine ethical issues.

Leadership as Critical Reflection (EDLD 813 - 3 Credits)

Examine your own current practices from several different perspectives.
Learn about critically reflective learning.
Focus on personal and collective experience.
Utilize theories, research, philosophy and concepts to analyze their experiences.
S/R grade only.

Communication, Conflict and Decision Making (EDLD 845 - 3 Credits)

Examine strategies for analyzing and dealing with conflict between individuals and groups.
Study effective communication processes and decision-making strategies.
Practice problem analysis and resolution, negotiation, collaborative relationship and team building.

Research Courses (Select 1 of the Following 3 Courses):

Research Design, Analysis and Critique 1 (EDLD 621 - 3 Credits)

Review historical and ethnographic approaches to collecting and analyzing information.
Conduct research using historical and qualitative methods.

Research Design, Analysis and Critique 2 (EDLD 622 - 3 Credits)

Review quantitative data collection within the organizing principle of survey research.

Community Assessment and Evaluation (EDLD 851 - 3 Credits)

Learn research procedures appropriate for assessing community wants, needs and resources.
Evaluate program outcome and staff performance.
Review research design, sources of data and methods of data collection.

Concentration (12-21 Credits)

You will work with faculty to outline a program of concentrated study. Sample courses include:

Professional Assessment and Planning for Administrative Licensure (EDLD 770 - 2 Credits)

Analyze and pre-assess your experiences in leadership in a critical manner.
Acquaint yourself with the phenomenon of leadership and set professional goals.
Reflect upon your own capabilities in reference to specific leadership competencies.
Required for licensure seeking students.

Electives (0-9 Credits)

Work with a faculty adviser to design a program of elective study that enhances personal and professional growth.

Integrative Seminar (EDLD 780 - 1 Credit)

Critically reflect upon your learning.
Examine cases through various frames.
Read leadership literature.