Richard E. Riedl, Interim Chair and Professor
RiedlRE@appstate.edu

Ken Jenkins, Program Director and Professor
JenkinsKD@appstate.edu

http://www.ced.appstate.edu/departments/les/

The Department of Leadership and Educational Studies offers the following graduate programs related to school administration:
            Master of School Administration (MSA) (Major Code: 433A/13.0409)[T]
            Education Specialist in Educational Administration (Major Code: 428A/13.0401)[T]

The Department of Leadership and Educational Studies also offers graduate programs in Educational Media, Higher Education, and Library Science. These programs are detailed under separate headings in this bulletin.

The Department of Leadership and Educational Studies serves the education community and the public through:

• foundations of education courses for teacher education majors.
• research courses to help students develop skills and knowledge needed to understand the design, implementation, and evaluation of educational research.
• graduate programs in public school administration; community college and higher education administration, teaching,
• developmental education and adult education; library science; and educational media/instructional technology.

The Department of Leadership and Educational Studies offers a program of study that leads to the Master of School Administration degree (433A/13.0409)[T]. This program prepares candidates for the public school principalship at all grade levels. The focus of the program is upon entry-level, site-based school leadership and leads to the initial licensure for school administration in North Carolina. It is designed to prepare entry level leaders in the governance and administration of the public schools. The focus is essentially directed toward site-based administration.

The Educational Administration (Ed.S.) degree (428A/13.0401)[T] provides advanced graduate work for public school administration. This degree leads to sixth-year licensure. The program provides extended knowledge of a systematic perspective of the administration of public schools. The focus is to prepare for higher levels of educational administrative responsibility, typically in specialized positions in central office administration. Objectives:

• To provide an opportunity to apply essential human skills for finding and solving system problems and concerns.
• To introduce policy issues and the political implications related to policy implementation.
• To elevate the application of appropriate technical knowledge (school plan, planning, school finance) in order to develop a broader perspective of educational problems and needs.
• To confront the process of resource allocation as it relates to the professional settings in school systems.
• To encourage building a relationship between various areas of specialization to the needs of school administration.

General Information for All Students: A student working toward a degree and/or licensure in the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies must develop her/his Program of Study in consultation with an approved advisor. Candidacy forms must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research before the student has completed 12 semester hours of course work. Degree students taking courses without being officially assigned an advisor and receiving the advisor’s approval do so at the risk of not having the courses approved as part of the degree program.

All electives must be approved by the student’s advisor in all programs. Students pursuing or holding graduate degrees in other departments, and also seeking administration and supervision licensure, must take the necessary courses and internship prescribed by the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies.

Students wishing to pursue any of the above degree programs should apply to the Cratis D. Williams Graduate School for admission. The Graduate School will provide the necessary information as to what is expected with the completed application. When the application is complete in all details, it will be sent to the department for action by the faculty in the program area. A number of the degree programs require a student to possess teacher licensure. Students should check for this in the specific degree program requirements.

Location of Program: The School Administration and Educational Administration programs are offered on campus in Boone in the format described in this Bulletin. Off-campus cohorts are started periodically, and follow a part-time extended program format. For information on upcoming off-campus cohorts, please contact the Office of Extension and Distance Education: http://www.ext-dl.appstate.edu.

PROGRAM OF STUDY FOR THE MASTER OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION (MSA) (Major Code: 433A/13.0409)[T])

Admission Requirements: Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; North Carolina “A” or “M” licensure or the equivalent from another state; three years of teaching experience*; complete application to the Cratis Williams Graduate School (http://www.graduate.appstate.edu), including resume, three letters of recommendation**, official GRE general or MAT exam scores, and official transcripts from all colleges attended; writing sample; interview upon request.

*Three years of public school teaching experience or equivalent experience in other settings (e.g., private school teaching; training in the private sector; leadership training in the military, etc.)
**At least one of the letters must be from school administrators with whom the applicant has worked.

Basic Criteria for Unconditional Admission:  Cumulative undergraduate (or last 60 hours of undergraduate work) GPA = 3.0, GREV = 435, GREQ = 435. MAT score in the 45th percentile may be substituted for the GRE.

Location: On Campus and Off Campus; Off-Campus cohorts begin periodically, and follow a part-time extended format.

Other Requirements for the MSA:

Thesis: None required
Proficiency: None required
Comprehensive: Required
Product of Learning: None required

PROGRAM OF STUDY FOR THE EDUCATION SPECIALIST IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION (Major Code: 428A/13.0401 [T])

This Ed.S degree leads to NC superintendent licensure.

Admission Requirements: Master’s degree in School Administration (MSA or equivalent) from an accredited college or university; current principal licensure (NC licensure code 12 or its equivalent from another state; three years of teaching experience*; complete application to the Cratis Williams Graduate School (http://www.graduate.appstate.edu), including resume, three letters of recommendation**, official GRE general or MAT exam scores, and official transcripts from all colleges attended; writing sample; interview upon request.

*Three years of public school teaching experience or equivalent experience in other settings (e.g., private school teaching; training in the private sector; leadership training in the military, etc.). Priority will be given to practicing principals and assistant/associate principals whose career goal is to be a superintendent and those with evidence of leadership activity in schools and/or related settings.
**At least one letter should be from a site-based school administrator and superintendent with whom the applicant has worked.

Basic Criteria for Unconditional Admission:  Cumulative graduate GPA of 3.5, GREV + GREQ = 900 with minimum GREV of 400, and GREW at least 3.5. MAT score at 50th percentile or above may be substituted for the GRE. OR
Minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 3.5 and GREV + GREQ of at least 900 on a GRE test taken before November 2002.

Location: On Campus and Off Campus; Off-Campus cohorts begin periodically, and follow a part-time extended format.

Other Requirements for the EdS in Educational Administration:

Thesis: None required
Proficiency: None required
Comprehensive: Prior to graduation, the student must successfully complete a comprehensive examination.
Product of Learning: None required