Educational Leadership & Policy

Website: www.elp.utah.edu

Phone: 801-581-6714

Student Affairs Track
The M.Ed. with an emphasis in student affairs provides a broad base on which students may build and advance their careers within higher education. Courses for the M.Ed. with student affairs emphasis are divided into four areas noted below. Most classes are three credit hours for a total of 39 credit hours.

All courses in the M.Ed. program are offered mid-late afternoon until early evening. Full-time students can complete the program in two calendar years or four semesters and part-time students have up to three years to complete the program. All students commence coursework in the fall of the academic year and required classes are not offered in the summer.

All work for the master’s degree must be completed within four consecutive calendar years. Candidates are required to maintain a 3.0 or higher GPA in course work. No graded work below a C- is acceptable towards the requirements for the degree.

Teacher Leadership Track
The Teacher Leadership M.Ed. program is a two year program (36 credit hours) intended for K12 educators. Classes begin each semester, with program completion expected at the conclusion of two years (six semesters). Students attend classes three semesters (summer, fall and spring) per year and are enrolled in two courses (six credit hours) each semester. Teacher Leadership students take core coursework with a leadership emphasis in the Educational Leadership and Policy Department and may have the option to register for electives in another field based on educational interest.

Upon successful completion of the program, candidates earn a master’s degree (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership and Policy. The program is intended to support educators in developing the knowledge and skills specific to leadership and support efforts in effective teacher leadership opportunities in K12 schools.

The mission of the Teacher Leadership master’s degree is to develop educational leaders who have the appropriate knowledge and skills to raise student achievement, to close the achievement gap, and to create democratic and just school communities. The program is designed to help potential teacher leaders to favorably enhance instruction and learning through leadership capacities in K-12 schools.

Conceptual Framework: As a degree seeking program course work and embedded application experiences develop both conceptual understandings and related clinical skills. The content and processes of the core coursework in the M.Ed. Teacher Leadership program are founded on a knowledge base thoroughly developed and cited in the educational leadership preparation literature. The knowledge, skills, and dispositions promoted in the program lead to the fundamental goal of improving learning for all students.

To accomplish this goal, the conceptual framework of the Teacher Leadership program is two dimensional. The first dimension reflects the thematic organization of the program around Leadership; while the second dimension reflects the valued outcomes through context and foundations within K12 schools.

Performance Expectations: All students are expected to have necessary computer word processing skills and writing skills for graduate study. Students without these skills are required to obtain them before they begin their formal course work. By Graduate School policy, all work for the master’s degree must be completed within four consecutive calendar years. Candidates are required to maintain a 3.0 or higher GPA in course work. No graded work of C- (minus) or lower is acceptable toward the degree or the administrative license.

K12 Administrative Licensure Track
The mission of the K-12 Educational Leadership with Administrative Licensure program is to develop K-12 school leaders that are equipped with the skills necessary to raise student achievement, to close the achievement gap, and to create democratic and equitable school communities. The program is designed to help potential administrators develop the knowledge and skills essential for effective administrative performance in K-12 schools. As a professional program, course work is based in theory and practice and internship/field experiences develop both conceptual understandings and practical skills.

Conceptual Framework: The content and processes of the K-12 Educational Leadership with Administrative Licensure program are founded on a knowledge base thoroughly developed and cited in the educational leadership preparation literature. The knowledge, skills, and dispositions promoted in the program lead to the fundamental goal of improving learning for all students.