Educational Administration, MEd

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

Note:

Courses include a field work component (most of which participants may complete in their own schools), providing hands-on opportunities to shadow administrators, analyze organizational dynamics, and evaluate curriculum.

Practicum or Internship

A 500-hour, two-year-long practicum or internship in educational administration is required for aspiring principals/assistant principals and special education directors. Students normally begin their practicum in the first semester and continue adding hours over the next two years (although this schedule may vary with different districts).

Capstone Experience

As their capstone experience, all students must pass a comprehensive portfolio examination synthesizing a significant portion of their course work. The portfolio offers students an opportunity to collect and reflect systematically upon the various components of their own learning, drawing on readings, course work, and pre-practicum and practicum experiences.

Applicants Seeking Licensure

Applicants seeking licensure as principal, supervisor/director, or administrator of special education must pass the communication and literacy portion of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure to be recommended for licensure. For complete information on this requirement, see the Massachusetts DESE website on Educator Services.

Applicants seeking licensure as principal/assistant principal must also pass the Massachusetts Performance Assessment for Leaders (PAL). We will assist you with the assessment tasks as part of your regular coursework.

Admission Requirements

Please see the general statement of admission requirements for all graduate studies programs in the “Admissions ” section of this publication.

The Master’s Program in Educational Administration will recommend admission for those applicants who present evidence of their ability to do graduate work with distinction. Such evidence will normally include:

A cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.75, as evidenced by an official transcript.
Three letters of recommendation from people familiar with the applicant’s leadership ability and/or potential; one letter should be written by the person who will supervise the practicum for the next two years.
Documentation of two or more years of full-time employment in an executive management/leadership role or in a supervisory, teaching, or administrative role in a public school, private school, or higher education..
For those seeking state administrator licensure, documentation of state licensure or successful completion of the MA Test for Teacher Licensure (MTEL).
Optional submission of scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT).
An interview with the graduate program director and admissions committee (for applicants who reach the final stages of the selection process).