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Master of Education

Educational Leadership

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership is designed to prepare candidates for licensure as a principal or assistant principal at the building level. The program of study reflects the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL), the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) "Building Level" Standards, and the current School Leadership Standards adopted by the state of Arkansas.

This program may be completed online.

Unconditional Admission

Note: Except for #1 and #8, admissions requirements reflect expectations from the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for Educational Leadership programs throughout the state. 

Students are eligible for unconditional admission to the Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership if they meet the following requirements:

  1. Applicant must meet all admissions criteria for the ATU Graduate College.
  2. Applicant must be proficient in English.
  3. Applicant must hold a valid Arkansas Educator’s License.
  4. Applicant must provide documentation of at least three years teaching experience. (A letter from the Superintendent or designee is required.)
  5. Applicant must provide documentation of a current “effective” or “highly-effective” TESS rating. (If applicant is from outside Arkansas, then an equivalent rating may be substituted.)
  6. Applicant must provide documentation of the appropriate Pathways Proficiency Credential or evidence that he/she is currently progressing along one of the Pathways for Proficiency approved by DESE. If the latter, Phase 1 training documentation is required prior to graduation or program completion.
  7. Applicant must provide three letters of recommendation from principals, superintendents, college faculty, or similar educational leaders that attest to the applicant’s potential for effective educational leadership. Helpful documentation may include any of the following:
  • National Board Certified Teacher
  • Leadership Training (Teacher Leader Academy, ESL Academy, etc.)
  • Related Micro-credentials (effective teaching, leadership, etc.)
  • Evidence of ability to raise student achievement
  • Other evidence adult leadership activities
  1. Application must be approved by the EDLD Program Director.

Note: If some of the above requirements are not met, the student may still be eligible for conditional acceptance. Contact the EDLD Program Director for details.

Program Requirements

Degree Requirements

  1. The student must complete a minimum of 34 semester hours (all at the 6000 level) including the following courses:

    EDLD 6002 Administrative Law
    EDLD 6013 School Organization and Leadership
    EDLD 6023 Organizational Change
    EDLD 6102 School Finance
    EDLD 6113 Action Research and Data Analysis
    EDLD 6153 Communication with School and Community
    EDLD 6203 Education and Society: Continuities and Discontinuities
    EDLD 6253 Instructional Leadership
    EDLD 6313 Principles of Curriculum for School Leadership
    EDLD 6352 Physical Environment of Schools
    EDLD 6402 Working with the Marginal Performer
    EDLD 6552 Administrative Internship (The candidate is to register for internship for both the fall and spring semesters of the same academic year, for a total of four (4) credit hours.)
    EDLD 6991 Professional Portfolio

  2. The student must create a portfolio that provides evidence of the candidate's competency as it relates to both state and national standards. The portfolio is not simply a file of course projects or a scrapbook of professional memorabilia. It is an extensive collection of materials that provides tangible evidence of the wide range of related knowledge, dispositions, and skills necessary to function as an effective educational leader. The portfolio is a work in progress that is updated regularly throughout the program, and must be presented to the Portfolio Review Committee for approval before graduation. 

  3. The student must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better in all graduate work attempted at Arkansas Tech University. This may include no more than six (6) hours of "C" grades. Students who are unable to maintain this standard should refer to the Academic Probation and Dismissal section of the catalog.

  4. Coursework from other institutions of higher education will only be transferred from institutions that have received program approval for a program of study reflective of the current School Leader Licensure Standards adopted by the state of Arkansas.
  5. Online coursework will be supplemented by focused, on-campus experiences.

Degree Works

Degree Works is a software tool utilized by Arkansas Tech University designed to detail academic progression. It allows both students and advisors to monitor course progress towards degree completion and clearly indicates which course requirements have been met as well as how courses transfer into a program. Transfer courses must be approved through the use of a substitution/waiver form available via the Registrar for progress to display correctly within Degree Works. 

Degree Works will display course progression based on the current program of study, but a "what-if" scenario can be generated for any program to see how progression looks with the courses currently completed and in progress. Note that if you have applied to and been admitted to a graduate program while still finishing your undergraduate program, Degree Works will show your new program of study in the graduate program and you would have to generate a "what-if" query to see your undergraduate degree progress.

Application for Graduation

In addition to satisfying all degree requirements, a candidate for a degree must file an  Application for Graduation online.  Students must apply for graduation by Reading day of the semester prior to the semester of graduation.

Special Conditions of Graduate Credit

Graduate Credit Taken Prior to Admission to Arkansas Tech University

A maximum of nine (9) semester hours of graduate credit with a grade point average of "B" or better may be transferred from an accredited graduate school if deemed appropriate to the graduate program by the head of the student's major department and the Graduate College Dean. Students must send a written request to the head of their major department to petition an acceptance of the transfer credit prior to requesting admission to candidacy to the graduate program. Graduate credit earned six (6) years prior to the completion date of all degree requirements may not be applied toward the degree without the approval of the appropriate program director and the Graduate College Dean. Credits earned by correspondence courses or for remedial purposes will not apply toward the graduate degree. No undergraduate course may be repeated for graduate credit.

Graduate Credit Taken After Admission to Arkansas Tech University

If after admission to graduate study, a student wishes to take a course at another institution to count toward degree requirements at Arkansas Tech University, the student must, in advance of enrollment, obtain written approval from the program director and the Graduate College Dean.