Masters Program

Thank you for your interest in the Master's degree program in Educational Leadership/Administration. Our program has transitioned to a totally online format. This is good news for our distance learners who would like to complete a graduate degree at FSU!

The Master's degree in Educational Leadership/ Administration is a graduate program designed to prepare professionals for entry-level administrative positions in schools, school districts, and educational agencies. Students are expected to master a core of professional and theoretical knowledge and demonstrate skills in applied research and the practice of leadership. The program of studies incorporates a core of professional knowledge, a research component, and an experiential component including personal and professional areas. Emphases include strong academic training and the development of individual candidates as aspiring leaders who can cope personally and professionally with the ambiguities associated with educational leadership in a multiplicity of organizational environments and in an environment of rapid change.

Program objectives for the degrees are drawn from the core content identified by the Florida Principal Leadership Standards, from research and theory on educational leadership, and from collaboration between practitioners and faculty of the department, college, and the university. Specific program objectives are outlined in course syllabi and are implicit in the course requirements for the degree.

The Masters degree program emphasizes Florida Certification in Educational Leadership. It covers the areas of

Instructional leadership
Managing the learning environment,
Learning, accountability, and assessment
Decision making strategies
Technology
Human resource development
Ethical leadership
Vision
Community and stakeholder partnerships
Diversity

Students seeking Florida Certification in Educational Leadership must submit proof of a passing score on the Florida Educational Leadership Examination (FELE).

Subject to the approval of the supervisory committee and the department head, students not seeking Florida Certification in Educational Leadership may develop programs of study which meet their professional needs and/or certification standards in other states.

Students must complete their program of study within seven calendar years from the time of initial registration, or apply for new admission.

Program of Study

A. Core Courses: (24 semester hours)

CGS 5310 Information Management Technology in Education (3 hrs.)
EDG 5250 Curriculum and Instruction (3 hrs.)
EDA 5192 Educational Leadership (3 hrs.)
EDA 5222 Personnel Administration in Education (3 hrs.)
EDA 5232 Legal Aspects of Public School Administration (3 hrs.)
EDA 5242 School Finance (3 hrs.)
EDA 5931 Instructional Leadership (3 hrs.)
EDA 5503 The Principalship (3 hrs).

B. Research Component: (6 semester hours)

EDA 5423 Decision Oriented Educational Research (3 hrs.)
EDA 5422 Data Analysis and Assessment for Educational Leadership (3 hrs.)

C. Experiential Component: (6 semester hours)

Elective (Advisor Approval Required) (3 hrs.)
EDA 5218 Application of Leadership Theory (3 hrs.)

D. Master's Thesis or Portfolio (0 hours)

EDA 8966 Master's Thesis or Portfolio (0 hrs.)**

Total semester hours for Master's Degree: 36

*Since EDA 5218 is a capstone course, students are strongly encouraged to have taken EDA 5232 - Legal Aspects of Public School Administration and EDA 5222 - Personnel Administration in Education.

**If a student registers for EDA 8966 with another class, there are no fees for EDA 8966; but if student registers for EDA 8966 by itself, there will be one semester hour of fees assessed. Revised 9/19/99

Progress Toward Master's Degree in Educational Administration

A. Admission to Master's degree program

This admissions criteria is effective as of June 2006.
At a minimum, students must have a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) for the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate course work. Also necessary is a competitive score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Foreign nationals whose native language is not English must present a minimum score of 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based) on the TOEFL examination. All applicants to the college must submit an official GRE score as part of the admission process. Bachelor's/ Master's degrees in good standing from an accredited institution of higher education is also a requirement for admission. Students must also show evidence of relevant teaching experience to be considered for admission to the program. The admissions secretary will inform the student by letter of acceptance into the master's program. Please refer to the Information for Prospective Students page for more details.

Our application for admission policy has changed from a rolling administration to a deadline application process. What that means to you is that you will now need to have your application submitted to the department by the following dates:

Spring semester- application process must be completed by November 1
Summer semester- application process must be completed by March 1
Fall semester- application process must be completed by May 1

B. Advising

A temporary advisor appointed by the department head will advise the new student in his/her first semester of enrollment.
The major professor will be appointed with the approval of the department head during the student's first semester. The major professor will be selected from the student's degree program.
The student will select the members of her/his Supervisory Committee in consultation with the Major Professor subject to the approval of the department head and the willingness of the faculty members to serve.
The Master's Supervisory Committee will be composed of three faculty members from the student's degree program. All members must be members of the graduate faculty.

C. Program of Study

The student's Program of Study should be submitted to the program coordinator immediately after the student and Supervisory Committee have agreed on the courses to be taken toward the degree. An approved Program of Study must be on file prior to registering for the Masters Thesis or Portfolio. (See below)

D. Final Demonstration of Knowledge and Competence

Students should contact the Graduate Section of the Registrar's Office the first week of the semester they plan to graduate to make final arrangements and to see that everything is in order for graduation. Two options are available for students to demonstrate knowledge and competence gained in the program.

Option 1: Portfolio

The student may choose to submit a portfolio that demonstrates the knowledge and skills acquired during their program of study. The department's program secretary will provide further instructions and directions to the development of the portfolio and its requirements. Students must register for the Master's Comprehensive Examination (EDA 8966) at the beginning of the semester in which the portfolio will be completed and defended. Contact the departmental program secretary for a reference number for EDA 8966.

Option 2: Thesis

The student may choose to write a thesis. The thesis is developed under the close supervision of the major professor. The student must register for a minimum of six (6) semester hours of thesis credit and defend the thesis by oral examination. Contact the department's program secretary for a course code number and reference number.

It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with all the requirements presented in the Florida State University General Bulletin - Graduate Edition , as well as requirements outlined in this document for graduation or certification purposes. Refer to the Bulletin under which you originally enrolled in the Master's program.