M.Ed. - Educational Leadership PK-12 Leadership

Now offering a fully online program in addition to cohort-based partnerships!

Join our faculty and students and take your career to the next level with William & Mary’s master's degree program in Educational Leadership: PK-12 Leadership. Build a strong foundation in leadership and organizational dynamics, as well as professional competencies of successful K-12 administrators. Gain confidence to be a bold and transformative leader in education and create a culture of change that promotes personal and professional growth of all school community members.

Educational reform in the Commonwealth's schools, through the adoption of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, changes both methods of accountability and standards of accreditation and calls for a different kind of leader. The fully online master's program has been carefully designed to align with current and emerging needs of Virginia's students, school divisions and future leaders.

Customized Cohort-Based M.Ed. Program

William & Mary is responding with customized, cohort-based M.Ed. programs that bring innovative training for school leaders directly to school divisions. Current partnerships include Dinwiddie, Loudoun, Prince George, Spotsylvania, Stafford and York Counties.

The M.Ed. is a part-time program that can be completed in two years while students continue to work in their current school divisions. Online learning is combined with brief residency experiences conducted in the school division. Online experiences are augmented by some in-person classes provided on-site within the partner school division (typically two Saturday sessions per semester).

Online M.Ed. Program

Watch our webinar for more information.

To meet the demands of busy education professionals, we now offer a fully online M.Ed. program which can be pursued individually, rather than within a school division cohort. The curriculum for this program matches the innovative and redesigned curriculum of the cohort model.

The online M.Ed is a part-time program that can be completed in two years while students continue to work in their current school divisions. Students will enjoy both asynchronous assignments as well as synchronous, online class sessions. The latest technologies are being applied to assure that students have an engaging, innovative and in-depth learning experience.

Curriculum

The Educational Leadership PK-12 Leadership master's program is designed for working professionals to complete their work in two years as part-time students. Areas of focus include leading for equity, design thinking, action research, and practitioner inquiry. For cohort-based programs, course content is customized according to specific division needs, identified by faculty and division leaders.

Course topics include:

Educational leadership:

Educational leadership and organizational dynamics
Concepts and cases in leadership
Administration of special education

Instructional Leadership:

Administering educational programs
Assessment and evaluation
Supervision and professional development

Organizational Leadership:

Principalship: managing instructional resources
Leadership for family and community partnerships
Human resources administration
Educational law

Field Experience

An integral part of the degree program is the residency experience, which serves as an important bridge between coursework and authentic field experience. In this innovative model, experiences are embedded throughout the program, giving students the opportunity to apply their learning to real problems and support initiatives in their division.

Licensure

For students who hold a valid Virginia teaching license and have three years of successful teaching experience, this program provides completers with the necessary coursework to seek an add-on endorsement in Administration and Supervision PK-12 by the Virginia Department of Education. (Please note that successful licensure requires a qualifying score on the School Leadership Licensure Assessment.)

Virginia PreK-12 Educator Discount Program

New program in Summer 2024

Both programs are eligible for the new educator discount for qualified applicants. Full-time educators, currently working in a public or private PreK-12 institution in Virginia may be eligible for a 25% discount.

Participants must be Virginia Residents, can only take up to 6 credit hours per semester, and must be employed full-time in a Virginia PK-12 school.

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