Program Overview

The Master's Degree (M.Ed) in Educational Leadership provides candidates with the content knowledge and credentials necessary to effectively lead schools, districts and multi-million dollar organizations providing professional educational services. Applicants accepted into the program beginning in the summer of 2016, completing all degree requirements, will be eligible for a GaPSC Tier I Leadership Certification. For those with a Master's Degree in a teaching field, we also offer an eighteen (18) hour certification only option.

Beginning in Fall 2021, the Master's Degree is a thirty (30) hour program that is typically completed in six (5) semesters (spring/summer/fall) in under two (2) years. Two of the degree concentrations - Leadership in Urban Schools and Leading Independent and Charter Schools - are available in a fully online format. The other concentration, Coaching for Performance (which also leads to a GaPSC approved endorsement) is delivered through a face to face format.

The Master's Degree, as of summer 2016, leads to a clear renewable Tier I leadership certification in Georgia, and is fully approved by the Georgia Standards Commission. Candidates earning the degree who move to states in which leadership certification is also conferred at the M.Ed. level may be eligible for professional licensure in that state through reciprocity.

The program is highly professionally oriented, and candidates for the program are expected to currently be employed in a professional role in an organization providing professional educational services (e.g., school, regional educational service agency, department of education).  Field activities accompany the semester’s work to provide synthesis of the practical and theoretical knowledge necessary for today’s educational leader. At the conclusion of the program, candidates will possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to lead schools to higher levels of achievement for all students.

While the master's degree in educational leadership is a meaningful step toward successful leadership for all educators, ours is particularly beneficial to those in non-traditional educational environments, such as public charter and independent schools, with quality leadership in those schools being one of our concentration areas.  In the past three years, approximately half the students completing the MED in Educational Leadership have been from the public charter or independent school sectors.

* Please note: The GaPSC requires that students complete assessments prior to enrollment and completion in programs that lead to certification (M.Ed. and Tier I Certification Only). The GACE Leadership Ethics Exam must be taken prior to enrollment in certification programs, and the GACE Educational Leadership content exam must be taken in order to be certified. Students who have taken the Ethics Exam in a M.Ed./Tier I program do not need to re-take for enrollment into the Ed.S./Tier II.

Program Course Requirements

Instructional Leadership Core (12 Credit Hours)

  • EDL 7101: Critical Analysis of Policy, Theory and Praxis for Educational Leaders
  • EDL 7615: Communication and Community Relations, for School Leaders
  • EDL 7215: Data-Informed Curriculum and Assessment for Educational Leaders
  • EDL 7401: Instructional Leadership for Learning & Change

Operational Management Core (6 Credit Hours)

  • EDL 7415: Human Resources, Law, and Ethics for School Leaders
    EDL 7601: School Operations and Organizational Management

Required Courses (18 Credit Hours)

 Frequently Asked Questions

  • The “typical” student in a master’s degree program in educational leadership is an educator deeply committed to leading schools. The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership leads to clearly renewable Tier I Leadership Certification, and is an excellent preparation for the performance-based leadership educational specialist. Degree candidates have indicated their belief that the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership makes them more attractive candidates for school leadership positions. Additionally, many of our students are in or pursuing leadership positions in non-traditional autonomous schools (independent or public charter) in which a M.Ed. may be all that is required for leadership.
  • Yes! The master’s degree in educational leadership is a state-approved program that, upon completing all degree requirements, leads to a renewable Tier I Leadership Certification in Georgia. As a state-approved program, the M.Ed. may, through reciprocity, yield leadership certification in states that also award that certification at master’s degree level. If you have questions, please check with the certification office of the state in which you are interested.
  • “Yes, the current M.Ed. in EDL does lead to a renewable Tier I certification and initial leadership certification at the L5 level.
  • Yes. The Bagwell College of Education offers one of the state’s sole remaining PSC-approved Master’s Degrees in Educational Leadership. This ensures that program completers who move to other states in which leadership certification is conferred at the master’s degree level (as opposed to the specialist level, as in Georgia) may be eligible to acquire leadership certification in that state through interstate reciprocity.
  • This completely depends on whether your school district, independent school, or charter school/system awards such raises. In a purely “traditional” Georgia school district (not IE2 or “charter”), by state law, candidates with a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership will not receive an automatic salary lane increase unless the educator is in a position that the Georgia State Board of Education considers to be a “leadership position,” or a position requiring the candidate to hold leadership certification (again, assistant principal, principal, et cetera) (please see O.C.G.A. § 20-2-212). Charter schools and systems, as well as “IE2” systems, may except themselves from state rules regarding compensation and may encourage candidates to pursue the Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership by offering them salary increases regardless of whether the educator is in a leadership position (which, in light of the shortage of school administrators, some have done – candidates in these schools/districts are encouraged to check with their employer). Similarly, independent (or “private”) schools have the ability to offer educators salary increases for obtaining graduate degrees in educational leadership, and in our experience, most do so.
  • The Georgia Professional Standards Commission  defines a “leadership position” as:

    Leadership Position – a position in which an individual has the authority and/or responsibility, in a supervisory role, for LUA [Local Unit of Administration, e.g., school district] approved educational programs and/or personnel required to hold certification for their assigned job as determined by Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC).
    Ga. Reg. 160-5-2-.05(1)(j).  As you can see, this definition is capable of varying interpretations (for example, if a school district has an after-school program and an educator occupies a “supervisory role” in it, that might appear to be a “leadership position” under this definition).  However, the “safest” – and most frequent – interpretation relates to whether the position is one in which a candidate is required to hold “leadership certification” by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

  • Historically, the PSC has “required” educators to hold leadership certificates for those positions in which the educator “supervis[es] . . . a school system, school, or school program.” (Please see Ga. Reg. 505-2-.002). However, given the fluidity of this definition, educators are strongly recommended to contact the Georgia PSC.
  • We strongly believe KSU’s Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership makes educators interested in pursuing leadership positions far more attractive candidates for those highly competitive jobs.  While Georgia does not require candidates to hold a master’s degree in educational leadership as a precondition to entering a performance-based leadership program at the educational specialist level, the prevailing candidate for highly competitive leadership vacancies almost always holds a master’s degree in educational leadership in addition to any further certifications she/he holds.  Logically, this makes a fair amount of sense – superintendents are generally very bright and accomplished individuals who are largely accountable for the performance of those to whom they delegate the responsibility of operating schools (assistant principals and principals).  If you were a superintendent looking for someone to lead a multi-million dollar school, supervising hundreds of employees and thousands of students in a field as legally regulated as the production of nuclear energy, might you not prefer an educator with thirty-six (36) graduate hours of specific preparation in that field to someone who does not have that preparation?

    In addition, our independent and charter school/system partners have the latitude to place educators in leadership positions after they acquire their master’s degree in educational leadership.  Unlike a “traditional” public school, a specialist degree in leadership may not be necessary.

  • Leadership & Technology – This concentration is designed for educators who wish to utilize technology to make their leadership practice more effective.  Candidates in this concentration take an additional six (6) hours of coursework from faculty in the Department of Instructional Technology.

    Ethics & Multicultural Leadership – This concentration is for educators who desire a deeper understanding of the ethical and multicultural issues in modern leadership practice.  Candidates in this concentration take an additional three (3) hour course in ethical leadership and leadership in multicultural contexts.

    Charter & Independent School Leadership – In 2012, KSU became the state’s first university with a specific preparation strand for charter & independent school leaders.  Working with nationally- and Georgia-recognized heads of school and chief educational officers, our Master’s Degree program was reconfigured to prepare leaders for any sector in which they chose to practice.  Educators in this strand are offered six (6) specific hours of coursework relating to the successful management of charter and independent schools (e.g., The Financial Management of Non-Profit Organizations and Institutional Advancement.

  • Financial aid is available. Please contact our Graduate Financial Aid Counselor Ms. Donna Tuitt at dtuitt@kennesaw.edu or 770-423-6074 for more information.

Admission Requirements

The following are program-specific criteria beyond the general Graduate Admissions  requirements. To be considered for admission to this program, the following application materials must be submitted to the KSU Graduate Admissions Office:

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Employment role in an organization providing educational services
  • 2.75 GPA in bachelor’s degree coursework or most recent graduate degree  
  • Transcripts from each college attended
    Admissions Portfolio (content differs based on concentration)Applicants in the Leading Independent and Charter Schools and advisor-approved elective concentration must include the following:Professional Resume
  • Recommendation Form
  • Mentor Form (with GaPSC L5 or higher certified mentor)
  • Evidence of two years of teaching experience
  • GACE Leadership Ethic Assessment Completion Certificate
  • Evidence of Initial Certification in Georgia

Applicants in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Concentration must include the following:

  • Professional Resume
  • Recommendation Form
  • Mentor Form 

Transfer Credits 

  • Tier I Certification Only may rarely accept 3 hours of approved credit with a “B” or better and no more than 5 years old.

Tuition & Fees

Expenses include in-state tuition, out of state tuition, mandatory student fees and other special fees.

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Deadlines

Enrollment for Spring - Deadline - November 15

Enrollment for Summer - Deadline - May 1

Enrollment for Fall - Deadline - July 1

Contact Us

For more information on graduate admissions, please email DegreeUp@kennesaw.edu.

For additional questions, please email the Program Coordinator, Dr. Cathey Goodgame, at cgoodgam@kennesaw.edu or call (470) 578-6888 or email edldepartment@kennesaw.edu for additional information.