The online Master's degree in Educational Administration (PK-12) at the University of Kansas School of Education and Human Sciences consists of 36 credit hours of coursework, including an extensive field-based practicum and a comprehensive interactive digital portfolio for licensure candidates, and a comprehensive exam for non-licensure candidates - all of which can be completed within two years. 

For licensure candidates, the Internship Gateway course opens up halfway through the program after a student completes six courses.  This allows the graduate students to start internship hours earlier than the final internship ELPS 895 course.  While completing the remaining six courses for the master's program, students will meet with their mentor and faculty instructor to discuss the internship requirements as they finish their 175 hours of field internship experience and build a digital portfolio to complete the program. 

This program fulfills the academic requirements necessary for Kansas state licensure at the school (building) level and is designed to accommodate working educators who currently hold initial teaching licensure and work in the classroom (or other positions such as instructional coach) in their schools.  Depending on students' educational administration career aspirations they will develop a demonstrated understanding of content and skills that have been aligned with the National Educational Leadership Preparation building level standards: https//www.npbea.org/nelp/.  

Graduate students will learn from expert scholars and practitioners, as well as fellow classmates, who bring diverse leadership experiences to the principal preparation program at KU. The rigorous program stresses fundamental knowledge and educational policy development necessary for effective leadership. Taught by a mix of full-time tenure track faculty members who are experts in their field and by practitioners who were leaders in their schools, graduate students enrolled in this program, can expect to:

• Extend their knowledge of pedagogy and leadership

• Enlarge their understanding of schooling & develop an appreciation of the political, economic and social forces that influence the decisions of educational leaders

• Share in-depth analyses and discussions of theory for application to real-world experiences in an online forum

• Build upon the skills and knowledge acquired in the previous terms with progressive sequence of coursework

• Develop and submit an e-portfolio during their final practicum experience to illustrate personal perspectives and experiences 

• If seeking non-licensure, the candidate will complete a comprehensive exam during their final semester demonstrating their competencies in educational leadership

Graduate Admission requirements:

Applicants for the 3 master’s programs, education and social policy, educational administration, and higher education administration, must submit the following materials (Please check the departmental website or program advisor for additional information and application deadlines):

1. A completed Graduate application.
2. 1 official transcript from each post-secondary collegiate institution attended.
3. Completed bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, or a foreign university with substantially equivalent bachelor’s degree requirements.
4. Statement of purpose with relevance of degree to career aspirations.
5. A vita or resume.
6. Letters of recommendations or names of references (review specific requirements on the application)
7. Proof of English proficiency, for non-native English speakers.  Visit https://gradapply.ku.edu/english-requirements for further details.

See the application for specific admissions requirements for the master's concentrations.

Building Leadership

The online master’s in educational administration Building Leadership Concentration includes an internship for students who intend to acquire a license as a principal or other building leader, either immediately following the program or at some point in the future. For licensure candidates, we require our students experience a field-based practicum and digital portfolio that serves as a progressive tool to apply for administrative positions.

COURSES INCLUDED IN THIS PROGRAM:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ELPS 750	Principalship	3
ELPS 756	Data-Driven Leadership	3
EPSY 715	Understanding Research in Education	3
ELPS 757	Education in American Society	3
ELPS 752	Education Law	3
ELPS 755	Human Resource Management	3
ELPS 852	School Resource Management	3
ELPS 854	The Student in Society	3
SPED 756	Special Education Leadership	3
ELPS 853	Staff Evaluation and Development	3
C&T 806	Instructional Strategies and Models	3
ELPS 895	Internship ( *, **for non-licensure concentration, the internship is replaced by one of the elective courses below)	3

 *ELPS 895 needs to be taken concurrently in the semester, 1 credit hour for first 8 weeks and 2 credit hours for second 8 weeks.

Non-Licensure 

The online master’s in educational administration Non-Licensure Concentration* substitutes coursework for the internship requirement with the expectation that participants want to earn their Master’s and gain knowledge about leadership, but are not pursuing a license.  For non-licensure candidates, we require a comprehensive exam.

COURSES INCLUDED IN THIS PROGRAM:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ELPS 750	Principalship	3
ELPS 756	Data-Driven Leadership	3
EPSY 715	Understanding Research in Education	3
ELPS 757	Education in American Society	3
ELPS 752	Education Law	3
ELPS 755	Human Resource Management	3
ELPS 852	School Resource Management	3
ELPS 854	The Student in Society	3
SPED 756	Special Education Leadership	3
ELPS 853	Staff Evaluation and Development	3
C&T 806	Instructional Strategies and Models	3
ELPS 895	Internship ( *, **for non-licensure concdentration, the internship is replaced by one of the elective courses below)	3

 *ELPS 895 needs to be taken concurrently in the semester, 1 credit hour for first 8 weeks and 2 credit hours for second 8 weeks.

**Elective courses for non-licensure concentration students only. Please choose one of the following courses to replace ELPS 895 from the building leadership concentration.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
C&T 801	Planning for School Improvement	3
C&T 803	Differentiating Curriculum and Instruction	3
SPED 854	Family and Interprofessional Collaboration in Special Education	3
SPED 856	Transition Education and Services from Childhood through Adulthood	3
SPED 857	Career Development for Youth	3
SPED 861	Blending Academics and Transition	3
SPED 863	Student Engagement in School and Community	3