Educational Leadership- Master of Education, Ed.D.
For information, contact:
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Educational Leadership
304 McGuffey Hall, 513-529-6825
www.MiamiOH.edu/edl
These programs prepare students for leadership positions in elementary and secondary schools, central office positions in curriculum and instruction and administration, and college teaching positions in leadership, curriculum, administration, and related areas.
A school administration license may be completed to prepare students to become elementary, middle, and/or high school principals, supervisors, curriculum specialists, and professional development specialists.
The department also offers a Graduate Certificate for Professional Development in Family, School, and Community Connections, as well as other professional development experiences for administrators, classroom teachers, and other educators interested in pursuing non-degree graduate study.
Administrative Specialist Licenses
Principal
Principal licensure requires an M.Ed. in school leadership. At Miami, this is a 33-credit hour program (please see M.Ed. in School Leadership), although the degree can be conferred after the successful completion of 30 credit hours. The other 3 credits need to be completed to fulfill the requirements for Ohio's principal license.
Students who have an M.Ed. in Administration from a university that does not include all licensure requirements within their degree programs can have their transcript reviewed to determine the licensure courses that are needed in order for Miami to recommend the candidate for an Ohio administrative license.
Superintendent
Superintendent Licensure requires the candidate to hold a valid Ohio principal license and complete 12 credits as listed below.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDL 727 | School Business Affairs and Physical Resources | 3 |
| EDL 729 | Board-Superintendent-Staff Relationships | 3 |
| EDL 782 | Social Justice and Transformation | 3 |
| EDL 710 | Internship in Educational Leadership II | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
School Leadership - Master of Education
The Master’s degree in School Leadership is recommended for students seeking state licensure as elementary or secondary school principals, curriculum directors, or other administrative positions. This license prepares the student for any administrative position in schools with the exception of superintendent. Admission requires an application from the department, in addition to the Graduate School application, and is based on your undergraduate grade point average (GPA), two letters of recommendation (one from your building principal), a writing sample, and an interview.
This program is designed for educators with a minimum of three years of K-12 teaching experience who wish to become school principals or administrators. Teaching certification is required to earn the M.Ed. in School Leadership; employment as a teacher is preferred as the course requirements often rely on active engagement with school activities. Typically, courses are offered in a hybrid format—a blend of traditional class sessions and online components. The program structure allows teachers to complete their studies in two years of part-time enrollment while continuing to work full-time.
Candidates in this licensure program will be expected to complete the two-semester internship program while employed in a school and pass the portfolio review process at established intervals within the program. Information about the portfolio review process should be obtained from the department office or School Leadership Coordinator.
Program Requirements
(30 hours required for the M.Ed.; 33 hours required for licensure)
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| EDL 601 | Educational Leadership Theory | 3 |
| EDL 607 | School Law | 3 |
| EDL 609 | Politics In Education | 3 |
| EDL 614 | Family-Community-School Partnerships | 3 |
| EDL 630 | Applied Studies in Educational Administration 1 | 2 |
| EDL 645 | Supervision of Teaching | 3 |
| EDL 648 | Data-Informed Decision Making in Education | 3 |
| EDL 710 | Internship in Educational Leadership | 3 |
| EDL 721 | Pupil Personnel Services | 2 |
| EDL 723 | Public School Finance | 3 |
| EDL 725 | School Staff Personnel Administration | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
- 1
Must take EDL 630B.
Educational Leadership - Doctorate of Education
The Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership is aimed at practitioners/leaders in both the K-12 and higher education context who seek to grow in their knowledge of school leadership, policy, and practice while attaining a degree commensurate with their high level of scholarship and intellectual challenge. Our program is student-centered, and our faculty pride themselves on providing individual attention and support as students work toward the completion of their degree. The Ed.D. program seeks to develop and empower democratic leaders who courageously transform schools in more just, equitable, and ethical directions. Our coursework challenges students to ask difficult questions about the socio-cultural context of democratic leadership in schools and embodies a sense of hope and possibility for the future of schools.
This 60 credit hour program includes 16 dissertation credits. The Ed.D. program is grounded in the EDL Principles:
Principles of the Department of Educational Leadership
1. Leadership is an intellectual, moral, and craft practice situated in the cultural, political, and social contexts of institutions and societies.
2. Educational leadership is both positional and non-positional in form; it is a process of power-sharing rather than power-imposing which works toward collaboration, emancipation, and empowerment.
3. Educators make a commitment to community. The building and development of diverse, inclusive communities is never assumed, and should be continuously nurtured, interrogated, and supported.
4. Educational leaders understand and navigate the present environment in order to work towards transforming organizations and the individuals within them to become more democratic and socially just.
Program Requirements
Sixty (60) semester hours are required for the Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.).
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | ||
| EDL 624 | Ethics and Values in Education | 3 |
| EDL 762 | Culture and Leadership in Education | 3 |
| EDL 765 | Curriculum, Pedagogy and Diversity | 3 |
| EDL 771 | Educational Policy Analysis | 3 |
| Major Courses | ||
| EDL 706 | Educational Leadership and Organizational Development | 3 |
| EDL 774 | Scholarship of Practice 1 | 1 |
| EDL 782 | Social Justice and Transformation | 3 |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Select one of the following options: | 9 | |
Option A - Superintendent Licensure Courses | ||
Option B - Principal Licensure Coursework | ||
Option C- Student Affairs & Higher Education Electives | ||
Option D- Other Custom Elective Pathway of 600/700 level graduate coursework at the discretion of the Ed.D. Coordinator. | ||
| Research Courses | ||
| EHS 667 | Behavior Statistics | 3 |
| or EHS 668 | Behavior Statistics II | |
| EDL 761 | Introduction to Doctoral Study in Educational Leadership | 3 |
| EDL 766 | 3 | |
| EDL 774 | Scholarship of Practice 2 | 4 |
| EDL 775 | Capstone in Educational Inquiry | 3 |
| Dissertation | ||
| Select 16 hours of dissertation credit | 16 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 60 | |
- 1
This course is taken three separate times for variable credit hours as noted.
- 2
Second and third iteration for two credit hours each.