Educational Leadership M.Ed.

The School of Education offers the Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership and preparation for Standard Principal and Superintendent certification. These programs provide students the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and appropriate practical experience for assuming a variety of roles in public or private school administration. The thirty-semester hour Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership is earned simultaneously with completing preparation for the Standard Principal Certificate.

Students who have earned the Standard Principal Certificate at The University of Texas at Tyler may continue into the Superintendent certification program. Students who earned a Standard Principal Certificate or other Mid-Management Administrator Certificate from another institution may apply for admission to the Superintendent certificate program.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership with Standard Principal certification preparation program, a prospective student must:

  1. Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution;
  2. Possess a State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) Texas Teacher Certification (any field);
  3. Submit official transcripts from all institutions in which a degree was awarded to Graduate Admissions;
  4. Complete the application for admission to a graduate program online at http://www.uttyler.edu/graduate/gradadmissions/;
  5. Successfully complete the admission screening instrument;
  6. If the student has a GPA of less than 3.25 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework, the student must send official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) directly to Graduate Admissions.
  7. A reference form, completed by a current school administrator assessing the applicant's administrative potential must be submitted to the School of Education.

Admission to the program is based in part on documenting a GPA of 3.25 or higher on the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate studies or satisfactory scores on the Verbal and Quantitative parts of the GRE in combination with the undergraduate GPA and demonstrating one or more of the following: the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to his or her chosen field of study; socioeconomic background; first generation college graduate; multilingual proficiency; geographic region of residence; and level of responsibility in other matters including extracurricular activities, employment, community service, and family responsibilities.

NOTE: In accordance with Texas Administrative Code, all applicants must be fully admitted prior to taking any coursework in the area in which they are seeking certification. Therefore, no provisional admission is allowed.

Degree Requirements

Total Semester Credit Hours = 30

Block I (6 hrs. must be taken concurrently)

EDLR 5311Instructional Leadership and Supervision

EDLR 5313Strategic School Improvement

Block II (6 hrs. must be taken concurrently)

EDLR 5320School Law

EDLR 5337School Building Operations

Block III (6 hrs. must be taken concurrently)

EDLR 5330The Principalship

EDLR 5349Curriculum and Instruction for School Improvement

Block IV (6 hrs. must be taken concurrently)

EDLR 5310Educational Leadership Theory and Practice

EDLR 5333Administration of Special Programs in Schools

Practicum (6 hrs. required)

EDLR 5370Practicum in the Principalship I

EDLR 5371Practicum in the Principalship II

*NOTE: EDLR 5311 and EDLR 5313 are pre-requisites for EDLR 5370 and EDLR 5371. Students may enroll in the Practicum courses once they have successfully completed the Block I courses. The Practicum courses are only offered in the fall and spring semesters.

Standard Principal Certification Preparation

Students who hold a master's degree and are seeking Principal Certification must complete the required 30 hours in Educational Leadership.

Superintendent Certification Preparation Program

The Superintendent Certification Preparation Program is a 17-semester-hour program that requires a) holding a Standard Principal, Mid-Management, or other Texas Administrator Certificate; or three creditable years of managerial experience in a public school district b) completion of the specified course sequence within six years; and c) satisfactory performance on the appropriate TExES exam.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the Superintendent Certification Preparation Program, a prospective student must:

  1. Hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution;
  2. Submit official transcripts from institutions in which a degree was awarded;
  3. Complete the application for admission to a graduate program at http://www.uttyler.edu/graduate;
  4. Successfully complete the admission screening instrument;
  5. Provide evidence of holding a Standard Principal, Mid-management, or other Texas Administrator Certificate; or three creditable years of managerial experience in a public school district.

Admission to the program is based in part on one or more of the following: the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to his or her chosen field of study; socioeconomic background; first generation college graduate; multilingual proficiency; geographic region of residence; and level of responsibility in other matters including extracurricular activities, employment, community service, and family responsibilities. 

NOTE: In accordance with Texas Administrative Code, all applicants must be fully admitted prior to taking any coursework in the area in which they are seeking certification. Therefore, no provisional admission is allowed.

Required Courses

Concentration Area (14 hrs.):

EDLR 5350Personnel Administration

EDLR 5360The School Superintendent

EDLR 5453School Finance

EDLR 5458School Facilities

Internship (3 hrs.):

EDLR 5375Practicum in the Superintendency