Educational Leadership

[1] Educational Specialist Program (EdS) in Educational Leadership

The Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership (EDLP) includes two areas of concentrations: (1) a PK-12 emphases in district and school level positions (e.g. superintendent and other central office positions; building administration; curriculum administration; program administration in adult education, special education, or gifted and talented education; instructional technology; library media information technologies, etc.); and (2) a post-secondary education emphases (e.g. student affairs, college administration, or adult education, etc.).  A Post-Masters Certificate in District-Level Administration is also available.

[2] Admission to Program

In addition to meeting the general requirements of the Graduate School, the prospective candidate must

  1. Complete the application forms/processes for admittance to the EDLP program.
  2. Provide documentation of appropriate master’s degree in school or educational leadership or approved equivalent (Note:  Eligibility for a district-level license requires a standard building-level and/or curriculum/program license).
  3. Provide a copy of a valid teaching certificate as appropriate for area of emphasis.
  4. Present letters from appropriate officials that verify the applicant has had at least four years of appropriate professional experience.
  5. Provide at least three professional references that may be contacted regarding your potential for success in the program.
  6. Provide official transcripts from all previously attended institutions.  Each candidate’s transcript will be evaluated for determining if any courses will be required as program prerequisites for admission into the program.

[3] Admission to Candidacy

Students must apply for admission to candidacy when no fewer than nine and no more than fifteen semester hours completed.  If candidates did not complete an appropriate research or statistics course as part of their master’s degree, then one of these courses will be required prior to admission to candidacy as an additional requirement.

[4] Residency Credit

Students must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours at the University of Central Arkansas.

[5] Retention Requirements

Retention is contingent upon making satisfactory academic progress toward the degree, and holding or eligible to hold a valid teacher’s license.  Serious violations of the state ethics mandates for P-12 educators, and/or serious violations of UCA student academic conduct policies may result in suspension or dismissal from the program.

[6] Transfer Credit

No more than six semester hours credit of grade “B” or above earned at another institution may be applied to the degree requirements. To be considered for transfer, the credits must have been awarded by a state or regionally accredited institution, must have been earned after completion of the master’s degree, must complement the student’s approved program of study, and must be approved in advance by the department.  Internship credit may not be transferred.  Acceptance of transfer credit does not reduce the 24 hours of residency requirement.

[7] Degree Requirements

The EdS degree in Educational Leadership requires that the candidate

  1. Earn 30 semester hours of graduate credit including three required courses (9 semester hours): EDLP 7301, 7363, 7387 and 21 hours of selective courses congruent with area of emphasis with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
  2. Maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.00 with a maximum of six hours of “C” grades;
  3. Successfully complete and defend a program portfolio based on the program critical assessments where appropriate to area of emphasis.
  4. Complete satisfactorily all student assessments required as part of the state and NCATE accreditation process; and
  5. Present a report on the state mandated external national examination and meet at least the minimum score set by the state for licensure.

[7.1] PK-12 Education Concentration

Core requirements (9 hours):

EDLP 7301 Program Planning and Evaluation
EDLP 7363 Human Resource Administration
EDLP 7387 Organizational Change and Development

Selective credit hours (21 hours): based on area of emphasis, transcript analysis, and department approval.  The selective courses will be chosen from appropriate coursework from existing graduate level offerings.

[7.2] Post-Secondary Education Concentration

Core requirements (9 hours):

EDLP 7301 Program Planning and Evaluation
EDLP 7363 Human Resource Administration
EDLP 7387 Organizational Change and Development

Selective credit hours (21 hours): based on area of emphasis, transcript analysis, and department approval.  The selective courses will be chosen from appropriate coursework from existing graduate level offerings.

[8] Post-Masters Certificate in District Level Administration

Core Requirements (18 hours)

EDLP 7301 Program Planning and  Evaluation
EDLP 7324 School Board  Relations
EDLP 7300 School Finance
EDLP 7330 Internship District Leadership
EDLP 7363 Human Resource Administration
EDLP 7387 Organizational Change and Development

[9] Graduate Courses in Educational Leadership (EDLP)

Follow this link for EDLP course descriptions: course link

Follow this link for LEAD course descriptions: course link

[10] Graduate Courses in Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning

Follow this link for ASTL course descriptions: course link