M.Ed. Degree with a Major in Educational Leadership

About this field

Through the combination of course work and field experiences, candidates will be able to develop the necessary competencies to become an entry-level leader.  The primary goal of the Internship Experience in the Master’s Degree or Certification-Only (Tier 1) Educational Leadership program is to link the theoretical and philosophical frameworks of educational leadership to actual practice.  This is accomplished with field experiences included as a part of the candidate’s program of study and documented through the candidate’s Inventory of Leadership Experience (ILE).

What You'll Learn

The goal is to develop the candidate’s leadership and management abilities by engaging in problem analysis, collecting relevant data, collaborative problem-solving, participating in curricular and instructional activities, and participating in instructional supervision

Program of Study

Area A: Leadership - 12 hours

Area B:  Curriculum & Instruction - 12 hours

The faculty advisor will collaborate with candidate and school system partners to identify an appropriate elective.

Area C: Field Based Activities - 6 hours

Field-based activities must be conducted at either the building or system level. The two tracks are differentiated by the performance component—the level at which the residency is completed.

Internships

1. Provide candidates with the opportunity to acquire practical experience in school leadership;
2. Allow for the linkage of theory and practice for the candidates, staff, and practitioners;
3. Provide integrating experiences for candidates in problem resolution and decision-making and selected aspects of educational leadership
4. Allow the candidate to experiment with new ideas, approaches, and strategies in a low-risk, supportive environment;
5. Provide candidates a basis for assessing their professional strengths and their needs for further development; and,
6. Enable the university to evaluate its leadership preparation programs through clinical applications.

Mentor

A VSU Leadership Advisor and a Leadership Mentor (chosen by the system or the candidate) are assigned to follow the candidate through the entire program.  The role of the Leadership Mentor is to assist in the formative and summative evaluation of the candidate’s performance through continuous feedback, coaching, and a support structure to facilitate the development of the candidate’s leadership skills.  The trained Leadership Mentor, who will be a school principal or other appropriate educational leader at the school site, assumes direct responsibility for supervising the activities of the candidate in conjunction with the VSU Leadership Advisor.

Both the VSU Educational Leadership program and school system shall provide clearly defined expectations for mentors to be addressed during mentor orientation.  In agreeing to serve in this capacity, The Leadership Mentor commits to completing the VSU Online Mentor Training module.  Upon completion of the training module, mentors should print the Certificate of Completion and provide copies to the respective candidate and VSU Educational Leadership program coordinator.