Master of Science in Educational Leadership

Earn Your Master's in Less Than a Year

You can earn your M.S. in Educational Leadership in as little as nine months when you take advantage of the flexibility of the individualized learning pathways in core courses. With this Florida state-approved program, you may earn your educational leadership certificate, be ready to enter your district’s respective leadership program and be equipped with the knowledge and skills to positively impact your community and the future of education.

Flexible, Individualized Curriculum Delivered Online

Our program uses individualized learning pathways that consider your previous experience and address your unique needs. The flexible online format allows you to complete coursework around your busy schedule. You may accelerate and finish a course before the term ends, leaving you time to prepare for the next class. You may also slow down when you come to a more challenging topic or just need the extra time.

Learn from Experts in Education

Members of our faculty are experts in the field, some of them currently serving in districts as Principals and Superintendents. Across your program experience, there will be opportunities to attend virtual guest speaker sessions with national leaders in education. In addition, field experiences and internship courses are taught by active building and district leaders from our partner districts across the state and the nation, which gives students the opportunity to build relationships and develop a powerful professional network.

Faculty Mentors

When you begin the MS in Educational Leadership program, you will be assigned a faculty mentor, who will support you across your personal educational journey. The faculty mentor will meet with you regularly throughout the program to provide course advising, support your work in the required field project, and help you navigate your program experience.

Virtual and Face-to-Face Field Experiences

Field experiences, which progress from observer to active practitioner, are embedded across the program to provide an opportunity for you to practice the skills you learned in the core courses. Virtual simulation field experiences are delivered via a hybrid artificial intelligence and human interaction platform that allow you to practice and refine your skills prior to engaging in authentic settings. Then you will complete your face-to-face experiences in one of our many partner districts under the supervision of practicing school leaders.

Field Experiences and Internship

The field experiences and internship experience span 32 weeks and three courses allowing you sufficient time to develop and refine your leadership skills in collaboration with your faculty supervisor. As part of the internship experience, you will have the opportunity to serve in elementary, middle, and secondary settings, ensuring you are ready for any educational leadership role. Through collaboration with our office of placement services, we will assist you with locating settings for completing all requirements of the internship.

Field Project

In the MS in Educational Leadership program, you will engage in a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) experience that builds across the field experiences and internship courses. The focus of the PBL is to develop your capacity to propose an assessment-based solution to an educational challenge.  As a culminating experience, you will present your final project to your peers, faculty, and district leaders.

Be Prepared for Qualifying Exams like the FELE and Praxis II

To ensure your success in the field, we support you in your preparation for the qualifying exam (FELE or Praxis). All core courses include FELE style questions with reasons for the correct answers. The culminating seminar course includes access to exam preparation materials for each sub-test. The materials include practice questions, explanation videos, and progress monitoring. The seminar concludes with a mock exam to ensure you are more than ready for the exam.

Career Opportunities

Our graduates have built rewarding careers as K-12 Principals, Assistant Principals, District Administrators, Higher Education Instructors, and Admissions Directors. When you join the MS in Educational Leadership program you will join a national network of highly skilled and successful educational professionals with over 5,000 alums.

Who Should Apply?

Aspiring assistant principals, principals, teacher leaders, district leaders in public, charter, or private settings, and leaders of not-for-profit organizations will be prepared to lead an organization in transformational ways, close the achievement gap and lead schools that collaborate to build a democratic and socially just society.

The MS in Educational Leadership is available to practicing prekindergarten through 12th-grade teachers who wish to obtain graduate degrees and enter the field of educational leadership. Those with a bachelor's degree and a valid professional teaching certificate who wish to obtain a graduate degree and/or add a certification area in educational leadership are also welcome.

The Florida Certification Path is a state-approved program in Florida. Course content is research-based and infuses best practices in education while aligning directly with the Florida Department of Education’s program certification requirements.

Entrance Requirements

• Completed admission application packet, including a $50 nonrefundable application fee made payable to Nova Southeastern University
• Official transcript indicating conferral of a bachelor's degree by a regionally accredited institution (3.0 minimum cumulative grade-point average required)
• Official transcripts from all previously attended postsecondary institutions
  
  Additional Entrance Requirements (effective for students entering in Fall 2018 and later)
  • Applicants must have a current Professional Educator’s Certificate
  • Supervisor Recommendation Form from a supervisor at the applicant’s school or district demonstrating the applicant’s leadership potential and skills
  • Applicants must submit two most recent performance evaluations or equivalent (Section 1012.31, F.S.) with obtained earnings of an “effective” or higher rating

Florida State Requirements For Certification

The Master of Science in education degree program with a specialization in Educational Leadership state approved in Florida meets all requirements of the Florida Department of Education reading education (grades k–12) add-on certification.

Florida participates in the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification Interstate (NASDTEC) Agreement facilitating mobility of Educational Personnel with over 50 other states and jurisdictions for teacher certification and/or licensure. Graduates who wish to teach outside the state of Florida must contact their state's department of education for information for attaining certification/licensure through reciprocity.

National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification Interstate Agreement: https://www.nasdtec.net/page/Interstate

Curriculum

TOTAL CREDITS: 30

Field Experiences and Administrative Internship 

The field experiences and administrative internships are completed concurrently with the coursework in this program, to allow for ongoing real-world application of knowledge and theory. The purpose of the internship is to provide an opportunity to perform the duties of a school or district administrator. Under the guidance of an experienced cooperating administrator and a faculty supervisor, the intern will observe, interview, and work with the assigned administrator for a minimum of 300 contact hours. In addition, students will maintain leadership portfolios where they will show evidence of their growth in the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the roles of educational leaders.