What you will study
Choose graduate courses that align with your goals and career field. UCM’s dynamic
curriculum offers career and technical education degree-seekers a variety of options
in leadership, educational program development, research methods and data analysis.
Sharpen your skills and develop your instincts in advanced classes such as:
- Data Analysis for Career & Technical Education
- Curriculum Development Theory in Career and Technical Education
- Quantitative Analysis and Interpretation
- Qualitative Research
Our professional education degree program culminates with a final capstone requirement.
We’ll help you carry out a valuable research project or thesis that showcases your
CTE skills and strengthens your resume for the competitive job market after graduation.
Previous capstones have focused on topics such as how to meet the needs of apprentices
with learning difficulties, the perception of weapons in CTE centers and the relationship
between technical skill attainment scores and the work-readiness of CTE students.
Pathway to a doctoral degree in Education
UCM’s partnership with Murray State University allows you to pursue a doctorate in
Education online as part of a two-year cohort program. You’ll complete synchronous
and asynchronous classes online and finish your doctoral degree more quickly with
transferable credits from UCM.
Excellence in Professional Leadership
- Top 15%: Most Focused Colleges for Education (College Factual, 2022)
- Top 6%: Most Popular Colleges for Education (College Factual, 2022)
Unique learning opportunities in adult, career and technical education
In this Specialist in Education degree program at the University of Central Missouri,
you’ll benefit from hands-on learning opportunities that allow you to apply the research
methods and data analysis techniques you learn in your foundation courses to your
chosen discipline:
- Internship experience: Choose to participate in an internship to enhance your graduate studies, gain job
experience and build your professional network.
- Research skills development: Hands-on research is a part of many core and elective classes in the Specialist in
Educational Leadership pathway at UCM. You’ll learn how to evaluate the effectiveness
of career training programs using quantitative and qualitative research techniques.
- Credit for CTE training: UCM is one of a few universities nationwide that allow students pursuing a Specialist
degree in Education to further hone their leadership and research skills by taking
advantage of for-credit professional development opportunities. The Association for
Career and Technical Education offers online courses through its virtual professional
development platform, CTE Learn. Other programs — Project Lead the Way and Engineering
by Design — provide additional learning opportunities specific to engineering and
technology.
What can you do with an Education Specialist degree in Professional Leadership from
UCM?
A specialist in educational leadership can serve many important roles in upper-level
teaching, training and administration. With an Adult, Career and Technical Education
degree focused on Professional Development from UCM, you can boost your employment
opportunities and earning potential.
The advanced skills and experience you gain in educational program development, research,
teaching and leadership can qualify you for senior positions as school administrators,
industry educators, CTE program developers and more.
Career options for a specialist in educational leadership
Use the interactive tool below to learn more about careers with an Adult, Career and
Technical Education degree, including job outlooks, earning potential and more.
Financial assistance options for your Professional Leadership EdS in Adult, Career
and Technical Education degree
At the University of Central Missouri, we pride ourselves on making our programs affordable
for our students. This Specialist degree in Education costs the same for all students,
no matter where they live. UCM also offers several financing opportunities to help you offset the cost of your professional education degree.
Graduate students across disciplines at UCM may qualify for general, university-wide
scholarships. You can learn more about program-specific scholarships by using the
UCM Scholarship Finder.
Meet Dr. Michelle Conrad
CTE program coordinator
With a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration, Dr. Conrad is dedicated to staying
on top of cutting-edge CTE developments to ensure her Career and Technical Education
degree students’ success. When not teaching UCM CTE courses, she facilitates projects
with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of College
and Career Readiness.
Read Dr. Conrad’s Bio
Meet Dr. Michael Pantleo
Assistant professor, CTE
Dr. Pantleo has more than 20 years of experience in career and technical education.
His research interests include the validation of CTE program effectiveness and the
development of Missouri-wide CTE program curricula. Many different types of students
benefit from working with Dr. Pantleo because of his diverse background in CTE electronics,
community leadership and vocational education.
Meet Oren B.
EdS Professional Leadership ’19
“I completed two degrees at UCM and was able to use both degrees in my professional
and educational career. I received an exceptional amount of positive assistance from
the faculty of UCM. Because of their aid and encouragement, I was able to go on and
earn my doctorate. I would highly recommend UCM to anyone wanting to achieve their
educational and professional goals.”
Meet Wesley T.
EdS Professional Leadership ’21
“The EdS program allowed me to simultaneously focus on my faculty duties all while
fulfilling my student obligations to the courses I took. The flexibility in course
requirements to fit the 30 credit hours was a huge draw for me. The faculty were amazing
and my advisor, Dr. Conrad, goes above and beyond for her students.”
EdS to EdD Bridge Option
Your path to a doctoral degree in education starts at UCM
Our partnership with Murray State University means you can complete an EdD more quickly
with transferable credits from your EdS.
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Explore programs related to a specialist degree in education.
If you’re considering pursuing leadership and administrative roles in education, you
may also be interested in the following graduate programs at UCM:
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