Educational Leadership, EdS - School Leader: Grades K–12 Option

What you will study

UCM’s Educational Leadership degree for K–12 school leaders is designed for educators who already have a master’s degree but want to deepen their knowledge and skills.You will learn how to set a vision for your school that promotes student learning and continuous school improvement while creating a positive culture and an equitable learning environment. You’ll also learn how to supervise school personnel and strategically allocate school resources.

To support this learning, our graduate program curriculum includes courses on finance, law, data analysis and curriculum development and assessment. You’ll also choose an elective focused on a leadership experience to customize your master’s degree.

You’ll work alongside a mentor throughout the program to observe, participate and facilitate school management and improvement roles while maintaining your current teaching status.

 

 

Unique learning opportunities in educational leadership

As a graduate student in UCM’s Educational Leadership program, you’ll put your knowledge into action with hands-on learning opportunities. Most Educational Leadership students are also full-time teachers, so we’ve structured our program to adapt to your schedule and ensure that you can take advantage of knowledge-sharing opportunities with your peers:

• Internships: Tie together everything you’ve learned by working with local administrators and real-life scenarios during a two-semester practicum at your school or another location of your choice. You’ll identify challenges that your school is facing and design and implement a solution that directly impacts your school and students.
• Collaborative Principals Preparation Program (CPPP): Graduate students can take advantage of our collaborative partnership with Kansas City area school districts and complete their Educational Leadership degree close to home. Learn alongside teachers from area schools and benefit from the guidance and support of an administrative mentor from your school district.
• Practical application: As a UCM student, you’ll learn by doing, applying your knowledge in real-world situations.

 

What can you do with an Educational Leadership degree from UCM?

When you earn your degree in Educational Leadership from UCM you’re demonstrating your commitment to creating a positive and effective learning environment while gaining the credentials you need to advance your career in a leadership position. Our EdS degree for K–12 school leaders provides the coursework required by the state to apply for certification for school administration once a performance assessment and content test have been successfully completed.

Graduates of this program can apply to a wide variety of leadership roles — including lead teacher, instructional coach or a central office position. If you plan to pursue a terminal degree, our EdS will equip you for advanced education and a successful future in school leadership.

Careers in educational leadership

Use the tool below to explore careers in educational leadership. View salary potential, employment trends, job growth rates and other career data.

 

 

Financial assistance options for your Educational Leadership degree

At the University of Central Missouri, we recognize that earning a degree is a big investment. We’re proud to offer a regionally recognized degree at a lower-than-average cost. In addition to our low tuition and fees, we offer financial resources such as scholarships, grants and awards to help finance your college education. In fact, we are recognized as a top-ranked university for low student debt by LendEDU and as a Best Value College by U.S. News & World Report.

Beyond the university-wide scholarships we offer, the College of Education offers three scholarships for our graduate students in the Educational Leadership degree program:

• Cliff and Patty Mohn CPPP Scholarship
• School Administration Scholarship
• James L. and Judith A. Cockrell Middle School Leadership Scholarship
• Mary E. Warren Elgeva Waller Education Administration Scholarship
• Sandra and Charles Braithwait School Administration Scholarship

Learn more about program-specific scholarships by using the UCM Scholarship Finder.