Feb 14, 2025
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2021-2022 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.
Educational Leadership, Special Education Administrator (Initial Licensure), MEd
Department: Secondary Education and Educational Leadership
The MEd in Educational Leadership – Special Education Administrator is a professional degree program designed to prepare you as an administrator of special education program – all levels. The 33 credit-hour curriculum emphasizes both theory and practice in the preparation of the administrator of P-12 special education programs.
Throughout the program, you will be introduced to leadership theories and practices, focusing on the importance of team building, decision making, problem-solving and strategic planning, pupil services and program evaluation. The program prepares you to support student learning and the continuous improvement of systems that make learning possible. Emphasis is placed on the relationships between curriculum and instructional development, supervision of instruction, professional development, organizational development, fairness, and equity in working with special and diverse populations. This program is available on the main campus, at select off-campus locations and online.
The MEd in Educational Leadership program offers:
- Diverse faculty with extensive teaching and administrative experience, as well as ongoing participation in educational research, scholarly publication and professional organizations
- Accommodating schedules, including courses during the academic year, and 5-10-week intensive courses during the summer
- Prepractica and practica opportunities, enabling close collaboration with students from other programs within the educational leadership program and the College of Education and Health Sciences
- Small classes facilitating a more personalized learning experience
- Affordable tuition, whether you live in state or out of state
- Online application and $50 application fee
- Resumé demonstrating the applicant’s potential for leadership and academic achievement as evidenced by activities during their professional career or undergraduate studies
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work
- Three letters of recommendation (one from a supervisor)
- A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.8
- A qualifying score on the Communications and Literacy Skills Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL)
- Personal Statement – prepare a brief, but careful statement on the candidate’s philosophy of educational leadership
- Possession of at least an Initial License in Special Education, or as school counselor, school principal/assistant school principal, school psychologist, school social worker/school adjustment counselor, or speech, language and hearing disorders teacher and completion of three full years of employment in a district-wide, school-based or other educational setting
- or completion of at least three full years of employment in law, public policy, higher education or another related field accepted by the department
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education prohibits the online completion of the SEI course. Therefore, candidates who intend to complete the MEd program online, must be SEI endorsed prior to admission or complete SEI (Education of Diverse Populations) on campus. Required courses (33 credits)
All candidates must successfully complete a leadership electronic folio for licensure and pass the comprehensive examination as exit requirements from the program. Please see the catalog section, Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures , for additional information regarding comprehensive examinations. Total minimum credits: 33