School Administration (M.S.A.)

Program Admission Requirements

Applicants must:

• hold or be eligible to hold a North Carolina Class A Teaching License or a comparable license from another state,
• have completed at least 3 years of successful full-time teaching or equivalent experience in public schools. Pre-school teachers may include private sector experience,
• document satisfactory scores on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations (Verbal = 400 and above; Math = 380 and above; Total = 800; Writing = 4) or the Miller’s Analogy Test ( 30th percentile or above) or a doctoral degree  from an accredited university in an educationally-related field,
• submit three letters of recommendation from employers or former instructors who are in a position to judge the applicant’s  aptitude for graduate study and potential as a school leader. One recommendation must be from the current immediate supervisor.

Note: Acceptance into the program does not constitute admission to candidacy, which is determined at the end of EDL 601.

Program Description

The Masters in School Administration is a 39 hour master’s degree leading to licensure in the state of North Carolina as a school principal. This cohort based program engages students in core courses in a proscribed order which generally consists of a course load ranging from 5 to 7 hours. The year-long internship aligns directly with courses and consists of 2 semesters hours across three semesters. Internships are competency based and involve many aspects of a principal responsibilities. A student who cannot complete the required EDL hours in a given semester will be required to petition the faculty to change to a different cohort. The program requires completion of the degree within six years of admission. Degree completion and licensure requirements are coordinated throughout the program but are independently granted. Degree completion does not guarantee licensure recommendation.