View our EdD Early Childhood specialization completion requirements
Minimum degree requirements:
60 quarter credits
- Core courses (50 cr.)
- Capstone (10 cr.)
Nationally Recognized
Walden's Richard W. Riley College of Education and Human Sciences is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), a CHEA-recognized national accreditor for educator preparation.
Prepare for Licensure
Our MS in Education with a specialization in Educational Leadership and Administration leads to principal licensure in 39 states.*
The Educator of Educators®
This program is enriched by Walden’s 25+ years of experience in developing high-quality online programs for educators.
Thriving Educator Community
Tap into our network of 64,000+ Walden alumni changemakers to share education ideas, insights, and best practices.
Curriculum and Completion Requirements
The MSEd Educational Leadership and Administration specialization (Principal Licensure Preparation) gives you opportunities to apply concepts and coursework in the field while working closely with licensed, practicing principals as mentors.
Featured MS in Education Online Educational Leadership and Administration (Principal Licensure Preparation) Courses
Ensuring Quality Education for Students with Diverse Needs
Education professionals in this course explore and analyze the issues, complexities, responsibilities, and opportunities associated with leading schools with diverse student populations. By acknowledging differences among learners, as well as biases, discrimination, prejudices, and stereotypes, school leaders can identify diversity as a dynamic contributing factor to a rich learning environment in which individual differences are honored and respected. A focus of the course is also on one of the most challenging tasks facing schools today: to substantially increase the achievement of students placed at risk because of limited facility with English, and physical, mental, and emotional disability. Candidates will study diverse and inclusive approaches that have proven most effective in supporting all language learners and students with special needs to reach high standards of performance.
Budgeting and Allocating Resources
Research on effective schools provides guidance on the most productive ways to organize time, people, money, technology, and other resources. To use these resources most effectively, leaders need to have a strategy that defines the most important priorities, the overall educational design, and the organizational structures that best match the necessary goals for improvement. Effective leaders need to be able to (1) link whole-school strategic plans to effective instructional practices and improved use of time and money; (2) ensure individualized attention where needed in subject areas; (3) evaluate alternative paths to school improvement; (4) invest wisely in improving teaching quality; and (5) organize staff and use other resources in new ways that allow focused investment in teaching and learning.
Creating Positive, Safe, and Effective Learning Environments
Effective educational leaders develop capabilities to foster cultures for learning based on mutual respect among students, teachers, staff, parents, and the larger community. Strategies for fairly and effectively administering discipline and resolving conflict are addressed. This course is intended to help leaders understand and treat individual and group differences and potential conflict as opportunities for developing the dispositions, knowledge, and skills that result in social competencies essential to civic participation and interpersonal effectiveness in school and beyond. Candidates also study issues related to safety and violence in schools, considering both methods of prevention and ways to respond to unsafe and violent situations.
Teaching and Learning for School Leaders
Effective educational leaders influence the quality of teaching by understanding how to recognize outstanding teaching and facilitate improvement by communicating how and why learner-centered teaching enhances the learning outcomes of every student. This course introduces candidates to the latest research on education, teaching, and learning, and fosters the development of an understanding of how effective approaches to instruction are informed by research.
Recruiting, Evaluating, and Retaining School Personnel
Candidates study human resources policies and practices for recruiting, selecting, hiring, inducting, developing, evaluating, and retaining or dismissing school personnel. Identifying teachers¿ needs for professional growth is important, but leaders must also ensure that teachers have the opportunity and motivation to use their professional expertise and to participate in ongoing professional development focused on enhancing the learning of every student. As well, school leaders must be able to identify characteristics of productive teacher evaluation processes and programs; distinguish between supervising teaching and supervising learning; and utilize a process and structure for evaluating school personnel that is productive and supportive, motivates improvement, results in retention of highly competent staff members, embodies standards of due process, and takes into account the provisions of the contractual agreements for staff.
Admissions
You’ll work one-on-one with an Enrollment Specialist who’ll guide you through every step—from finding the right program to funding your education.
Streamlined Admissions Process
Pursuing your online MS in Education with a specialization in Educational Leadership and Administration is a major step. That’s why we’ve streamlined and simplified the application process to feature:
No application fee
Easy credit transfer
No essay or SAT/ACT requirement
View Admission Criteria
To be considered for this master’s program, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, teaching experience, and meet the general admission requirements. All applicants must submit a completed online application and transcripts. Depending on program specialization, additional requirements may apply.
More information for international applicants.
Tuition and Scholarships
We believe you can achieve your goals—and we are here to support you along your journey. Request information to learn more about scholarships and financial aid for those who apply and qualify.
Tuition Breakdown
You’ve set your sights higher in the education field—and we want to help you reach your goals. That’s why Walden offers ways to lower the costs of your online MS in Education with a specialization in Educational Leadership and Administration degree, including:
Transfer of credits
Special tuition discounts
Believe & Achieve Scholarship®
Stay Inspired. Stay on Track. Save Money.
Discover progress-based savings that inspire you to stay on track to graduation.
| Curriculum Component | Requirements | Cost | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | 56 quarter credit hours | $395 per quarter hour | $22,120 |
| Program Fee | Per quarter | $185 | $925 |
$23,045** | |||
| BELIEVE & ACHIEVE SCHOLARSHIP YOUR TUITION | -$3,950 | ||
*Represents Educational Leadership and Administration (Principal Preparation; Licensure) specialization, minimum time to completion, and Believe & Achieve Scholarship. Your actual total program time and costs may vary. Believe & Achieve Scholarship savings based on current tuition. See Scholarship Details for more information.
**Tuition reflects the minimum time to completion. Time to completion varies by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. Tuition and time to complete may be reduced if transfer credits are accepted, or if you receive grants, scholarships or other tuition reductions. For a personalized estimate of the number of your transfer credits that Walden would accept, call an Enrollment Specialist at 855-694-7548.
Tuition and fees are subject to change. Books and materials are not included and may cost between $1,000 and $1,400.
Career Opportunities
By choosing the MSEd Educational Leadership and Administration specialization, you’ll gain the leadership skills and confidence to effect lasting change in classrooms and communities.
Shape Young Lives
School Teacher
Play a vital role in the education and development of young students.
Expected growth: 1%1
Estimated annual wage: $46,960–$81,4801
1Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Job outlook | Estimated wage (as of May 2023)
No guarantee is made that a person who enrolls in the MS in Education program will obtain a job or will earn the stated salaries. Wage estimates are based on the 10th–75th percentile.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be prepared to:
Design and lead initiatives that evaluate and improve instructional programs.
Develop, implement, and manage ongoing evaluation and professional development in teaching and learning.
Create strategic plans using a visioning process to be shared and supported by stakeholders.
Use data to effectively manage the organization and resources for a safe, secure, and effective learning environment.
Communicate and collaborate with external publics to address community interests and diverse needs.
Articulate the school’s role within the broader political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context and responding effectively to changes that impact the school community.
Model democratic value systems, ethics, and moral leadership.
Meet Your Academic Team
Walden’s MSEd faculty includes experienced educators and subject matter experts, all committed to helping you reach your potential as an education professional.
