The program’s mission is to develop effective leaders who support the transformation and design of schools and community organizations at all levels while confronting the inequities of educational systems and addressing social justice issues on various levels: personal, institutional, and societal.
The program’s goals are to provide practical and theoretical experiences and knowledge by focusing on Eight Leadership Tenets that examine the beliefs and values that impact learning; culturally sustaining practices to promote inclusive and equitable instruction for all; and supporting students in developing a portfolio of evidence reflecting skills and practices in leadership.
Why Apply to UMass Boston’s Educational Administration MEd/CAGS Program?
All students in the program enroll in core courses providing a comprehensive view of educational leadership and in a practicum/internship involving supervised work in the field. Within this common framework, students specialize through their practicum/internship experiences in preparing for leadership roles in schools and community organizations. The core classes include topics such as leadership, organizations and change, curriculum, personnel, school law, budgeting, multicultural perspectives in education, and how to use data for school improvement – all within a social justice framework.
The program uses a cohort model and accepts students once a year, in the spring, to begin their studies in September. Thirty-six graduate credits are required to complete this program.
Candidates take three courses each semester for two years, in addition to two courses in the intervening summer. Courses are offered in the late afternoon and evening to accommodate the educational practitioner. A typical semester schedule might include two content courses and one practicum/internship course. Summer courses are usually held for three weeks at the end of July and the beginning of August.
Cohort Model
Each year, the program admits a cohort of students who take courses together throughout their program of study. The cohort model fosters collaborative approaches to learning, exploration, development and problem solving. Through cohort development, students build strong peer-to-peer relationships that cultivate a vibrant learning environment founded in meaningful connection, active engagement, and a commitment to individual and group development. In the classroom, the cohort model fosters a learning environment in which students can establish meaningful connections to theory, research, and practice.
Program Length
This 36-credit graduate program is designed to be completed in two academic years.
Licensure
Applicants seeking licensure as principal/assistant principal must also complete the Performance Assessment for Leaders (PAL), a required component for the license. Applicants seeking the special education administrator license must apply for a professional license. Please visit the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website for information on the Performance Assessment for Leaders or to learn about professional licensure.
Applicants who would like to apply for a Masters of Education or Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Administration should go to the Graduate Admissions website for the general statement of admission requirements for all graduate programs, as well as the general application for graduate admission. All application materials are due to Graduate Admissions by March 1 (extended to March 15 for Fall 2023 admissions).
The total for tuition and fees for this 36 credit program can be calculated by using the graduate tuition rates listed on the Bursar’s Office website.
The program will recommend admission for those MEd and CAGS applicants who present evidence of their ability to do graduate work with distinction. Such evidence will normally include:
At the time of enrollment, a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of recognized standing or an international equivalent.
An undergraduate grade point average at the time of graduation of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (or international equivalent) or discipline specific GPA calculation, as evidenced by an official transcript.
Two letters of recommendation. Typically, one or more letters from former professors familiar with the applicant’s academic abilities provide the strongest recommendations. Recommenders should have worked closely with the applicant in an academic, professional, or community service setting. Letters should not be written by friends or family members of the applicant. Letters should focus on the applicant’s abilities and past academic performance, while also indicating an ability to effectively complete graduate-level coursework.
A résumé that documents two or more years of work experience as an educator or in the field of education.
Statement of purpose. The statement of purpose is your opportunity to show the graduate admissions committee why you wish to pursue graduate study in this program, as well as your specific interests and goals.
Submission of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) scores (optional).
Applicants interested in Massachusetts Administrator License
Please note that all students in this program who are seeking Massachusetts administrator licensure must provide proof of a passing score on the Communication and Literacy Skills portion of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) as part of the licensure process and documentation of state educator license.
Required Courses
ADM G 603 – Organizational Analysis & Change
ADM G 613 – Personnel, Administration, Supervision, and Evaluation
ADM G 622 – Curriculum Theories and Trends in Education for Social Justice
ADM G 646 – Social Justice and Anti-Racist Education Leadership
ADM G 670 – Legal and Political Issues in Special Education (CAGS course)
EDC G 606 – Sociocultural Perspectives
APLNG 623 – Sociolinguistics
ADM G 686/687 – Practicum courses (two-year sequence)
ADM G 627 – The Law of Public Education
ADM G 632 – Facility Design and Fiscal Management
Capstone
The University of Massachusetts Boston requires a capstone experience for graduate degrees. All educational administration students must pass a comprehensive portfolio examination synthesizing a significant portion of their course work. The portfolio offers students an opportunity to collect and reflect systematically upon the various components of their own learning, drawing on readings, coursework, and practicum experiences. The electronic portfolio becomes a long-lasting tool for career advancement.
By the end of a two-year, 36 credit hour program, students will become:
Instructional Leaders who can connect research, curriculum, instruction and assessment to improve learning for all students.
Anti-Racist Leaders who can use knowledge and skills about race, gender, and culture and how these constructs intersect with each other to build school and educational community environments characterized by social justice and equity. Students will learn to not just be leaders who oppose racism but leaders who implement policies, practices and structures that act against racism.
Organizational and Cultural Leaders who can use solid understandings of organizational dynamics and culture to move successfully toward a shared vision for a school or community-based organization.
Managerial Leaders who can marshal the “nuts and bolts” of management and operations—human, financial, technological, and legal resources—to attain goals and serve a broad vision.
Leaders of other Leaders who can use their understanding of the principles and practices of professional development to support the growth of staff members and colleagues.
Data-Critical Leaders who can use data and enhance their organization’s capacity to use data not only for assessment, continuous improvement and decision-making but also for accountability, inquiry and action against injustices.
Communication Leaders who can use interpersonal, oral and written skills to work effectively with a variety of audiences, including parents and community members.
Reflective Leaders who can demonstrate the ability to integrate these tenets in context, to learn from practice, to assess strengths and weaknesses, and to plan for personal learning.
Through rigorous courses discussions, assignments and field experiences students will be able to:
Communicate a clear and compelling vision for educational systems, schools, districts and community organizations that demonstrates and represent their knowledge about race, gender, and culture that defines / represent the components related to social justice.
Design and implement a capstone project to leverage solutions to identified school- and community-based challenges and ensure equity and social justice is addressed in all aspect of the entry plan.
Understand the ways data is socially constructed and use quantitative and qualitative methods of research and evaluation as an equity tools to promote accountability of decisions and create change.
Identify, diagnose and manage change processes to turn educational settings into more strategic, coherent, equitable and just organizations.
Examine the ethical impact on leadership and form strategies to foster justice with an inclusive mindset.
Establish a community that addresses social justice on various levels: personal, institutional and societal.
Assess and identify intended and unintended consequences of decisions through reflection and progress monitoring.
Careers
Our graduates are leaders who support the transformation and design of schools and community organizations at all levels.
Examples of positions our graduates have held or currently hold:
Assistant Principal/Principal
Director of Instruction
Principal Leader
Program Director
Director of Special Education
Curriculum Coordinator
Assistant Dean of Students
Senior Director of Teacher Development Initiatives
Coordinator of Access and Equity in the Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign
Preschool Director
Liza A. Talusan, Associate Instructor, Department of Leadership in Education
Casel Walker, Graduate Program Director, Instructor, Educational Administration Program
Bodunrin O. Banwo, Assistant Professor, Urban Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies & Educational Administration
Amy E. Collinsworth, Graduate Program Manager and Assistant to the Department Chair, Leadership in Education
Stefani Harvey, Instructor, Department of Leadership in Education
