M.S. in Educational Leadership Curriculum

The educational leadership program is designed to provide high-quality and innovative standards-based educational experiences for future educational leaders.

Description

The educational leadership program is for candidates who hold a New York State (NYS) teaching certificate (professional or permanent) and are seeking NYS certification at the school building and school district level. The program provides high-quality and innovative standards-based educational experiences for ethical future educational leaders.

The program uses an integrated approach by combining theory, authentic case studies, online discussions, candidates’ experience, and field-based internships to address current and emerging issues impacting the quality of education. This approach infuses theory with practice to support the acquisition of the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to create optimum school conditions that promote a high-quality learning environment for all students. The case studies and field experiences both teach and measure candidate competence against national and state standards.

The educational leadership program requires 24 credits of coursework and 8 credits of internship for a total of 32 credits. Each semester's studies constitute a module, and each module is comprised of two three-credit courses online and one two-credit internship experience. Candidates take two courses and an internship each semester including the summer session. Most candidates complete the program in 15 months.

The field-based clinical internships are crucial elements of the curriculum. The program has four internships of two credits each that are taken concurrently with the courses offered each semester. Each internship requires a minimum of 160 hours per 16-week semester, plus one full week (40 hours) sometime during the program. The internships will total 680 clock hours (four internships of 160 hours each plus one full week). Through the internship experiences, candidates define and analyze problems of practice, acquire the skills and knowledge needed to deal effectively with such problems and integrate their theoretical studies with practical applications. At least one internship is in a diverse setting. At least one internship needs to be at the building level and one at the district level. Internship assignments and times are arranged by Fisher in collaboration with the candidate and the candidate’s home school district or partnering district.

Faculty

Our faculty members are committed to providing the highest level of preparation for candidates participating in the program. All full-time faculty members have extensive and successful experiences as administrators in a variety of educational settings and possess New York State administrative certificates and doctoral degrees.