Online Master's in Educational Leadership Degree

Total tuition for this degree program may vary depending on your educational needs, existing experience, and other factors.

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The role of instructors, instructional designers and curriculum developers has changed dramatically over the past decade. Today, education focuses on ensuring that educational programs help learners understand abstract concepts, solve problems, work as effective team members and develop critical-thinking skills. AIU’s online Master's in Educational Leadership program is designed to provide a solid foundation for effective educational practice and advancement for all levels of educational practitioners including K-12, higher education and corporate learning. Students could develop a solid foundation in learning theory, instructional design and instructional technology, as well as application of educational research methods.

This professionally-focused online Master's in Education Leadership program is designed to help students utilize authentic tools and assessment in application of learning outcomes, such as Lectora. They can also explore collaboration in a community of learners for professional application of skills and study the importance of asking the right questions in order to prompt efficient and effective answers. This one-year online Master's in Education program is designed to help students get the in-depth, specialized knowledge they want—compressing their studies into a shorter timeframe, but still providing the knowledge and credentials they're looking for.

Our online Master's in Educational Leadership program can help you learn you how to:

• Assess leadership in strategic planning for educational services and workplace learning and performance.
• Differentiate management and leadership responsibilities.
• Construct an inclusive human resources department for an educational organization.
• Apply understanding of financial principles and budgetary decision-making.
• Appraise organizational change models in the context of a vision and mission statement.
• Demonstrate understanding of State, regulatory and accreditation bodies.
• Understand how critical elements of a school like student engagement, teacher performance and professionalism and school operations are influenced by the actions of a school leader
• Become familiar with the various developmental psychology elements and educational theories at play when organizing and running a school successfully
• Apply understanding of financial principles and limitations in education to the process of organizing and operating a school building of any size
• Demonstrate mastery of state regulations and procedures, legal and ethical codes and other policies guiding the operation of a variety of schools
• Evaluate various school models and new school initiatives to determine their effectiveness or potential for new growth or opportunity in education
• Gain experience in developing and constructing human resources policies and procedures that can help ensure the successful operation of a school building and its staff

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American InterContinental University’s Master of Education degree is not designed to meet state educator licensing requirements; however, it may assist students in gaining licensure in their state of residence depending on those requirements. If you’re interested in teaching certification, please contact your state board of education for requirements.

Degree Requirements

Division Core

Leadership of Educational Organizations

* State authorization to provide a program related to the preparation of teachers or other p-12 school/system personnel does not indicate eligibility for an Alabama certificate. Applicants for an Alabama certificate based on reciprocity must meet Alabama’s test requirements and submit a valid, renewable professional educator certificate/license issued by another state at the degree level, grade level, and in the teaching field or area of instructional support for which an Alabama certificate is sought and for which Alabama issues a certificate. Applicants for Alabama certification in an area of administration must also document at least three years of full-time employment as an administrator in a P-12 school system(s).

Total Credit Hours: 48

For an Online Master's in Educational Leadership Degree, your classes may include:

Leading Educational Organizations

This course will examine contemporary leadership theory and its applications in current education services as well as workplace learning and performance settings. This course is designed to prepare students for operational and strategic leadership.

Human Resource Planning and Evaluation

The course examines the processes of human resource planning in educational organizations, including recruitment and selection, training and development, motivation, and performance appraisals. It provides an overview of human resource administration as well as addresses evaluation, problem-solving, and leadership skills.

Dynamic Educational Leadership

This course focuses on the interaction of complex educational systems, and the ways in which leadership is necessary in defining and encouraging learning and productivity within the organization. The student will consider four "frames" of organizational structure: the physical structure itself; the human resources; the political realities that affect an organization; and the cultural factors that influence direction and decision processes for success of the enterprise.

Education Planning and Development

This course provides a view of leadership responsibilities in planning and developing new educational programs, products, and services. Students will examine processes and issues related to change management, including changes involving technology. The course offers an opportunity for students to consider how educational leaders introduce and implement new educational programs, products, and services in an organization.

Analysis, Assessment and Technology

This course provides the foundations of analysis and assessment methodologies used in the field of education. Learners are introduced to applied quantitative and qualitative educational research methods in context of the practitioner's educational environment. Comparisons of formative and summative assessment and formative evaluation will be addressed.

Applying Learning Theories

This course provides an introduction to the various schools of thought on how people learn. The course will emphasize the practical implications of cognitive science. It provides a comprehensive survey of the progressive understanding of the learning process. Learners will explore learning theories, such as cognitive, behaviorist, and constructivist. Learners will compare the theories and their application in the learner's respective field using the appropriate formal written communication for the discipline of Education.

Integrative Design and Evaluation

This course examines the development of curricula for education and workplace learning and development. Comparison of evaluation design, curriculum design, and instructional design will assist learners in understanding the similarities and differences in these fields of education. Learner will learn to develop learning objectives. Program evaluation techniques will be introduced.

Mastery in Educational Specialty

This capstone course is designed to allow the student to demonstrate mastery of all the concepts and skills presented in the core courses and specialization courses in the student’s field of study. The emphasis will be on designing and producing a real world quality deliverable in the specialization studied to be used as a highlight in a professional portfolio.

The Online Master's in Educational Leadership Degree Program at American InterContinental University is awarded TEAC initial accreditation by the Inquiry Brief Commission of Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for a period of three years, from October 2015 - December 2018, to complete the remainder of the five year term, beginning in 2013.

The accreditation does not include individual education courses that the Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) offers to P-12 educators for professional development, re-licensure, or other purposes.