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Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Administration

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) program is designed to prepare aspiring individuals for challenging and productive roles as campus-level and central office-level administrators in Texas public schools through quality educational experiences that stimulate and encourage intellectual, personal, and professional growth and a strong commitment to education and those served.

The M.Ed. program is available through two program formats.  The New Century Educational Leadership Program (NCELP program) provides an alternative to the traditional program format.  Under the traditional format, students earn the M. Ed. by completing 30 semester hours of prescribed coursework and six (6) semester hours of elective coursework. To seek Texas principal certification, traditional program students must complete three (3) semester hours of internship coursework and activities prior to or following the awarding of the degree.  Students in the NCELP program complete requirements for the degree and certification simultaneously.

Students in the traditional M.Ed. program advance to candidacy for the degree based upon satisfactory completion of all prescribed coursework, and satisfactory completion of all program requirements.  To earn the degree, students must also have a satisfactory grade on each of the two sections of a department-administered comprehensive examination.  Similar to their colleagues in the traditional program, students in the NCELP program must satisfactorily complete all prescribed coursework and program requirements.  In lieu of the comprehensive examination, NCELP program students must satisfactorily complete an action research project which serves as a thesis option for the degree.
Program Delivery

Coursework for the M.Ed./Principal Certification Program is delivered primarily in a face-to-face format supplemented with blended or hybrid components in selected courses. EDAD 509 Public School Laws and EDAD 510 Special Education Law are delivered in an online format.  The entire M.Ed/Principal Certification program is delivered on the main Tarleton State University campus in Stephenville, in Fort Worth, in Waco, and at Tarleton-Central Texas in Killeen. During the fall and spring semesters, coursework is offered on Monday through Thursday evenings and on Saturdays. Evening classes generally meet for three hours and Saturday classes meet seven times a semester for six hours per day. During the summer sessions, classes are offered in an evening format with five-week classes meeting two evenings a week.  Friday or Saturday classes in the summer 10-week session meet seven times.  A limited number of day classes (Monday through Thursday) are offered in Stephenville and Killeen during the summer sessions.

Admission to the M.Ed. in Educational Administration Program

Students will submit a formal program application to the Coordinator of the M.Ed./Principal Certification Programs prior to completing EDAD 500. This application serves as a basis for advising the student with regard to general graduate and certification requirements, coursework, and degree requirements. The application requires that students submit 3 letters of reference, one of which must be from a current school district administrator, and a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Graduate Program Advisor and Advisory Committee:

Each student in the M.Ed./Principal Certification program will be assigned an advisor.  Advisors are assigned alphabetically based upon the student’s last name. Students may check with the Administrative Assistant in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies to identify their advisors (254.968.1947 or mccann@tarleton.edu).

The student should consult with the graduate advisor concerning appointment of a three-member graduate committee. The graduate committee chair assists the student in developing a degree plan and, along with the remaining two committee members, assumes responsibility for assisting the student with preparations for the comprehensive examinations.

Typical Curriculum for M.Ed./Principal Certification Program:

Foundations Courses (required for the M.Ed. degree)—15 semester hours:

• PSY 504 Human Development
• EDU 502 Educational Sociology OR EDAD 590 Social Contexts of Educational Leadership
• EDU 538 Curriculum Design and Implementation
• EDU 598 Techniques of Research OR EDAD 501 Techniques of Research and Evaluation
• EDAD 500 Foundations of Educational Administration (a student may not enroll in education administration core courses until he/she has completed or is concurrently enrolled in EDAD 500)

Education Administration Core Courses (required for degree and certification)—18 semester hours:

• EDAD 507 Programs and Procedures in Supervision
• EDAD 509 Public School Laws
• EDAD 512 Administration of Public Schools and Special Services
• EDAD 516 Instructional Leadership
• EDAD 539 Processes in Educational Leadership
• EDAD 599 Internship for the Principalship (required for certification not the degree)

Elective Courses (6 semester hours):

Total semester hours required for M.Ed. degree—36 semester hours (does not include EDAD 599)
Total semester hours required for M.Ed. degree and principal certification—39 semester hours (includes EDAD 599)

Recommended Coursework Sequence:

• EDAD 500 Foundation in Educational Administration*
• EDU 502 Educational Sociology
• EDAD 539 Processes in Educational Leadership
• EDAD 501 OR EDU 598 Techniques of Research and Evaluation
• EDU 538 Curriculum Design and Implementation
• EDAD 516 Instructional Leadership
• PSY 504 Human Development OR EDU 504 Human Development
• EDAD 509 Public School Laws
• EDAD 507 Programs and Procedures in Supervision
• EDAD 510 Special Education Law (recommended elective)
• EDAD 540 School-Community Relationships (recommended elective)
• EDAD 512 Administration of Public Schools and Special Services*
• EDAD 599 Internship for the Principalship (certification only)**

*Note: Courses in bold print are educational administration core courses.  Courses with the EDAD prefix cannot be taken until EDAD 500 has been taken or the student is concurrently enrolled in EDAD 500. The exception to this rule is EDAD 501 when it is taken as a substitute for EDU 598.  EDAD 512 is considered a capstone course and should not be taken until the end of program.

No courses in the EDAD core courses sequence can be older than six (6) years from the projected date of master’s degree completion. The same rule also applies for transfer work.

**Note:  No more than one (1) EDAD core courses may remain to be taken by the student prior to enrolling and participating in EDAD 599 Internship for the Principalship.  If a student has one remaining core course to take, the student may request permission of the Department Head to enroll in the remaining core course concurrently with EDAD 599.

Upon completion of the required 36 semester hours of coursework for the M.Ed. degree and successful completion of the department-administered master’s degree comprehensive examination or a thesis, students may apply to graduate from the program.  To secure principal certification, the student must return to Tarleton State University and the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies for enrollment in EDAD 599.  The student must work with the College of Graduate Studies to seek readmission to take EDAD 599 as a post-master’s degree course.

Transfer Work

No more than three (3) semester hours (one course) can be transferred from another post secondary institution for substitution in the EDAD core courses sequence (EDAD 507, EDAD 509, EDAD 512, EDAD 516, and EDAD 539). Students seeking course transfer credit into the core courses sequence must submit all of the following to the academic advisor for review:

• an original transcript indicating the course number, name, credit hours and grade as well as a copy of the course descriptive narrative from the appropriate postsecondary institution catalog; and
• a copy of the course syllabus and multiple examples of student work from the course.

If the requested transfer course is approved, the student must also provide the same information to the Tarleton State University College of Graduate Studies.

No more than six (6) semester hours can be transferred into the M.Ed./Principal Certification Program.  This includes foundation course transfers, EDAD core course transfers, and elective course transfers.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination for the M.Ed. degree is administered three times per year. Examinees must have filed a degree plan and complete an application to be eligible to take the comprehensive examination according to the following schedule:

Test Administration and Application Deadline Dates

No examination will be administered other than on a regularly scheduled administration date without permission from the graduate advisor, the Department Head, and the Graduate Dean.

Comprehensive examinations will be composed of objective and essay sections. A student must receive a satisfactory grade on each section in order to successfully complete the comprehensive examination, and subsequently be eligible for degree conferral.

Test Procedures

Section One: This section consists of multiple-choice questions that address (1) the major core courses, and (2) foundation courses (Human Development, Curriculum, Design and Implementation, Educational Sociology, and Educational Research). This section is designed to test a student’s knowledge and understanding of content and concepts in the field of study.

Section Two: This section of the examination is designed to assess higher-order thinking skills. It consists of four essay questions. Each test is composed of one common question and one question from each of the three committee members.

Grading Procedures:

The multiple choice questions are machine scored and a student is expected to satisfactorily answer a specific number of questions. Each comprehensive examination essay question is evaluated based upon the following points system: 4—exceptional response well above expectations; 3—average response consistent with expectations; 2—weak response below expectations, but still passing; 1—inadequate response, a failing performance; and 0—response did not address the required task, a failing performance. A student must receive a minimum score of ‘2’ on three of the four essay questions in order to pass the essay portion of the master’s comprehensive examination. Oral examinations may be required of any candidate with a marginal performance on Section Two of the examination. If a test paper contains major grammar and/or composition errors, the student may be asked to repeat the examination.

Thesis Option

The thesis option involves an original research project under the direction of a graduate faculty member and the preparation of a thesis in addition to the prescribed coursework. The 36-hour degree program includes 15 hours from the educational administration core, 6 hours of EDAD 588, and 15 hours by advisement. The student must enroll in EDAD 588 for two consecutive semesters and complete the thesis according to the standards and policies determined by the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the College of Graduate Studies.

Internship for the Principalship

Because the internship course work cannot be applied to the Master of Education degree, students pursuing the Principal’s Certificate normally complete their master’s degree requirements before doing their internships. The student must enroll each semester until the internship is satisfactorily completed. Application for admission to the principal internship must be submitted to the Coordinator of the M.Ed./Principal Certification Programs no later than June 15 preceding the fall of enrollment for the internship and October 15 preceding the spring internship. Students must complete the educational administration core or be enrolled in the last of five core courses prior to enrolling in the internship. The internship course typically is a one-semester course; however, this course may be repeated so that the student can satisfactorily complete internship requirements. No more than three (3) semester hours of internship course work can be used to satisfy certification plan requirements.

Recommendation for Certification

Recommendation for certification by Tarleton State University and the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies will be forwarded to the State Board for Educator Certification only after the student has successfully completed:

• the designated course of study including the internship and professional development requirements,
• documentation of two years of creditable teaching experience as a classroom teacher (TAC § 241.25), and
• successful performance on the Principal Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES).

Students will be allowed to register for the TExES during the last semester of the course of study and just prior to completing the professional development requirements Students who fail to register and take the TExES within 24 months after the date of completing the requirements listed must request permission from the Department Head prior to registering for the TExES. The Department Head may require additional study to ensure that the student is current in the knowledge and skills delineated in the Standards for the Principal Certificate. The additional study may include, but is not limited to, additional coursework.

Students who fail to satisfactorily complete the TExES must receive permission from the Department Head prior to registering for a subsequent attempt on the TExES. The Department Head may require additional study to ensure that the student is current in the knowledge and skills in delineated in the Standards for the Principal Certificate. The additional study may include, but is not limited to, additional coursework.

Students should regularly visit with advisors and the Certification Office for updates and changes in the certification process.

Professional Development Requirements

Each student must complete a minimum of 70 clock hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) related to the professional growth plan developed by the student in EDAD 500. Assessment of needed growth is based on knowledge and skills delineated in the Texas Standards for the Principal Certificate.  The professional development units must be satisfactorily completed, documented, and submitted to the Coordinator of the M.Ed./Principal Certification Programs prior to seeking approval by the University for recommendation of the student to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) for the Standard Principal Certificate.