Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

Hernando Cohort
Hernando County Cohort- Spring 2008

Master of Education Degree (M.Ed.)

The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership is a state-approved program designed to prepare teachers to meet State of Florida requirements for certification in Educational Leadership. Teachers who already possess a master's degree in a field other than educational leadership should consider the Modified Program in Educational Leadership if you do not want to earn a second master's degree.

Master's Cohort Information - Fall 2010
Note: spring 2010 cohorts are full; admission for spring 2010 is closed.

Important Note: Students desiring attendance at USF Polytechnic (Lakeland) or USF Sarasota-Manatee must apply directly to those institutions.

Admissions Criteria:

Applicant must have a minimum 2 years of post-Bachelor’s teaching experience.
Applicant possesses a Florida Professional Educator’s Certificate.
Minimum 3.00 undergraduate GPA (overall or upper-level) from regionally accredited institution. Applicants with GPA’s below 3.0 must submit GRE scores taken within the last 5 years (see www.gre.org).

How to apply:

Visit www.coedu.usf.edu/edlead for more information on the Master’s program (click on “programs” tab on right side of the page).
Deadline is March 15, 2010 (apply early as admission is competitive)
Apply online through graduate admissions: www.grad.usf.edu
Submit one original, sealed copy of bachelor’s and master’s (if applicable) transcripts to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Previous USF graduates do not need to submit transcripts of USF coursework.
Submit GRE scores, if needed.

Submit the following items to contact below:

Submit three letters of professional reference (ask references to include your name and “letter of reference” in subject line if emailing the letter)
Submit a goals statement (1-2 pages) discussing professional experiences and interest in Educational Leadership. Please indicate the cohort you are applying for in your statement.
Submit a copy of the Florida Professional Educator’s Certificate that clearly shows all borders and the state seal.
Submit proof of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training. Applicant must provide documentation of completion of a three (3) credit hour course in ESOL or completion of sixty (60) hours of ESOL district in-service training or successfully complete TSL 5085: ESOL 1 as part of MEd educational leadership program.

Please email, fax or mail the materials listed above to:

Lisa Mullen

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

USF, 4202 E. Fowler Ave. EDU 105, Tampa, FL 33620

lmullen@coedu.usf.edu

fax 813-974-5423

Admissions Procedure

Students are encouraged to join a cohort program as course offering and availability are planned to accommodate the groups.

The College of Education and the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies review all applications and make their recommendation to the Office of Graduate Admissions. The Office of Graduate Admissions notifies applicants of their official admission.

The admission committee MAY offer students the opportunity to begin their program as a non-degree student prior to official admission. However, only a maximum of 12 graduate semester hours may be completed prior to official admission. Coursework completed beyond 12 semester hours may not apply to the degree program. Please note that completing courses as a non-degree student does not guarantee admission to the program and that admissions criteria and/or course requirements are subject to change. For more information on non-degree seeking visit this site: http://www.usf.edu/adm_nondegree.html

Program of Study

The M.Ed. program consists of 3 core courses, 8 courses in leadership, and 1 course with a field experience component.

Required Courses

Area A: Core (9-12 hours)

EDF 6492 - Applied Educational Program Evaluation

EDG 6627 - Foundations of Curriculum & Instruction

EME 6425 - Technology for School Management

TSL 5085 - ESOL 1 (waived with documention of completion of a three (3) credit hour course in ESOL or completion of sixty (60) hours of ESOL district in-service training)

Area B: Leadership Concentration (24 hours)

EDA 6061 - Principles of Educational Administration

EDA 6192 - Educational Leadership

EDA 6194 - Building Capacity for Continuous Improvement

EDA 6232 - School Law

EDA 6242 - School Finance

EDG 6285 - School Curriculum Improvement

EDA 6106 - Administrative Analysis & Change

EDA 6503 - The Principalship

Area C: Field Experience (3 hours)

EDA 6945 - Administrative Practicum (taken during final semester)

Total program hours: 36-39

Degree Completion Requirements

To be eligible for graduation, a student must earn an overall grade average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Grades below "C" are not acceptable toward degree requirements. At the time of graduation, only those courses completed within the previous 5 years will count for the degree. A planned program of study must be completed and filed during first semester of study.

After successfully completing all courses within the required 5-year period, the following steps must be completed for graduation:

Apply for graduation (applications MUST be received by the posted deadline date).
Complete a required department assessment portfolio (replaces the comprehensive exam) during the semester the student applies for graduation. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 2 credit hours the semester the portfolio is submitted and graduation is applied for. Click here for portfolio requirements!
Submit official score report showing successful completion of the Florida Educational Leadership Examination (FELE).

For more information please e-mail or call:

USF Tampa Advisors

Paula Knudsen - paulak@coedu.usf.edu

(813) 974-6036; Fax (813) 974-5423

Lisa Mullen - lmullen@coedu.usf.edu

(813) 974-1344; Fax (813) 974-5423

Master's Program Coordinator

Dr. Darlene Bruner - dbruner@coedu.usf.edu

(813) 974-6039; Fax (813) 974-5423

Please contact other campus programs directly:

USF Polytechnic (Lakeland)

Dale Gosnell - dgosnell@poly.usf.edu