Master of Science in Teaching and Leadership
Admission Requirements
The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
- A four-year bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university [preferably in the specialization area or near equivalent].
- A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A = 4.00).
- Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies' English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
Admission Process
- Complete the School of Graduate Studies online application.
- Submit the application fee.
- Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae
- Submit three (3) letters of recommendation that address the academic and professional qualities that support you for graduate work. These 3 letters should come from: 1) a current education supervisor or administrator; 2) a professional colleague or university professor that has knowledge of your work/work ethic; and 3) a person of your choosing that can speak to your readiness for graduate work and potential for success.
- Send official transcripts from each institution attended to UND's Office of Admissions
- Submit a response to the Statement of Goals and Objectives, Essay, and Program Questions as outlined below.
Statement of Goals and Objectives
As part of the application process, the applicant must respond to the following questions: (suggested length = no more than 500 words per question response)
- Describe several personal and professional goals you would like to achieve in the next five years. Include in your description reasons why these goals are important to you.
- Review the specializations available to students in the MSTL program. Which of these are you interested in and explain why this specialization area (and/or certificate, if applicable) aligns with your personal/professional goals identified in question 1.
Essay
As part of the application process, the applicant must respond to the following questions: (suggested length = no more than 500 words per question response)
- What are the characteristics, attitudes, values, and/or skills that you believe will make you a good candidate for your [current and/or future] professional role?
- What have you already done professionally or personally of which you are proud? Please include a chronological history of all professional teaching or administration experiences, as well as academic honors or achievements you have earned.
Program Questions
Please consider the following questions in light of the Master of Science in Teaching & Leadership program and profession to which you are applying.
(Each answer should be approximately 300 words.)
- What initially sparked your interest in the field in which you are pursuing graduate education? Describe how you first became interested in this profession.
- As lifelong learners, we all have areas of strength and areas of further development. Please describe the strengths you will bring to this program. Please describe the areas of development or challenge that you expect to encounter in this program.
- This program requires students to be receptive and open to constructive feedback from instructors and supervisors. How do you typically receive constructive feedback?
- How do you typically manage deadlines for work or school? How do you plan to meet deadlines for this program as they arise?
Degree Requirements
- A minimum of 30 credits
- A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours may be transferred from another institution, depending on the courses and grades, with director approval
- Maintenance of at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA for all MSTL classes
- Successful completion of the program’s Exit Interview and/or Exit Survey
Core Requirements (14 or 15 core credits) | for Dual Credit Specializations (11 or 12 core credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| EDL 512 | Leading K-12 Classroom Assessment and Grading | 3 |
| EDL 513 | Leading K-12 Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
| T&L 532 | Leading K-12 Educator Learning | 3 |
| T&L 569 | Action Research | 3 |
| or | ||
| T&L 579 | Inquiry into Professional Practice | 3 |
| T&L 995 | Scholarly Project (or) | 2 or 3 |
| SPED 995 | Scholarly Project (or) | 2 or 3 |
| EFR 995 | Scholarly Project (or) | 2 or 3 |
| EDL 995 | Scholarly Project | 2 or 3 |
Specialization Area Coursework (15 - 19 credits)
Choose one Specialization. The Specializations include the following: Principalship, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Instructional Coaching, Middle/Secondary Education, STEM+ C Education, Behavioral Supports in Special Education, Secondary Math Education*, Secondary Biology Education*, Secondary Chemistry Education*, Secondary Physics Education*, Applied Data Research, or Generalist.
( * = prepares students for Dual Credit certification eligibility)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Principalship Specialization - Requires up to three years of teaching experience (16 credits) | ||
| EDL 501 | Leadership and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| EDL 514 | Supervision and Professional Development | 3 |
| EDL 515 | Education Law and Ethics | 3 |
| EDL 519 | Principalship | 3 |
| EDL 593 | Internship in Educational Leadership | 4 |
| Early Childhood Education (18 credits) | ||
| T&L 511 | Assessment in ECE | 3 |
| T&L 517 | Social Emotional Learning Guidance | 3 |
| T&L 526 | Play in Development and Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| T&L 527 | Curricular Foundations in Early Childhood Education | 3 |
| T&L 529 | Language Development Cognition in Children | 3 |
| T&L 553 | Collaborative Relationships: Home, School and Community | 3 |
| Elementary Education Specialization (15 credits) | ||
| T&L 518 | Curriculum and Methods for Teaching STEM | 3 |
| T&L 519 | Social Studies in the Elementary School | 3 |
| T&L 522 | Mathematics in the Elementary School | 3 |
| T&L 530 | Foundations of Reading Instruction | 3 |
| Select any ONE (3-credit) elective course | 3 | |
| Instructional Coaching Specialization (15 credits) | ||
| T&L 563 | K-12 Classroom Based Coaching Practices | 3 |
| T&L 564 | Designing Professional Development for K-12 Educators | 3 |
| T&L 565 | K-12 Instructional Coaching Clinical | 3 |
| EDL 501 | Leadership and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| EDL 514 | Supervision and Professional Development | 3 |
| Middle/Secondary Education Specialization (15 credits) | ||
| EFR 500 | Introduction to the Foundations of Education | 3 |
| T&L 542 | Models of Teaching | 3 |
| T&L 577 | Assessment of Learning (Content Area Elective) | 3 |
| Select any TWO (3-credit) elective courses | 6 | |
| STEM+ C Education Specialization (15 or 16 credits) | ||
| T&L 560 | Computer Science for Teachers I | 4 |
| T&L 561 | Computer Science for Teachers II | 4 |
| T&L 562 | Specialized Methods: Computer Science | 2 |
| Select any TWO (3-credit) courses from the following options: | ||
| T&L 518 | Curriculum and Methods for Teaching STEM | 3 |
| T&L 552 | Online Teaching Practice Innovation | 3 |
| T&L 554 | Nature of Science and Science Education | 3 |
| T&L 555 | Issues of Motivation and Equity in STEM Education | 3 |
| T&L 556 | Constructivism in STEM Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| Behavioral Supports in Special Education Specialization (15 or 16 credits) | ||
| SPED 525 | Legal/Ethical Aspects in Special Education | 3 |
| ABA 540 | Concepts and Principles in Behavior Analysis | 3 |
| ABA 541 | Methods and Applications in Behavior Analysis | 3 |
| ABA 542 | Ethical and Professional Conduct for Behavior Analysts | 3 |
| ABA 545 | Assessment and Behavior Change Systems | 4 |
| Secondary Mathematics Education (Dual Credit - 18 or 19 credits) | ||
| Six Electives - Select ANY 6 (3-credit) courses from the following options: | ||
| MATH 409 | Geometry | 3 |
| MATH 421 | Statistical Theory I | 3 |
| MATH 422 | Statistical Theory II | 3 |
| MATH 441 | Abstract Algebra | 3 |
| STAT 500 | Computing for Statistics (required as a pre- or co-requisite for all STAT courses below) | 1 |
| STAT 541 | Linear Statistical Models | 3 |
| STAT 542 | Advanced Topics in Statistics and Probability | 3 |
| STAT 543 | Design of Experiments | 3 |
| STAT 545 | Multivariate Statistics | 3 |
| STAT 547 | Time Series | 3 |
| STAT 551 | Statistical Graphics | 3 |
| STAT 553 | Modern Nonparametric Statistics | 3 |
| STAT 555 | ||
| Secondary Biology Education (Dual Credit- 18 credits) | ||
| Six Electives- Select ANY 6 (3-credit) courses from the following options: | ||
| BIOL 505 | Biological Inquiry for Teachers | 3 |
| BIOL 506 | Ecology for Teachers | 3 |
| BIOL 512 | Advanced Evolutionary Analysis | 3 |
| BIOL 533 | Grassland Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 590 | Special Topics | 6-12 |
| various course studies: Analysis of Biology Data for Teachers; Animal Biology; Conflict & Controversy in Biology, and/or Scientific Teaching of Biology | ||
| Secondary Chemistry Education (Dual Credit- 18 credits) | ||
| CHEM 401 | Nanotechnology Nanomaterials | 3 |
| CHEM 402 | Trends in Forensic and Environmental Analytical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 455 | Spectroscopy and Structure | 3 |
| CHEM 466 | Fundamentals of Physical and Biophysical Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 561A | Teaching Fundamental Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 563A | Approaches to Teaching Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| Secondary Physics Education (Dual Credit- 18 credits) | ||
| PHYS 501T | Mathematical Methods in Physics for Teachers | 2 |
| PHYS 502T | Physics I for Teachers | 3 |
| PHYS 503T | Physics II for Teachers | 3 |
| PHYS 504T | Physics III for Teachers | 2 |
| PHYS 505TL | Physics I/II/III for Teachers Laboratory: Online | 2 |
| PHYS 506T | Conceptual Classical Mechanics for Teachers | 2 |
| PHYS 507T | Conceptual Electromagnetism for Teachers | 2 |
| PHYS 508T | Conceptual Quantum Physics for Teachers | 2 |
| Applied Data Research (15 credits) | ||
| EFR 506 | Multicultural Education | 3 |
| EFR 509 | Introduction to Applied Educational Research | 3 |
| EFR 510 | Participatory Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| EFR 515 | Statistics I | 3 |
| EFR 530 | Learning Analytics | 3 |
| Generalist Specialization (15 credits) | ||
| Select FIVE (3-credit) courses from any of the Specialization areas (totaling 15 credits) | ||