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.

  1. A four-year bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university [preferably in the specialization area or near equivalent].
  2. 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).
  3. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies' English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Admission Process 

  1. Complete the School of Graduate Studies online application.
  2. Submit the application fee.
  3. Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae
  4. 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.
  5. Send official transcripts from each institution attended to the School of Graduate Studies.
  6. 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)

  1. 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.
  2. Review the specializations available to students in the MSTL program. Which of these are you interested in and explain why this specialization area 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)

  1. 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?
  2. 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.)

  1. What initially sparked your interest in the field in which you are pursuing graduate education? Describe how you first became interested in this profession.
  2. 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.
  3. This program requires students to be receptive and open to constructive feedback from instructors and supervisors. How do you typically receive constructive feedback?
  4. 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

  1. A minimum of 30 credits
  2. A maximum of one-fourth of the credit hours may be transferred from another institution, depending on the courses and grades, with director approval
  3. Maintenance of at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA for all MSTL classes
  4. 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)

Core
EDL 512Leading K-12 Classroom Assessment and Grading3
EDL 513Leading K-12 Curriculum and Instruction3
T&L 532Leading K-12 Educator Learning3
T&L 569Action Research3
or
T&L 579Inquiry into Professional Practice3
T&L 995Scholarly Project (or)2
SPED 995Scholarly Project (or)2
EFR 995Scholarly Project2

Specialization Area Coursework (16 - 19 credits)

Choose one Specialization. The Specializations include the following: Principalship, Elementary Education, Instructional Coaching, Middle/Secondary Education, STEM Education, Behavioral Supports in Education (SPED), Secondary Math Education*, Secondary Biology Education*, Secondary Chemistry Education*, Secondary Physics Education*, Applied Data Research, or Generalist.

( * = with Dual Credit certification)

Principalship Specialization - Requires up to three years of teaching experience (16 credits)
EDL 501Leadership and Organizational Behavior3
EDL 514Supervision and Professional Development3
EDL 515Education Law and Ethics3
EDL 519Principalship3
EDL 593Internship in Educational Leadership4
Elementary Education Specialization (16 credits)
T&L 518Curriculum and Methods for Teaching STEM3
T&L 519Social Studies in the Elementary School3
T&L 522Mathematics in the Elementary School3
T&L 530Foundations of Reading Instruction3
T&L 596Individual Research in Education1
Select any ONE (3-credit) elective course3
Instructional Coaching Specialization (16 credits)
T&L 563K-12 Classroom Based Coaching Practices3
T&L 564Designing Professional Development for K-12 Educators3
T&L 565K-12 Instructional Coaching Clinical3
T&L 596Individual Research in Education1
EDL 501Leadership and Organizational Behavior3
EDL 514Supervision and Professional Development3
Middle/Secondary Education Specialization (16 credits)
EFR 500Introduction to the Foundations of Education3
T&L 542Models of Teaching3
T&L 577Assessment of Learning (Content Area Elective)3
T&L 596Individual Research in Education1
Select any TWO (3-credit) elective courses6
STEM Education Specialization (16 credits)
T&L 518Curriculum and Methods for Teaching STEM3
T&L 552Online Teaching Practice Innovation3
T&L 554Nature of Science and Science Education3
T&L 555Issues of Motivation and Equity in STEM Education3
T&L 556Constructivism in STEM Teaching and Learning3
T&L 596Individual Research in Education1
Behavioral Supports in Education Specialization (16 credits)
SPED 5413
SPED 555Advanced Methods: Emotional Behavioral Disorders3
T&L 553Collaborative Relationships: Home, School and Community3
SPED 578Behavior Management3
T&L 596Individual Research in Education3
Select any ONE (3-credit) elective course3
Secondary Mathematics Education (with Dual Credit Certification - 18 or 19 credits)
Six Electives - Select ANY 6 (3-credit) courses from the following options:
MATH 409Geometry3
MATH 421Statistical Theory I3
MATH 422Statistical Theory II3
MATH 441Abstract Algebra3
STAT 500Computing for Statistics (required as a pre- or co-requisite for all STAT courses below)1
STAT 541Linear Statistical Models3
STAT 542Advanced Topics in Statistics and Probability3
STAT 543Design of Experiments3
STAT 545Multivariate Statistics3
STAT 547Time Series3
STAT 551Statistical Graphics3
STAT 553Modern Nonparametric Statistics3
STAT  555
Secondary Biology Education (with Dual Credit Certification- 18 credits)
Six Electives- Select ANY 6 (3-credit) courses from the following options:
BIOL 505Biological Inquiry for Teachers3
BIOL 506Ecology for Teachers3
BIOL 512Advanced Evolutionary Analysis3
BIOL 533Grassland Ecology3
BIOL 590Special Topics6-12
various course studies: Analysis of Biology Data for Teachers; Animal Biology; Conflict & Controversy in Biology, and/or Scientific Teaching of Biology
Secondary Chemistry Education (with Dual Credit Specialization- 18 credits)
CHEM 401Nanotechnology Nanomaterials3
CHEM 402Trends in Forensic and Environmental Analytical Chemistry3
CHEM 455Spectroscopy and Structure3
CHEM 466Fundamentals of Physical and Biophysical Chemistry3
CHEM 561ATeaching Fundamental Chemistry I3
CHEM 563AApproaches to Teaching Organic Chemistry I3
Secondary Physics Education (with Dual Credit Certification- 18 credits)
PHYS 501T2
PHYS 502TPhysics I for Teachers3
PHYS 503T3
PHYS 504TPhysics III for Teachers2
PHYS 505TLPhysics I/II/III for Teachers Laboratory: Online2
PHYS 506T2
PHYS 507TConceptual Electromagnetism for Teachers2
PHYS 508TConceptual Quantum Physics for Teachers2
Applied Data Research (15 credits)
EFR 506Multicultural Education3
EFR 509Introduction to Applied Educational Research3
EFR 510Participatory Qualitative Research Methods3
EFR 515Statistics I3
EFR 530Learning Analytics3
Generalist Specialization (16 credits)
Select FIVE (3-credit) courses from any of the Specialization areas (totaling 15 credits)
T&L 596Individual Research in Education1