Department of Special Services and Leadership Studies
Master of Science Degree
Major in Educational Leadership (Building Leadership)
The master’s degree program in educational leadership is designed to prepare licensed leaders to assume school
principalships and non-licensed leaders to assume leadership roles in educational settings
Educational Leadership Core
21 hours
SSLS 800 Educational Leadership I
3
SSLS 801 Educational Leadership II
3
SSLS 888 Foundations of Education
3
SSLS 834 Curriculum Development
3
SSLS 809 Legal Foundations of Public Education
3
SSLS 893 Practicum in Educational Leadership I
3
SSLS 894 Practicum in Educational Leadership II
3
Research Options
Option I (Thesis Program)
SSLS 891 Methods of Research
SSLS 890 Research and Thesis
3-9 hours
3
3-6
Option II (Non-thesis Program)
SSLS 891 Methods of Research
3
Choose ONE area of Emphasis
12 hours
Building- Level Leader (Licensure)
SSLS 847 The Principalship
SSLS 855 Administration & Supervision of
Special Education
SSLS 863 Supervision of Instruction
3
3
3
Building-Level Curriculum Course (1 required)
SSLS 835 Elementary and Middle School Curriculum 3
SSLS 836 Secondary School Curriculum
3
Educational Leader (Non-Licensure)
CURIN 843 Trends and Issues
Electives by advisement
Total hours for degree:
Admission Requirements
GPA requirement
A minimum of 3.0 for one of the following:
 the last two years of undergraduate work for those
students who have only an undergraduate degree
and less than 9 hours of graduate work.
 9 hours or more of current graduate credit courses.
 a completed graduate degree.
Evidence of the following:
 History of assuming informal or formal leadership
roles in a variety of settings.
 Effective writing skills.
 Ability to work collaboratively with others.
 Commitment to assuming leadership roles within
organizations.
 History of meeting deadlines and satisfactorily
accomplishing major tasks.
Evidence of licensure as a teacher.
(for those seeking building licensure)
Approval of the Educational Leadership Admissions
Committee.
Approval of the Department Chairperson.
3
9
36
Admissions Process
All students who first apply to the Educational Leadership
Master's Program will be conditionally admitted as long
as they show evidence that they completed or will
complete at the end of the semester an earned bachelor's
degree from an accredited institution of higher learning.
All students admitted conditionally must meet the grade
point requirement outlined in the previous section.
(continued on back)
Upon conditional admission, students will schedule a
meeting with their advisors to develop a learning plan to
focus the program of student. This learning plan will
include, but not be limited to:
•
Assessment of the K-12 experiences of the student
•
Assessment of literacies: oral, written, and
technological.
With their learning plans in hand, students will begin the
portfolio construction process.
i. A written response to a case study where the
student had at least one week to construct
his/her response.
j. Documentation of the student’s ability to work
collaboratively.
k. Documentation of the student's history of
meeting deadlines and satisfactorily
accomplishing major tasks.
Special Notes
Prior to completion of 12 graduate hours, the student will
1. Students, who wish to take only courses required for
create a leadership portfolio that the Educational Leadership
building leader licensure and not receive a degree must
Admissions Committee will review to decide on full
also meet the same Admissions criteria detailed above
admittance to the Master's Program The Educational
if they wish for Pittsburg State University to
Leadership Admissions Committee will meet 3 times during
recommend them for licensure to the appropriate state
the year (on or around October 15, March 15 and July 1) to
department of education. They must prepare a
review student portfolios. Admissions Committee members
leadership portfolio and submit it for review by the
will use an established rubric to judge a student's potential
Educational Leadership Admissions Committee at one
for success in the program. The course requirements of
of its triennial meetings. These students must take the
SSLS 800 Educational Leadership I will include the
following courses required for licensure as a building
creation of this leadership portfolio. The student will
leader: 800, 801, 888, 834, 809, 847, 855, 863, 835 or
continue to add items (to the leadership portfolio) from 3
836, 893, and 894.
courses other than SSLS 800.
2. Students interested in the non-licensure emphasis, but
who work in school settings are strongly encouraged to
If a student does not take SSLS 800 as one of the first 9
take SSLS 855 Administration & Supervision of
hours, the student will individually compile the leadership
Special Education as one of their electives.
portfolio along with a written statement justification for not
including SSLS 800 as one of the student's first 9 hours in
Procedural steps for Master’s degree:
the program. One member of the Educational Leadership
1. The student applies for admission to the Educational
faculty will take responsibility for helping these students
Leadership degree program through the Office of
compile the required portfolio.
Graduate Studies. The student will be conditionally
admitted and assigned an advisor.
The leadership portfolio will include the following:
2. Prior to the completion of 12 graduate hours, the
a. An application for admission to Graduate School.
student assembles a leadership portfolio and the
b. Official transcripts from all colleges and
Educational Leadership Admissions Committee
universities attended by the student.
reviews the portfolio.
c. Two letters of recommendation from supervisors
3. Once the Educational Leadership Admissions
and/or professional peers; one must attest, with
Committee grants full admission, the student then
concrete examples, to the student's potential as an
meets with his/her advisor to draw up the paperwork
educational leader.
for candidacy. This conference generally occurs after
d. A resume of educational and professional
the student has taken 24 hours.
experiences.
4. During the last semester of enrollment the student
e. A copy of current licensure as a teacher (if wanting
petitions the Graduate Office to graduate.
to pursue building level licensure).
5. During the last semester of enrollment, the
f. A written statement of the student's professional
must successfully complete the capstone project
goals.
initiated in SSLS 891 and completed in SSLS 894
g. A written leadership autobiography describing the
Practicum in Educational Leadership.
leadership roles the student has assumed during
his/her adult life.
h. Writing samples of the student’s work in four
courses.