Program Requirements

Successful completion of the specialist in educational leadership requires the following:

Program Admission Requirements

To be admitted into the program, a student must submit the following.

1. To be considered for probationary admission to the program, a student must submit both a Graduate Application and the Educational Administration program application.
2. Students must possess a master's degree and must meet the requirements for admission to graduate study at Missouri State University.
   
   Additional materials which must be submitted include:
   1. A written "Statement of Purpose" containing long-term goals of leadership (minimum of 300 words).
   2. A copy of appropriate teacher certificate or eligibility for certification by a state agency.
   3. Three references.
   4. An up-to-date professional resume

Additional Admission requirements:

1. Earn a 3.50 GPA in the first 12 hours of Educational Administration coursework.
2. Contact the Director in Educational Administration.
3. Access to the internet and an active email address.

Upon completion of the probationary entry material (statement of purpose, teacher certification, a 3.50 GPA for 12 hours, and resume) the Educational Administration faculty will review the application of the candidate for full admission into the program.

1.  Internship. Prior to beginning an internship, all students must:
   1. have on file with the departmental office an internship application that has been completed and signed by the school administrator in the district where the internship is being conducted.
   2. have completed the MOVECHS Waiver and FBI Fingerprinting Background Check.
      
      Information regarding the completion of the background check may be obtained from the office of Professional Education Services (417-836-8772).
      
      
2. Applicant's for whom English is a second language are required to submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum scores of 550 on the paper-based or a comparable score of 213 on the computer-based TOEFL are required for admission.

 

Degree Requirements

1. Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 33 approved graduate hours with a minimum overall GPA of 3.00.
2. No more than 12 semester hours of graduate level coursework may be applied to the degree program.
3. Two years (minimum) of successful teaching experience.
4. Research. Six semester hours toward completion of the Research and Administrative Practices and Field Study classes.
5. Comprehensive Examination. A time period for the examination will be scheduled during the last semester of the student's coursework in the Field Study Class.
6. Students will be required to present an acceptable Field Study paper.
7. Transfer Credit. A maximum of 30% of the total hours may be accepted in as transfer credit toward a master's degree. All transfer credit must be "A" or "B" grade status from a regionally accredited college or university and must be approved by the program coordinator.