Objectives

The Educational Leadership program at Montana State University is nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) as well as by the Montana Board of Public Education.  The focus of the program is to prepare K-12 school principals to effectively serve Montana communities and rural communities throughout the Northern Plains and Northern Rocky Mountain region of the United States. Those students completing the degree requirements for the M.Ed. will also have met the academic requirements necessary for a Montana Class III Administrative license with a K-12 Principal Endorsement. This is a full Master's program with a M.Ed. granted upon graduation.

Program Flow

Students are expected to take coursework in the sequence outlined in the course offerings found below. Developing a learning community is a critical aspect of principal preparation. To enhance the development of a learning community among the students and to facilitate learning by offering an integrated curriculum, students will be placed into a cohort based on year of acceptance into the program and will matriculate together.

The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership is considered an online program, offered more than 80% online.  M.Ed. principal preparation coursework may have an occasional required in-person/on-campus meeting during the academic school year and/or weekly/biweekly WebEx meetings. (reference the current semester course syllabus)  Students are encouraged to attend administrator association meetings during the academic year as well. During the summer, students will meet on the Bozeman campus for one or two weeks of face-to-face instruction. The face-to-face instruction will usually take place during the latter weeks of June or early July.

K-12 Principal Cohort Typical Program of Study

Course Number
Course Title
Course Credits
EDLD 532
School Law (fall)
3
EDLD 508
Supervision of Instruction (spring)
3
EDLD 507
Foundations of Educational Leadership (summer)
3
EDLD 520
Schools & Diverse Communities (fall)
3
EDLD 566
Administration and Supervision of Special Education Programs (summer)
3
EDLD 555
School Finance (spring)
3
EDLD 565
K-12 Instructional Leadership (summer)
3
EDLD 574
Field Exper in Ed Ldrshp (I-fall and II-spr)
6
EDLD 515
Planned Change (summer)
3

Total Credits
30

Chairs

Students in the Educational Leadership Master's program will be assigned an advisor. The advisor will guide the student's course selection and progress toward degree completion including the submission of the student's Graduate Committee Request and Program of Study form.

Montana Office of Public Instruction

It is recommended that individuals consult with The Office of Public Instruction at 406-444-3680 or  https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Licensure/Educator-Licensure/Educator-Licenses to determine what requirements are needed for their licensure in Montana. To meet both Principal and Superintendent Endorsement requirements, an educator must be eligible for an appropriately endorsed Montana Class 1, 2 ,or 5 teaching license, or Class 6 School Counseling license.  In addition, OPI requires the following:

  • Principal Endorsement Requirements: Verification of a minimum of 3 years of teaching or school counseling experience with a standard, unrestricted license as an appropriately licensed teacher or school counselor.
  • Superintendent Endorsement Requirements: Verification of a minimum of 3 years of teaching experience as an appropriately licensed teacher or school counselor and verification of a minimum of 1-year administrative experience as an appropriately licensed principal.

Our MSU Office of Field Placement and Licensure is also available for questions at 406-994-4761.

Grad Request Info

Contact Information

Dr. Jason Cummins, Program Leader and Assistant Professor of    Educational Leadership
Phone: 406-994-4142  Email: jason.cummins1@montana.edu

Dr. Bill Ruff, Professor of Educational Leadership
406-994-4182  Email: wruff@montana.edu