Educational Leadership FAQs

The Master’s/Add-On Program leads to Tier 1 certification in Georgia if all program requirements are met. Tier 1 certification allows individuals to be qualified for the following positions: assistant principal, administrative assistant, or any other position requiring leadership certification below the level of principal, or leadership positions at the district level provided the holder does not supervise principals.

Yes. Candidates who successfully complete the program will be able to apply for the Tier 1 certification. For more information on licensure/certification, visit the PSC homepage (www.gapsc.com).

No GRE Required for 22 Education Master’s Programs

In an effort to remove barriers to applicants applying to the College of Education & Human Development graduate programs, with a primary focus on its educator preparation and teacher leadership master’s programs, a university special committee, appointed by the Associate Provost for Graduate Programs, has approved the removal of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as an admission requirement for 22 master’s degree programs.

Applicants must submit their application for the upcoming terms to qualify for the new policy change.

(1) 36 semester hours, (2) successful completion of a standards based portfolio, (3) job-embedded clinical practice, (4) Educational Leadership GACE, and (5) Ethics Pre and Post Assessments.

(1) 18 semester hours, (2) successful completion of a standards based portfolio, (3) job-embedded clinical practice, (4) Educational Leadership GACE, and (5) Ethics Pre and Post Assessments.

A sample program of study can be found below.

Year 1

Summer
*EPEL 7330 Law, Policy, and Governance (3)
*EPEL 8970 Seminar in Educational Leadership (3)

Fall
*EPEL 7020 Leadership in a Diverse Society (3)
*EPEL 7680B Practicum Seminar: Action Research for School Leaders (3)

Spring
*EPEL 7000 Educational Leadership and Organizational Culture (3)
*EPEL 7410 Instructional Leadership (3)

Year 2

Summer
EPEL 7680A Practicum Seminar: Data Analysis and School Improvement (3)
EPSF 7450 Curriculum Foundations for Educational Leaders (3)

Fall
EPEL 7500 Management and School Operations (3)
EPRS Professional Studies (3)

Spring
EPSF Professional Studies (3)
EPY Professional Studies (3)

*Courses for the M.Ed. Add-On Certification

Transfer hours for the master’s degree in educational leadership M.Ed. are reviewed on an individual basis. Candidates seeking transfer credit should contact Dr. Will Rumbaugh at [email protected] and be prepared with a course description, syllabus, and official transcript. Courses will only be considered for transfer credit if they are five years old or younger.

Based on the Georgia Professional Standards Commission’s (www.gapsc.com) requirements, in order to be admitted into the Tier II Specialist (Ed.S.) or Tier II Add-On Certification Program, candidates must hold Tier I certification and be employed in a leadership position or leadership role (as defined by the school system) in a partnering school system. Georgia State has partnerships with the following systems: Atlanta, Archdiocese of Atlanta, Barrow, Butts, City Schools of Decatur, Clark, The Cloverleaf School, Cobb, Commerce, Coweta, DeKalb, DeKalb PATH Charter School, Eagles Landing Academy, Elbert, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gordon, Greene, Gwinnett, Hart, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Madison, Marietta City, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, The Paidela School, Pike, Rockdale, Rutland, Social Circle City, Spalding, Upson, Walton, First District RESA, Griffin RESA, Middle GA RESA, and Northeast GA RESA. (For the purposes of accepting candidates into PSC approved Tier II Leadership Programs, leadership positions and roles will be determined by the local school system in partnership with Georgia State University).

A sample program of study can be found below.

Year 1
Summer – Three Courses
Fall – Two Courses
Spring – Two Courses

Year 2
Summer – Three Courses

A sample program of study can be found below.

Year 1
Summer – Two Courses
Fall – Two Courses
Spring – Two Courses

Request for transferring hours are reviewed on an individual basis. Candidates seeking transfer credit should contact Dr. Sheryl Cowart Moss at mailto:[email protected]. and be prepared with a course description, syllabus and official transcript for credit transfer consideration. Courses will only be considered for transfer credit if they are five years old or younger.

Yes. The Tier II Specialist (Ed.S.) and Tier II Add-on in Educational Leadership programs fulfill the Georgia Professional Standards Commission’s (www.gapsc.com) requirements for Tier II leadership certification.

Traditional Ph.D. programs are most often designed to prepare scholars for teaching and research in academic settings. However, these traditional programs do not meet the professional needs of educational leaders whose long-term career goals include leading schools, school districts and other education agencies in a complex, highly competitive global environment. The professional doctorate in education (Ed. D.) with a major in educational leadership provides a rigorous degree program alternative to traditional Ph.D. programs.

The Ed.D. is open to applicants who hold a master’s degree or higher. While anyone holding a master’s degree or higher is welcome to apply, the program is designed with K-12 school and district administrators in mind.

Yes. The dissertation for the Ed.D. in educational leadership consists of 1) a comprehensive literature review manuscript that addresses a current issue in educational leadership policy and/or practice, and 2) a research manuscript that describes the results of an original, applied research project informed by the comprehensive literature review, described above. The two manuscripts are intended for an educational leadership and policy audience and are submitted for publication in the appropriate professional journals upon degree completion.

The program, delivered in a three-­year, closed cohort model, consists of 45 hours (15 classes) of course work and nine (9) hours of dissertation work for a total of 54 hours. Face­-to-­face residencies take place one Saturday a month.  Significant reading and written assignments as well as online discussion threads will provide continuous learning and feedback loops between residencies.

A sample program:

Year 1
Summer – EPRS 7920 Classroom Testing, Grading, and Measurement (3)
EPEL 9000 Concepts of Leadership and Research in Educational Leadership (3)
Fall – EPRS 8530 Quantitative Methods and Analysis in Education I (3)
EPEL 8500 Central Office Leadership (3)
Spring – EPRS 8500 Qualitative/Interpretive Research in Education I (3)
EPEL 8930 Applied Research (3)

Year 2
Summer – EPRS 8620 Educational Evaluation (3)
EPS 9990 Dissertation (3)
Fall – EPS 8360 Educational Policy Making and Analysis (3)
EPEL 9970 Advanced Seminar in Educational Leadership (3)
Spring – EPS 9990 Dissertation (3)
EPEL 8620 Psychological Aspects of Leadership (3)

Year 3
Summer – EPEL 8000 Research in Educational Leadership and Organization Change (3)
EPEL 8020 Leadership for Change in a Diverse Society (3)
Fall – EPEL 8330 Advanced Law, Policy, and Governance (3)
EPSF 8440 Curriculum Design and Analysis (3)
Spring – EPEL 8420 Advanced Instructional Leadership (3)
EPS 9990 Dissertation (3)

Candidates holding the performance-based specialist in educational leadership from Georgia State University will be able to transfer 18 hours (six courses) into the program.  Candidates holding the performance-based specialist or performance-based add-on in educational leadership from other Georgia institutions may be able to transfer up to 18 hours into the program following a transcript and syllabi review.

The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership is NOT a certification program. For candidates who hold a clear renewable leadership degree in Georgia, (L-5, L-6, or PL-6), their certificate will be eligible to be bumped to the L-7 or PL-7 level upon program completion.

Candidates who aspire to the PL-6 certificate in educational leadership have two options. Either they can apply to the specialist in educational leadership, complete the 10 courses for the program, and then apply to the Ed.D. in educational leadership with the ability to transfer 6 courses from their original program into the Ed.D., or they can apply to the Ed.D. directly and add the additional program components onto the degree program. Either option would add four courses to the original 16 for a total of 20 courses (60 hours) plus nine hours of dissertation.