Tier I Educational Leadership, M.Ed.

Admissions Requirements

Contact Educational Policy Studies Department before applying.

When applying to the Educational Leadership, M.Ed. program, you will need to submit several documents for review.

• Online Application
• Application Fee of $50
• Goals Statement (upload with application – please address each of the following items in your goal statement)
  • What are your reasons for applying to Georgia State’s Educational Leadership program?
  • One major part of the Educational Leadership program is logging 250 hours of clinical leadership experience. This requires you to participate in leadership experiences in your school and/or district. You will be responsible for working with a mentor to identify and participate in these experiences. Describe how you will be able to complete those hours.
• Identify a mentor who currently holds leadership certification in Georgia and complete the following mentor agreement form. (If you are out of state and/or only seeking the degree and no Georgia leadership certification, your mentor does not need to be Georgia-certified but does need to be in a current school/district leadership position.) Once the mentor agreement form has been completed by both parties, upload the signed agreement to your application under the MISC documents section.
• Two Letters of Recommendation (one must be a school leader who supervises/evaluates you; enter the name and email addresses of your recommenders on your application)
• A minimum of three years experience in a Pk-12 school setting (upload teaching certificate to application); currently working in a Pk-12 educational setting
• Official Transcript(s): minimum 2.5 undergraduate GPA required for admission
  • Submit official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended either electronically to [email protected] or by mailing directly to Georgia State University | Office of Graduate Admissions | P.O. Box 4018 Atlanta, GA 30302
• Successful completion of the Georgia Ethics Assessment for Educational Leadership — For more information and how to register, visit Georgia Ethics Assessment for Educational Leadership. (Not applicable if you are an out-of-state applicant seeking the master’s degree only)

In order to meet certification requirements in Georgia, you will also need to complete the following prior to program admission:

• Georgia Ethics Assessment for Educational Leadership (380)
• Georgia Ethics Assessment for Educational Leadership website

Tier I Add-on Certification admission requirements

Contact Educational Policy Studies Department before applying.

When applying to the Educational Leadership Tier I Certification, Non-Degree, you will need to submit several documents for review.

• Online Application
• Application Fee of $50
• Goals Statement (upload with application – please address each of the following items in your goal statement)
  • What are your reasons for applying to Georgia State’s Tier 1 leadership program?
  • One major part of the Tier I program is logging 300 hours of clinical leadership experience. This requires you to assume leadership positions in your school and/or district. You will be responsible for working with your mentor to identify and participate in these experiences. Describe how you will be able to complete those hours.
• Resume (upload with application)
• Applicant must identify a mentor who currently holds leadership certification in Georgia and will need to complete the following agreement form. Once the agreement form has been completed by both parties, the applicant should upload the signed agreement to their application under the MISC documents section.
• Two Letters of Recommendation (one letter of recommendation must be from a school leader who supervises/evaluates you and the second letter can be from either the mentor leader or an educational professional who can give evidence of your leadership skills)
• Applicant must have three years experience in a K-12 school setting (upload teaching certificate to application) and meet certification requirements in Georgia
• Must meet certification requirements in Georgia
• Official Transcript: minimum 3.25 graduate GPA required for admission (must hold a master’s, specialist, or doctoral level degree)
  • from all colleges/universities attended
• Currently be working in a Pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade educational setting

In order to meet certification requirements for educational leadership in Georgia, you will also need to complete the following prior to program admission:

• Georgia Ethics Assessment for Educational Leadership (380)
• Georgia Ethics Assessment for Educational Leadership website

Program of Study

Professional Studies (9)
Select one (3):

• EPSF 7100 Critical Pedagogy (3)
• EPSF 7110 Multicultural Education (3)
• EPSF 7120 Social and Cultural Foundations of Education (3)

Select one (3):

• EPRS 7900 Methods of Research in Education (3)
• EPRS 7910 Action Research (3)
• EPRS 7920 Classroom Testing, Grading, and Assessment (3)

Select one (3):

• EPY 7080 The Psychology of Learning and Learners (3)
• EPY 7090 The Psychology of Learning and Learners: The Young Child (3)

Major (27)
Required (27):

• EPEL 7000 Educational Leadership and Organizational Culture (3)
• EPEL 7020 Leadership in a Diverse Society (3)
• EPEL 7330 Law, Policy and Governance (3)
• EPEL 7410 Instructional Leadership (3)
• EPSF 7450 Curriculum Foundations for the Educational Leader
• EPEL 7500 Management and School Operations (3)
• EPEL 7680A Practicum Seminar: Data Analysis and School Improvement Processes for School Leaders (3)
• EPEL 7680B Practicum Seminar: Action Research for School Leaders (3)
• EPEL 8970 Seminar in Educational Leadership (3)

Additional Requirements
Along with course requirements, students are expected to meet program requirements. Those requirements include:

• Portfolio and log internship activity hours
• Reflection journal
• Completion of the Georgia Ethics Pre-and Post-Assessments
• Completion of the Georgia Assessment for Certification of Educators (GACE) Leadership Exam

Program total: Minimum of 36 semester hours

Tier I Add-on certificate

Program Academic Regulations
Students must earn a “B” or higher in all courses in the program. A student who receives a course grade below a “B” may take that course a second time. If the student does not meet the grade requirement for the course a second time, the student is not eligible to continue in the program. Students also must maintain a GPA of 3.0 in their courses.

Evaluation of a student’s performance is continuous and involves consideration of the student’s academic performance as well as the student’s performance in applied practice and internship classes. A student may be dropped from a course, the program or both if the welfare of the student’s clientele or prospective clientele or the functioning of a school or agency is, in the judgment of the faculty, in jeopardy as a result of the student’s behavior. Students in this program are expected to follow the latest version of the Georgia Leadership Standards.

Required (18):

• EPEL 7000 Educational Leadership and Organizational Culture (3)
• EPEL 7020 Leadership in a Diverse Society (3)
• EPEL 7330 Law, Policy and Governance (3)
• EPEL 7410 Instructional Leadership (3)
• EPEL 7680B Practicum Seminar: Action Research for School Leaders (3)
• EPEL 8970 Seminar in Educational Leadership (3)

Total hours for certification: Minimum of 18 hours

Additional Requirements
Along with course requirements, students are expected to meet program requirements. Those requirements include:

• Portfolio and log of internship activity hours
• Reflection journal
• Completion of the Georgia Ethics Pre- and Post-Assessments
• Completion of the Georgia Assessment for the Certification of Educators (GACE) Leadership Exam

Funding Your Graduate Education

Cost of attendance and funding opportunities are integral to your decision to attend graduate school. Georgia State University is proud to offer a variety of funding opportunities, from assistantships to fellowships.

Awards and Assistantships

Various awards, assistantships and fellowships are available to new and current graduate students. We encourage you to contact your department, college, school or institute of interest to get more information about the assistantships and fellowships that they offer their students.

The Scholarship Resource Center offers guidance and support to students seeking financial assistance through scholarship opportunities, including this scholarship library.

Fellowships

The Office of Graduate Programs’ Fellowship Advisor works with students interested in applying for nationally prestigious and competitive fellowships. The Office of Graduate Programs also coordinates the application process for students applying to the Second Century Initiative, the Provost’s Dissertation Fellowship and the Dissertation Library Travel Awards.

Cost Calculator

Our calculator can help you get an idea of the costs associated with attending the university.

About the Tier I Certification

The purpose of the M.Ed. Educational Leadership program at Georgia State is to prepare graduates to be effective school and/or system leaders who positively impact student achievement. Throughout the program, students work on meaningful projects in a focused manner that is designed to help them develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions that are required to lead school and district improvement efforts. The program fulfills the requirements of the Tier I Performance-Based Educational Leadership certification for the State of Georgia.

Student Resources

• Tier I Add-On Certificate in Educational Leadership flyer
• Educational Leadership M.Ed. flyer