Educational Leadership
Center for Excellence in Education

Eastburn Education Center (building 27),
PO Box 5774, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5774
520-523-5098

"The mission of our educational leadership area is to promote the skills, values, and motivation for growth needed for leadership positions in K-12 schools. Our faculty actively support the mission and goals of the Center for Excellence in Education and also our commitment to statewide instruction. Students in this area study the specialty appropriate to their career goals and acquire the research and evaluation skills essential to leadership practice as well as to scholarly inquiry."

Introduction
Our educational leadership program has several components.

If you are a master's student, you can pursue a degree in educational leadership, including optional emphases in educational foundations or community college, and/or certification in supervision, principalship, or superintendency.

If you are a doctoral student, you can pursue a degree in educational leadership with specialization in educational administration, foundations, research and evaluation, community college training, or other areas.

Admission Requirements
To apply to any of our programs, you must submit an application and official transcripts to NAU's Graduate College.

In addition, you must meet specific departmental requirements, which differ for master's, certification, and doctoral programs, as we explain in the following sections.

Master's Program
In addition to the materials you submit to the Graduate College, you must send GRE, MAT, LSAT, or GMAT scores, if applicable (see below) to our Educational Leadership Area Office.

To be admitted, you must have a grade point average of 3.0 for both your undergraduate work and any graduate courses you have taken. If you don't have a 3.0 for your undergraduate work, you must meet one of the following criteria:

• a score at or above the 25th percentile on the subject test in education of the Graduate Record Examination and a 3.0 graduate grade point average

• a score at or above the 25th percentile of the general verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination and a 3.0 graduate grade point average

• a score at or above the 25th percentile of the Miller Analogies Test and a 3.0 graduate grade point average

If you cannot meet the above requirements, we can admit you after you complete 9 hours of graduate coursework with a grade point average of at least 3.3. The recommended courses are EDR 610, EDL 600, and one of EDL 630, 670, 671, 672, 673, or 677.

Certification Programs
To apply for admission to a certification program, you must submit an application and official transcripts to NAU's Graduate College.

In addition, you must provide:

• a copy of your elementary or secondary teaching certificate

• transcripts showing successful completion of your bachelor's and master's degrees, along with copies of transcripts showing any other graduate-level coursework that you have completed

Doctoral Program
To apply, you must submit an application and official transcripts to NAU's Graduate College.

You must also contact our Educational Leadership Area Office for portfolio application information and reference forms.

Financial Assistance
We offer financial assistance in the form of graduate assistantships. Contact CEE's Graduate Studies Office for details.

You can also find additional information in the Financial Information chapter of this catalog.

Placement Assistance
Our professors are frequently in contact with school districts, colleges, universities, businesses, and corporations, and we actively seek suitable employment opportunities for our graduates.

Degrees and Certification Offered
You can pursue the following degrees and certification programs in educational leadership:

• M.Ed. in educational leadership (with optional emphases in educational foundations or community college available)

• certification programs in supervision, principalship, and superintendency

• Ed.D. in educational leadership

M.Ed. in Educational Leadership
You may pursue this program under the extended coursework plan or the thesis plan.

For the extended coursework plan, you must complete 36 hours, including

• 12 hours of required foundations courses

• 15 hours of required leadership skills development courses

• 9 hours of specialization electives

The thesis plan option also requires 36 hours. (Please note that you may end up taking more hours of thesis credit than you can count toward your degree program. This is because you must register for EDL 699 each semester while you are working on your thesis.)

Please be aware that you must be admitted to a specific degree program before taking your last 12 hours of graduate work.

In the following sections, we describe the requirements for two optional emphases you may pursue under the M.Ed. in educational leadership--the educational foundations and community college emphases. For additional information about areas of emphasis and program requirements, contact CEE's Graduate Studies Office.

Educational Foundations Emphasis
This emphasis provides you with an opportunity to develop and enrich your understanding of the contexts and forces that shape educational policy and practice. We hope that by understanding and being able to articulate critical issues in education, you will be a participant in the educational and social changes currently taking place in our society.

Admissions procedures and requirements are the same as those for the M.Ed. in educational leadership, except that course requirements follow a different schedule. If you cannot meet traditional admission requirements and have a 3.0 graduate grade point average, we can admit you to the program after you complete the following 15 hours at NAU:

• EDF 670 Philosophy of Education

• EDF 671 History of Education

• EDF 672 Comparative Education

• EDF 677 Educational Sociology

• EDR 610 Introduction to Research or equivalent

You have the option of working on a master's thesis or taking 6 hours of additional coursework with seminar papers to complete your degree requirements.

Community College Emphasis
This emphasis offers preparation if you are planning to enter the community college field as a faculty member or if you already have experience and wish to prepare yourself for greater leadership responsibilities. This emphasis is also appropriate if you have unusual combinations of teaching interests and wish to qualify yourself to teach or assume leadership roles in the community college.

Our requirements for the M.Ed. with an emphasis in community college include 36 hours of graduate coursework, as follows:

• foundations (12 hours) including EDR 610, EDF 630, CC 680, and one course you select from approved courses

• leadership skill development (12 hours), including EDL 600, 630, 660, and 680 (You must take these courses in this order.)

• specialization (12 hours) including CC 580 and 9 hours you select with your adviser's approval

Certification Programs
You can apply to a certification program in supervision, principalship, or superintendency. You must have a master's degree before you can obtain any of these administrative certificates.

The certification program in supervision requires 18 hours in educational leadership, principalship 30 hours in educational leadership, and superintendency 36 hours in educational leadership approved by NAU's faculty and the State Board of Education.

You must apply separately for these programs. Contact our Educational Leadership Area Office for additional information.

Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
The doctorate in educational leadership is designed primarily for individuals who are interested in K-12 educational administration. For this degree, you must take 90 credit hours, including:

• 15 hours of educational foundations

• 30 hours of a specialization core

• 18 hours of professional leadership skills courses

• 27 hours of a research block

In addition, we require that you spend time in residence at NAU. The purpose of this residency requirement is to provide you with an intensive academic experience including opportunities for interaction with resident faculty as well as other graduate students. Your residency should be devoted to scholarly study, research, writing, and professional activities that advance your academic program.

You must satisfy this residency requirement by completing at least 24 credit hours on campus in Flagstaff as a full-time student. You must indicate on your program of study how you plan to fulfill this requirement. (If you are an NAU employee earning this doctoral degree, consult with the Graduate College for the current residency requirements applying to your status.)

Normally, you must enroll as a full-time student for the semesters, summer sessions, or workshop terms in which you are earning residency credit. Working part-time (for instance, in a graduate assistantship) is permissible. Working full time, on or off campus, does not satisfy the residency requirement.

Pending a favorable faculty decision on admission, your residency may be counted from the semester your application portfolio is completed. (If you come to campus without having been admitted to the program, you should understand the risk involved in anticipating that residency credit may be earned; we guarantee neither an interview nor admission.)

For additional information, see the section titled Residency Requirements in the Degree Requirements chapter of this catalog or contact CEE's Educational Leadership Area Office.

Community College Education Courses
Some courses may not be offered every semester. Check with the department for current information about when specific courses are offered.

CC 580 The Community College (3). Philosophy, purpose, objectives, curricula, students, and organizational patterns of the community college.

CC 590 Educational Technology in the College Classroom (3). Introduction to and familiarization with technology used in delivery of instruction.

CC 599 Contemporary Developments (1-3).

620 Programs for At-Risk College Students (3). Overview of historical developments, current practices, and future trends in teaching, implementing, and administering programs for at-risk students.

640 Curriculum Construction in Community College (3). Principles underlying course development in the community college: typical programs, credit and noncredit courses, articulation, and other aspects of the instructional program.

670 Adult Education (3). Planning for teaching and administering programs to meet the special needs of adult learners and overall community needs. Fee required.

680 Higher Education in the United States (3). History and current trends, including aims, control, curricular organization, selection of students and professors, academic freedom and responsibility, problems in teaching, research, and public service; innovations on the scene.

688 College Teaching (3). Teaching-learning and administrative environment in college; student culture, learning theory, classroom procedures.

697 Independent Study (1-3).

698 Graduate Seminar (1-3).

796 Internship (3-9). Fee required.

Educational Foundations Courses
Some courses may not be offered every semester. Check with the department for current information about when specific courses are offered.

500 Cultural Foundations of Education (3). An introduction to cultural, historical, and philosophical contexts of schooling. For post-degree certification students. Fee required.

503 Instructional Media and Materials (3). Planning and production of instructional materials for the classroom; basic techniques of graphic arts and photography applied to problems of educational communication.

593 Public School In-Service Workshop (1-3). (Normally, no more than one-sixth of the credit hours taken from NAU in a graduate program may be in teacher in-service workshops--for instance, no more than 6 hours in a 36-hour master's program.)

599 Contemporary Developments (1-3).

608 Fieldwork Experience (1- 12). Fee required.

630 Foundations of Education Law (3). Licensing and contracting, teacher rights, responsibilities and liabilities; emphasis on legal principles supported by court decisions and case histories.

660 Advanced Instructional Media (3). Basic concepts of communication applied to production techniques for classroom use to include scripting, storyboarding, and 35mm slide and film production.

670 Philosophy of Education (3). Educational aims, values, and criteria of education in a democracy; systems of educational philosophy, the nature of thinking, methods, and subject matter.

671 History of American Education (3). The development and history of education in America.

672 Comparative Education (3). Educational problems requiring an understanding of the relationship of education to a particular society.

673 International Education (3). America's role in international education; the place of education in technical assistance and national development programs.

677 Educational Sociology (3). Major problem areas in American culture, social objectives of the school's curriculum.

685 Graduate Research (1-6).

693 North Central Self-Study (3).

697 Independent Study (1-3).

698 Graduate Seminar (1-3).

703 Sociological Foundations of Education (3). The institutional order; belief systems and ideologies; the normative system, roles, and status; problems of institutional order; relation to curriculum and administration.

704 Anthropological Foundations of Education (3). Anthropological concepts as they apply to educational principles.

711 Philosophical Foundations of Education (3). In-depth exploration of selected philosophical problems and their bearing on current educational issues. Prerequisite: 670.

712 Psychological Foundations of Education (3). Interrelationships between psychological concepts and educational practice.

Educational Leadership Courses
Some courses may not be offered every semester. Check with the department for current information about when specific courses are offered. Certain courses require prerequisites; please note this requirement.

593 Public School In-Service Workshop (1-3). (Normally, no more than one-sixth of the credit hours taken from NAU in a graduate program may be in teacher in-service workshops--for instance, no more than 6 hours in a 36-hour master's program.)

599 Contemporary Developments (1-3).

600 Leadership Skills (3). A survey course to assess skills and plan the graduate program for leadership students. Administrative theory is introduced.

608 Fieldwork Experience (1-12). Fee required.

630 Leadership Development (3). Development and practice of identified leadership skills. Theory and conceptual development explored.

650 Critical Issues in Educational Leadership (3). Overview of current critical issues in educational leadership.

660 Action Learning Modules (1-3). Individual skill-development projects based on student need and interest.

680 Seminar in Educational Leadership (3). Culminating course for M.Ed. Focuses on skill attainment and professional growth.

685 Graduate Research (1-6).

697 Independent Study (1-3).

698 Graduate Seminar (1-3).

699 Thesis (1-9).

720 Directed Readings in Leadership (1-3).

722 Legal Aspects of School Administration (3). Functions, relationships, and responsibilities of school districts, with interpretations of legal status as shown by statutes and court decisions.

723 Publicity and Politics of Education (3). The administrator's responsibilities in maintaining satisfactory public relations, including general policies, organization of school publicity, and agencies for reaching the public.

724 School Superintendency (3). Problems, duties, and changing role of the present-day chief school administrator.

725 Supervision of Instruction (3). Principles and practices of supervision; methods of evaluating instruction.

727 Personnel Administration in Education (3). An overview of the personnel function in the educational field focusing on employer-employee relations.

729 The Principalship (3). School leadership concepts and skills as they relate to elementary, middle, and high schools.

732 Data Processing for School Administrators (3). Systems analysis and computer uses in education; emphasis on the management of computers.

735 School Finance (1- 3). Fundamental principles and techniques of public school finance; special emphasis on the problems of public-school finance in Arizona.

737 Budget Preparation and Practices (3). The school budget as a factor in implementing the goals and philosophy of the school with emphasis on recent trends in school budgeting.

738 School Building Problems (3). The leadership role of the school administrator in planning, financing, construction, and maintenance of school buildings.

762 Leadership in Instructional Planning (3). Evaluation of change in curriculum and teaching procedures and analysis of procedures for implementing desirable changes in these areas.

770 Advanced Practicum (3). Independent and/or small group study of current problems. Major project required. Prerequisites: knowledge of administrative theory and admission to doctoral program.

788 Advanced Leadership Theory (3). Processes and relationships in administration; an intensive study of organizational and administrative theory. Prerequisite: admission to doctoral program or instructor approval.

789 Advanced Leadership Seminar (3). Integration of research, experience, and theory. Prerequisite: admission to doctoral program or instructor approval.

796 Internship (3). Participation in actual situations in cooperation with various educational organizations. Assignments made according to projected needs of the individual. Prerequisites: admission to certification or doctoral program in educational leadership, completion of 12 hours of residency credit in educational leadership, and area approval. Fee required. (Please note that you must apply for enrollment in the internship one semester before serving as an intern; deadlines for applying are October 31 for spring semester, March 15 for summer, and April 30 for fall.)

799 Dissertation (1-9). Prerequisite: EDR 798.

Educational Research Courses
Some courses may not be offered every semester. Check with the department for current information about when specific courses are offered.

EDR 610 Introduction to Research (3). General introduction to research in education; primary focus on the use of research in education.

EDR 611 Action Research (3). Theory and methods for conducting action research in teaching-learning environments. Emphasis on self-reflection, qualitative data collection and interpretation, and role in individual and institutional change.

EDR 720 Research Design (3). In-depth discussion of research designs for planning and conducting research in the field of education. Prerequisites: EDR 610, EPS 525, and admission to doctoral program.

EDR 725 Qualitative Research in Education (3). Theoretical and methodological issues related to qualitative research in education; tools for analysis. Prerequisite: EDR 610 or permission of instructor.

EDR 730 Evaluation Research (3). Develop skills to conduct field-based evaluation, produce, plan, and do a pilot study including data collection, analysis, and reporting. Prerequisite: EDR 610, ESE 649, or permission of instructor.

EDR 736 Survey Development Techniques (3). Data collecting and processing, projections, evaluations, and reporting procedures for immediate and long-term planning of facilities, finances, curriculum, pupil services, and administrative structure of educational institutions. Prerequisite: EDR 610.

EDR 798 Dissertation Seminar (3). Development of doctoral dissertation prospectus. Prerequisites: EDR 610 and 720.

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     Educational Specialties
     Instructional Leadership
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