2023-24 Academic Catalog

Master of Education Plus Principal License

Overview

The Master of Education Plus Principal License is designed to fulfill the professional development needs of educators who desire to prepare for an administrative role within a school or other agency, or other educational related fields. This program meets TSPC requirements for the Principal License.

Degree Outcomes for a Master of Education Plus Principal License

  • Building-level leadership
  • P-12 teacher leadership

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Dynamic student access to Professional Learning Networks
  • Strengthen professional identity of each educator to include the habits of scholarship (use and evaluation of research, participation in research, evaluation of programs)
  • Successfully perform the work of a beginning school administrator

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Master of Education Plus Principal License program must hold a four-year baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in most recent 60 semester or 90 quarter hours (and an explanation if the grade point is below 3.0). In addition, applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the program:

  • Master of education application and application fee
  • One- to two-page essay as described in the application
  • One official transcript from all colleges or universities attended
  • Three references (forms provided in the application materials).

Applicants seeking to meet TSPC licensure or endorsement requirements upon completion of the program must also complete the following:

  • Verification of valid Oregon teaching license or the equivalent, such as an expired or out-of-state license, education degree, or documented and appropriate teacher experience (applicants to the program that do not have a teaching license should submit a letter of explanation as to how the program would meet their professional goals.)
  • Completed Teachers Standards and Practices Character Questionnaire

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit may be allowed in the Master of Education Plus Principal License program on a case by case basis from accredited graduate schools. Students must have earned a grade of B or better for a course to be considered for transfer. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution. Consult the registrar's office for information on eligibility of transfer credit.

Residence Requirements

The 30 hours required for the Master of Education Plus Principal License program consists of a specialized curriculum specifically designed for preparation as a school principal. The courses within the Master of Education Plus Principal License program are delivered online.

All work leading to the Master of Education Plus Principal License program is regularly completed within a predetermined semester cycle within a cohort model. Any extensions required must be approved by the faculty. A leave of absence enables a student to be absent from the program for one year but after that time, students must reapply to the program, accepting responsibility for all changes made to the program. Length of program may vary from 4-7 semesters depending on start date.

Course Requirements

The Master of Education Plus Principal License degree program is generally 4-7 semesters in length with 30 total semester hours of coursework required for graduation. Of those 30 hours, 21 are in core courses; 6 are in practicum courses, and 3 are in leadership capstone courses.

Other Degree Requirements

In addition to the core requirements, students must complete the following requirements:

  • No later than completion of 10 semester hours, a degree-seeking student must complete the Master of Education Plus Principal License degree application process.
  • Each degree-seeking student will be assigned a graduate faculty advisor who will assist the student in planning his or her proposed course of study.
  • The approved course of study must be completed to earn the degree.

Licensure in Oregon and Other States

Upon completion of the Master of Education Plus Principal License degree, students will be eligible for a principal license in Oregon. (In some cases, additional professional tests may be required.) This Master of Education Plus Principal License program may also allow students to meet the licensure or recertification requirements of other states as well. Non-Oregon students will need to check each particular state's licensing criteria before designing the Master of Education Plus Principal License program.

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate with the Master of Education Plus Principal License degree students must:

  • Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 30 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • Achieve no grade lower than a B in all core courses. If a grade of a B- or lower is received in a core course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook).

Curriculum Plan

Career Outcomes:

  • Building-level leadership
  • P-12 teacher leadership

Learning Outcomes:

  • Increased access to equitable learning outcomes for each student in schools
  • A strong understanding of and adherence to ethical foundations of leadership
  • Involving others in the school community from multiple perspectives

Sequence of Study:

  • Each student will choose a sequence of courses aligned with professional goals.
  • The course of study will follow the schedule aligned to the academic calendar.

Course Requirements

All students must complete the following courses:

Complete the following:

Students participate in discussions and/or activities dealing with site-based management, decision making, mentoring, management of human resources, and issues dealing with professional leadership in education.
This course will offer you a picture of the complexities of the principalship. Serving as the leader in a school setting is perhaps the most challenging position in any school system or structure. The immediate demands in any given day can more than fill a month of diary entries with challenges and successes. The challenge of responding to the immediate, while intentionally charting and leading teams on a course to continuous improvement for all students, fills the "To Do List' to overflowing each and every day.
This course focuses on legal issues that arise in elementary, secondary, and collegiate institutions. The course provides educators with knowledge and analytic skills needed to apply legal frameworks to educational policy including the statutes regulating financial policy. The course investigates creative ways in which law can be used to help address current problems in schools, and helps educators think through questions of ethics and policy that legal disputes raise but do not resolve.
This course examines how belief structures undergird the methods educators use to motivate people to learn. Through the light of ethical theory, students examine how organizational leaders respond to the situations they face. Students also reflect on and apply their own values and ethical understanding to shed light on case studies that represent situations they often face as educational leaders.
This course is designed to help educational leaders understand key ideas central to ongoing research on teaching and learning to establish educational policy and transform educational practice at their institutions. The course emphasizes ways in which cultural, social, and organizational contexts influence learning. Students will learn to use the clinical supervision model and other tools for supervising and evaluating teacher performance based on best practices. The course will examine the leader's role in establishing and maintaining an environment that is conducive to student and adult learning.
This course will call on you to go beyond traditional notions of how schools and the larger communities in which they are set engage and strengthen each other. Schools are increasingly called on to do more than present students with opportunities to learn core subject areas. Indeed, they are often the hubs of any community, urban and rural and everything in between. The challenge of a broadened call upon schools to serve as a partner in the community is at times daunting, but one that can and should be viewed as an incredible opportunity to partner to do more for all, both inside and outside the walls of the school house.
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the importance of a framework for continuous school improvement that is aligned to the mission, goals and values of a school and district. Getting better at getting better is the underlying work of continuous improvement systems models that serve as the engine to ongoing improvement in a school. Concepts such as alignment and cohesion to mission, values, resource investment, data priorities and communications will be explored.

Complete the following:

Practicum experiences are carried out at a building level of responsibility by working concurrently in two different authorization level sites. Principal License candidates will begin a practicum in elementary, middle level, and high schools under the direct supervision of a university supervisor and a licensed school administrator as mentor. Assignments will require candidates to learn about issues at the site, work with mentors to resolve the issues, and evaluate how they are being handled. These experiences will be supplemented by online administrative academic projects that focus on school governance and partnerships along with school management topics. The university supervisor, mentors and candidates will communicate in site meetings, virutally and online. Pass/No Pass
Practicum experiences continue at a building level of responsibility. Principal License candidates will complete a practicum in elementary, middle level, and high schools under the direct supervision of a university supervisor and a licensed school administrator. Practicum experiences are supplemented by online administrative academic projects that focus on curriculum and staff development, supervision and evaluation, and personnel hiring. The supervisors and candidates will communicate via the Internet. Pass/No Pass

Complete the following:

This course is designed to permit the student to analyze, reflect on, and communicate to university and school stakeholders the summary of individual and organizational learning outcomes as a result of participation in the degree program. Students will utilize their practicum experience, their portfolio of evidence, and key learning experiences from coursework to design and present their findings, conclusions and recommendations on leadership principles and practices impacting their organization as the culminating activity in the program. The capstone is variable credit and may be done in one, two, or three semesters, however, the last one hour unit must be completed concurrently or at the conclusion of ADMN 549.