Admissions - Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies offers a wide range of knowledge and skills for applicants interested in becoming leaders in schools and higher education institutions, or enter the professoriate.

We offer one undergraduate program, the Leadership Minor and Leadership Certificate, in partnership with the UTA Leadership Center and the Division of Student Affairs.

We also offer three graduate programs:

• Ph.D. in Educational Leadership;
• BA-PhD track in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, with Higher Education Emphasis (will start Fall 2018)
• M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with two distinct options: M.Ed. with higher education emphasis and M.Ed. with principal certificate;

We also offer a Principal Certification Only program.

Admission Requirements

Ph.D. in Educational Leadership

Admission to the K-16 Educational Leadership Ph.D. program requires admission to both the Graduate School and the Department.

Graduate School Admissions Requirements can be found here and include the following:

• Master's degree in education or other field appropriate for the doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
• Grade point minimum average of 3.5 out of a possible 4.0 from the master's degree.
• Successful applicants for unconditional admission are expected to present a minimum of two of the following three Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores: (1) verbal minimum score of 153, (2) quantitative score of 144, and (3) written analytical minimum score of 4 or equivalent. Please Note: GRE score requirements have been waived due to COVID-19.
• Applicants who do not meet the minimum score requirement for a standardized test will be considered for probationary admission status when other factors are taken into account in a holistic review. Please Note: GRE score requirements have been waived due to COVID-19. 
• A minimum score of 550 on the Test of English As a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for applicants whose native language is not English
• At least three years of documented experience in a work environment in which the primary professional responsibility at any level has been education (e.g., teaching, administration, curriculum development, professional development, post secondary education, government or private industry settings) are recommended.
• Admission is very competitive. Meeting admission standards does not guarantee admission to the program.
• Applicants who have been suspended from The University of Texas at Arlington or any other university or program for reasons other than academic reasons may not be admitted or readmitted to an educator preparation program in the College of Education.

College of Education Master’s Degree Requirements

Unconditional Admission Criteria

• 2 or more years relevant work experience
• Undergraduate transcripts with a 3.0 GPA during the last 60 hours or 3.0 cumulative GPA, whichever is higher. A 3.0 GPA on the last 9 hours of graduate coursework may be considered in place of undergraduate GPA.
• 2 professional letters of reference on file
• Program areas may have additional requirements.

Probationary Admission Criteria

• Students with less than 2 years relevant work experience must provide 2 professional letters of reference.
• Students granted probationary admission must maintain a 3.0 (B or better) GPA in the first 9 credit hours of graduate coursework in the College of Education program to be converted from probationary to unconditional admission.
• Program areas may have additional requirements.

Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies M.Ed. Program – Higher Education

Admission to the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with Higher Education emphasis is competitive and some qualified students may not be admitted if demand exceeds the program’s capacity to serve all applicants. All students must meet university, college, and department qualifications in order to be admitted to the program.

Unconditional Admission Criteria

• 2 or more years of relevant work experience.
• Undergraduate transcripts with a 3.0 GPA during the last 60 hours or 3.0 cumulative GPA, whichever is higher. A 3.0 GPA on the last 9 hours of graduate coursework may be considered in place of undergraduate GPA.
• 2 professional letters of reference on file. Letters from supervisors are strongly encouraged.

Probationary Admission Criteria

Applicants who do not meet all requirements may be granted probationary admission. The faculty admissions committee may require additional documents (e.g., GRE scores, interviews) for consideration.

Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies M.Ed. Program - Principal Certification

Admission to the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies is competitive and some qualified students may not be admitted if demand exceeds the program’s capacity to serve all applicants. Applicants are considered for unconditional admission if they submit documents required for TEA reporting and meet the first criterion plus either the second or the third criterion:

All students must meet university, college, department, and Texas Administrative Code qualifications in order to participate in educator preparation programs. Out-of-state students will not qualify for Texas educator certification. Therefore, students should review their state's requirements to determine if completion of a program at UTA will lead to certification in their state.

Unconditional Admission Criteria

• 2 or more years of relevant work experience
• Undergraduate transcripts with a 3.0 GPA during the last 60 hours or 3.0 cumulative GPA, whichever is higher. A 3.0 GPA on the last 9 hours of graduate coursework may be considered in place of undergraduate GPA.
• 2 professional letters of reference on file. Letters from supervisors are strongly encouraged.

Probationary Admission Criteria

• Applicants who meet requirements 2) and 3) from unconditional admission criteria but have less than 2 years of relevant work experience may be granted probationary admission. The faculty admissions committee may require additional documents (e.g., GRE scores) for consideration.
• Students granted probationary admission must maintain a 3.0 (B or better) GPA in the first 9 credit hours of graduate coursework in the College of Education program to be converted from probationary to unconditional admission.

In addition to program-area requirements to meet documents required for TEA reporting, including: 1) a written response to the given prompt (fulfills “other screening instrument” as required by The Texas Education Agency) and 2) completion of Attestation and FERPA forms. The overall grade point average (GPA) of each incoming class admitted between September 1 and August 31 of each year by an educator preparation program (EPP) may not be less than 3.00 on a four-point scale or the equivalent.

DEFINITIONS

Unconditional Admission

An applicant who meets all requirements is normally considered for unconditional admission. Unconditionally admitted students must maintain a 3.0 GPA for the duration of the program and have at least a 3.0 GPA in order to graduate.

Probationary Admission

An applicant who does not meet all requirements for unconditional admission nevertheless may show promise for successful graduate study and, upon recommendation of the graduate advisor, Committee on Graduate Studies and with approval of the academic dean may be granted probationary admission. Students admitted on probation to any graduate program in the College of Education must earn a 3.0 GPA, with no grade lower than a B, on the first nine credit hours of study. In addition, in order to graduate from UTA and the College of Education, all candidates must have at least a 3.0 GPA.

Deferred Admission

An applicant’s admission may be deferred when a file is not complete or when denying admission is not appropriate. 

Denied Admission

An applicant may be denied admission if the conditions for unconditional or probationary admission are not met. In addition, if a student was suspended or expelled from the University of Texas at Arlington or any other university or program for reasons other than academic, that student may be denied admission or readmission to an educator preparation program in the UTA College of Education.

Applications

All applications are completed online through the Office of Graduate Studies.

Leadership Minor and Certificate

The Leadership Minor and Certificate program is a joint initiative between the Department of Educational Leadership and The Leadership Center in the Division of Student Affairs. The chair and director of these two areas share program management and oversight. The minor is open to all degree-seeking students enrolled at The University of Texas at Arlington, while the certificate is available to degree and non-degree-seeking students. Interested students should initiate a request for the preparation of their program by sending an email to: