Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies - Principal Certification (Online)

The department offers the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, with the opportunity for Texas Principal Certification. This is an online program. Contact our program advisers for more questions about coursework.

This M.Ed. online program is offered by the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and is designed so that students can build upon their existing expertise with progressive skills that can increase student achievement, improve teacher performance and increase organizational effectiveness of schools and higher education institutions.

This program is approved by The University of Texas System and Higher Education Coordinating Board, and is fully accredited by the State Board for Educator Certification.

Students should refer to the course syllabus for textbook information.

Course of Study

Upon acceptance to your UTA accelerated online program, a course map indicating the course sequence will be provided. Students should refer to the course syllabus for textbook information. Please note that textbook requirements may be subject to change. You will be notified by the course instructor if there are additional textbook requirements. Students in this program must also purchase Tk20 as part of their course materials for a one-time, non-refundable cost of $139 plus tax and fees. It may be purchased online.

The Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies was collaboratively developed by The University of Texas at Arlington and area school districts to instill the skills and background needed to become a campus principal or an assistant principal. This non-thesis principal certification program is fully aligned with the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standards and with the Texas Administrative Code (TAC §241.15), and designed for classroom teachers who want to advance in K-12 education.

This degree program prepares students to be certified principals in Texas. If you are an out-of-state individual seeking certification in Texas, you must present your credentials to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for review. If you are an out-of-state individual seeking certification in another state, you must consult with that state’s education authorities to achieve certification. Students seeking Texas certification must satisfy a criminal background check and other legal requirements before clinical teaching and employment in a Texas school.

For more information on certification in Texas and its requirements, please visit the Office of Educator Certification.

Program Courses

Admission

The UTA College of Education admission process has specific requirements that students must meet to enroll in the Master of Education in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies online program. Find out the requirements for this online program, what additional materials you should send and where you need to send them below.

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 - 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.

Recommendations

Applicants seeking admission to ELPS programs must submit three recommendation forms to the department. The required Recommendation Form is available for download here.