Master of Education in Educational Leadership
Designed to help you become a school principal, the Master of Education in Educational Leadership program will teach you to effectively lead, run, and manage a PreK-12 school.
Total cost at ACE
$9,500(tuition + fees)
Compare with other institutions*:
$25,092
Concordia University
$20,424
Capella University
$19,570
Grand Canyon University
*Based on information provided on each institution's website as of August 2018
Applications due April 3 for April 6, 2020 Term
Estimated Time to Completion:
17 - 19 Months
Key Features of Our Online Master of Education Degree
- Relevant Coursework: Aligned to national and state standards, you will learn how to think like a principal in every course, so you’ll feel prepared for the next step in your career.
- Tailored Internship Approach: All courses are designed to prepare you for a meaningful internship experience.
- Flexible: Study on your schedule. Our online format allows you to plan your coursework around your life.
- Accelerated Completion: Florida students that have already completed a master’s degree can qualify for the Florida Modified EL option.
- Accreditation: Along with HLC accreditation, this program is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)**.
- State-Approved: This program is approved for principal licensure in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Texas.
For more information about this program, view the College Catalog. You can also ask questions anytime via chat.
Florida residents interested in principal certification within the state of Florida should review courses and information about our Florida licensure track for the Florida approved Master of Education in Educational Leadership program in our College Catalog
Texas residents interested in our Texas approved Master of Education in Educational Leadership program should review courses and information about our Texas program in our College Catalog.
Educational Leadership Internship
Your internship will be one of the most important components of your Educational Leadership experience. It’s an extended period of guided, professional practice during which you will take increasing responsibility for the learning of PreK-12 students while under the guidance of a self-selected, approved mentor and an ACE faculty member. You will provide administrative support to your mentor and school community in addition to instructional support for the campus in order to help increase student learning and achievement. See Internships for more details.
Dual Degree Programs
After you complete your M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, you can earn a second M.Ed. degree in less time due to the overlap in required courses. If you’re interested in an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, visit our Dual Degree page.
Department Chair
Kathleen Stroud, Ed.D.
Administrative Faculty and Chair,
Department of Leadership and Administration
A Degree You Can Count On
We are, and have always been, regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. This accreditation guarantees our programs meet certain levels of quality standards.
A Note About Licensure:
Graduates of programs which are approved to lead to licensure, endorsement, or certification may be subject to additional requirements for the receipt of initial licensure, endorsement, or certification in the state in which they intend to teach or administrate.
Students are strongly encouraged to check licensure requirements in the state in which they intend to teach or administrate to determine whether they are eligible for licensure, endorsement, or certification.
It is vitally important that students know and be continually aware of the requirements for licensure in their state. State licensing requirements and licensing agency information may be found here.
Disclaimer
**Granted Accreditation by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) for a period of seven years: May 3, 2013 to May 3, 2020. This accreditation certifies that this program has provided evidence that it adheres to TEAC's quality principles.
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Tuition
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership
Total Tuition
34 semester credits x $235 per credit
$7,990
Fees
$50 Application Fee
$1,360 Technology & Library Fee ($40 per credit)
$100 Program Conferral Fee
$1,510
Total Program Cost*
$9,500
*This is an estimated value of the cost for tuition and fees. Amounts may vary depending on number of transfer credits applied to the selected program hours, the pace and satisfactory completion of the selected program credit hours, receipt of scholarship and/or grant amounts, and adjustments to tuition or fees as described in the Catalog Right to Modify Tuition section.
State of California Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF)
It is a state of California requirement that a student who pays his or her tuition is required to pay a state-imposed assessment for the Student Tuition Recovery Fund. For more information and to see if you must pay the state-imposed assessment for Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) click here.
ACE General Admission Requirements
- Complete and submit all application components including the admission application, including the enrollment agreement, and payment agreement.
- Submit the nonrefundable application fee.*
- Provide official transcripts from a regionally accredited institution indicating successful completion of the level of education required for entry to the program.**
*The application fee is valid for one year from date of submission.
**Additional evidence may be required to fulfill state requirements, including but not limited to verification of professional experience, test scores, or an interview.
Program Admission Requirements
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership
- Bachelor's or Highest Post-Baccalaureate degree earned
- Minimum Grade Point Average 2.75 on a 4.0 Scale for full admission
- Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.50 on a 4.0 Scale for Provisional Admission*
- Documentation of at least an initial teaching license (in the state the applicant resides), school service personnel license, or a school services certificate
- If applicants do not have a teaching certificate, they may document their teaching status by providing evidence of full-time teaching assignment from an individual in a supervisory capacity or from a human resources official of the school at their current employment
*Applicants whose overall GPA, or GPA in the last 60 hours is below 2.50 will not be admitted to the degree program
State Specific Admission Requirements
- Must hold a valid Illinois Professional Educator License
- Must have two years of teaching experience in a public or non-public school recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education or
- Four years of Support Personnel experience in the following area in a public or non-public school recognized by the Illinois Board of Education in the following capacity:
- School Counselor
- School Psychologist
- Speech Language Pathologist
- School Nurse
- School Social Worker
- School Marriage and Family Counselor
Submit an essay that describes desire to lead and leadership potential.
Submit two (2) letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the applicant’s principal or direct supervisor. Both recommenders must include an evaluation of the applicant’s leadership potential. The supervisor’s recommendation must include an evaluation of the applicant’s instructional practice and performance of students at an “effective” or “highly effective” rating as evaluated by their two most recent performance evaluations through official district documentation or verification.
*If unable to receive supervisor verification of instructional experience and performance of students, applicants can submit their the last two years of performance evaluations showing a rating of “effective” or higher in instructional practice and performance of student sections.
- Submit an Educational Leadership essay
- Submit two (2) letters of recommendation with a written signature (or sent directly from the person's email address) and a date
- Must hold a level two educator license
- Complete an interview
- Submit an Educational Leadership essay
- Have their school district submit a sealed and signed Teacher Service Record
- To comply with the Texas Education Agency requirements, admits must confirm, in writing, acceptance of the admission offer
- Applicants to the Texas Educational Leadership program whose first language is not English must submit scores from the Internet-Based (IBT) TOEFL. A minimum scaled score of 24 for speaking, 22 for listening, 22 for reading, and 21 for writing from the Internet-Based (IBT) TOEFL. Or evidence of an undergraduate or graduate degree earned at an institution of higher education in a country outside of the United States listed in Figure: 19 TAC §230.11(b)(5)(C)
Notes for Texas Educational Leadership Students
- Information about ACE's Educational Leadership program performance over the past five years is available on the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) Educator Preparation Compliance Reports website.
- Information about the effect of supply and demand forces on the educator workforce can be found on the EPP website and from Texas Workforce Commission
- Information about ACE's Educational Leadership program accreditation status is available on the EPP website and on the TEA Educator Preparation Data Dashboard.
- A criminal background check is required prior to employment as an educator (Per Texas Education Code (TEC), §22.083) and candidates must undergo a criminal history background check prior to clinical teaching or practicum (Per TEC, §22.0835).
- Individuals who have been convicted of an offence as listed in Section 249.16. Eligibility of Persons with Criminal History for a Certificate under Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 53, and Texas Education Code, Chapter 21 may be ineligible for issuance of a certification on completion of an educator preparation program. An individual has the right to request a copy of the criminal history evaluation letter as provided in Chapter 227, Subchapter B (relating to Preliminary Evaluation of Certification Eligibility).
- Texas Educational Leadership Students who wish to seek principal licensure in Texas will need to achieve an 80% or better on a practice examination within six months of testing approval request as outlined in the Texas Approval to Test Policy.
- Submit an essay that describes desire to lead and leadership potential.
- Submit two (2) letters of professional recommendation
- Acknowledge the requirement of having three years
successful teaching experience to be eligible for Arizona principal licensure.
International Transcript Requirements
All applicants must submit to the Admissions Office official, sealed college transcripts from each institution attended.
- Transcripts that are international and/or not in English must be evaluated through an NACES-recommended agency.
- Texas applicants may only submit evaluations from agencies approved by the Texas Education Agency.
- International applicants must request the course-by-course evaluation. The evaluation report must show that the non-U.S. education is equivalent to the education/accreditation level required for the program.
English as a Second Language Applicants
All applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate competence in the English language as demonstrated in one of three ways:
- Submission of an official transcript showing a degree from a United States secondary school or regionally accredited college/university.
- Submission of an official minimum score on the paper or internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exams.
- The minimum TOEFL score required for the internet-based version is 80, and the paper-based version requires a minimum TOEFL score of 20 for each of the three skills: Reading, Listening, and, Writing.
- The minimum IELTS score required is 6.5. Note: IELTS is not acceptable for Texas programs leading to certification.
- The testing agency must send test scores directly to American College of Education.
- Applicants to the Texas Educational Leadership program whose first language is not English must submit scores from the Internet-Based (IBT) TOEFL. An overall score of 80, and a score of 26 on the speaking section is required.
Admissions Appeal Process
Courses
Explore the classes you'll take to fulfill this program's 34 semester credit requirement. For more information, a complete list of requirements, and course options, see the College Catalog.
Research Courses
(3 semester credits)
Literacy Courses
(3 semester credits)
Leadership Courses
(28 semester credits)