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The online master’s degree in PK–12 educational leadership and administration from the University of Missouri (Mizzou) offers opportunities for professional growth in school and district leadership. If you want to be an effective, responsive, courageous and professional leader in education, this may be the degree for you.
Quick facts
Official name
Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis with an emphasis in PK-12 Educational Leadership and Administration, Elementary and Secondary Principal CertificationCampus
Program type
Master's degreeAcademic home
College of Education & Human Development | Department of Educational Leadership and Policy AnalysisDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning Commission, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)Credit hours
30Estimated cost
$17,697.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
Potential careers
- Elementary school principal
- Secondary school principal
- Educational policy analyst
Program structure
This program is 100% online: no campus visits are required.
Courses are semester-based. Students typically take two or three classes each semester, including summers, and finish in 14 months.
Coursework includes
- Data-driven and evidenced-based decision-making
- School improvement
- Ethics and policymaking
- Providing professional development
- Finance and law in schools
- Politics of school leadership
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
Semester-basedTypical program length
14 monthsTypical course load
2 or 3 classes each semesterAccreditation
The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
This program is accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Faculty spotlight
Dr. Beth McCune Whitaker is an award-winning educator who leads our principal leadership programs in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. She is a former classroom teacher and principal in Missouri. During her tenure as an administrator, her school was awarded the Missouri Gold Star and National Blue Ribbon for excellence in education. Dr. Whitaker has published widely in the areas of school climate, principal leadership, and staff motivation and morale.
Brian Henry is an assistant teaching professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Missouri. Dr. Henry serves as the Missouri Commissioner for the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. He has a passion for student learning and a commitment to creating learning environments that embrace all students. Dr. Henry has received several awards recognizing his leadership skills, and he has served in school administrative roles from assistant principal up through superintendent.
Emily Crawford-Rossi’s research explores issues related to leadership and immigration in PK–12 public schools in urban and rural contexts. Dr. Crawford-Rossi’s research examines the intersections among immigration policy, educational policy and leadership and ethics. Her projects seek to understand the ways PK–12 educators — particularly school leaders — perceive and provide educational and schooling access for immigrant students and families of mixed legal status. Her work has been published in top journals, including Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Policy, Equity & Excellence in Education, Journal of School Leadership and others. She is a senior associate editor for the American Journal of Education.
She teaches courses on PK–12 politics and policymaking and ethics for educational leaders and school practitioners pursuing a degree in educational administration, educational policy analysis and the history of U.S. educational policy.