Elementary and secondary principal certification

University of Missouri-Columbia
Master of education in educational leadership and policy analysis
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Master of education

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.

Top-ranked programs

Mizzou's online master's in education programs ranked among the nation's finest in U.S. News & World Report 2024.

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 certification

Campus

University of Missouri-Columbia

Program type

Master's degree

Academic home

College of Education & Human Development | Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis

Delivery mode

100% online

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

Credit hours

30

Estimated cost

$16,854.00

*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.

Educational professional standing in a school hallway.

Career prospects

Potential careers

  • Elementary school principal
  • Secondary school principal
  • Educational policy analyst
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
4.89%
Employment growth
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
$72,000
Median salary

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.

Course work 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% online

Calendar system

Semester-based

Typical program length

14 months

Typical course load

2 or 3 classes each semester

Accreditation

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).

Learn more about this program

This program is administered by the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis