Program Overview
Learn to lead a school and prepare to make a powerful impact as a principal with the Master of Education in Educational Leadership (With New Jersey Certifications). This “Different by Design” online educational leadership program consists of three modules: Leadership, Curriculum and Supervision, and a 4-credit hour embedded internship.
Unlike other MEd programs that require field-based experiences during a designated semester, this program provides continuous experiences throughout. The online coursework, taught by practitioners, provides a balance of management and leadership and is aligned with National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) program recognition standards. This MEd program is also continually updated in consultation with a Leadership Advisory Council of school leaders in surrounding districts.
Upon successful completion of the coursework, internship, and passing of the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA), you will qualify for the New Jersey Principal Certificate of Eligibility (Endorsement 0200) if you have five years of full-time experience, and receive the Supervisor Standard Certificate (Endorsement 0106) if you have three years of experience. Students outside New Jersey should check to make sure that this program fulfills your state’s principal certification requirements.
The College of Education at William Paterson University is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and is eligible for accreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Learning Outcomes:
- Collaboratively lead the development and implementation of a school vision and mission and processes for continuous school improvement
- Model and develop in others professional dispositions and norms as well as ethical and legal behavior and decision-making
- Develop and maintain an equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive school culture and climate for all students and staff
- Lead curriculum, instruction, and assessment systems designed to meet the needs of all learners as well as non-academic programs to support student growth and development
- Develop and cultivate processes for engaging and communicating with families, community members, and all staff for continuous school improvement and student learning
- Manage and operate school resources to support student learning, promote the school’s vision and mission, and cultivate student and staff success
- Build professional capacity by developing a collaborative professional school culture through staff supervision, evaluation, and professional development and learning
Also Available:
Have questions or need more information about our online programs?
Tuition
Online education programs from William Paterson University offer affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition. All fees are included in the total tuition.
Tuition breakdown:
View full tuition breakdown [+]
| Program | Per Credit Hour | Per Program |
|---|---|---|
| MEd in Ed Leadership (With NJ Certifications) | $590 | $20,060 |
Calendar
William Paterson University online programs are delivered in an accelerated format ideal for working professionals, conveniently featuring multiple start dates each year.
Now enrolling:
| Term | Start Date | Application Deadline | Document Deadline | Registration Deadline | Tuition Deadline | Last Class Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2 | 03/15/21 | 02/23/21 | 03/01/21 | 03/09/21 | 03/11/21 | 05/02/21 |
| Summer 1 | 05/17/21 | 04/27/21 | 05/03/21 | 05/11/21 | 05/13/21 | 07/04/21 |
| Summer 2 | 07/12/21 | 06/22/21 | 06/28/21 | 07/06/21 | 07/08/21 | 08/29/21 |
| Fall 1 | 09/06/21 | 08/17/21 | 08/23/21 | 08/31/21 | 09/02/21 | 10/24/21 |
| Fall 2 | 11/01/21 | 10/12/21 | 10/18/21 | 10/26/21 | 10/28/21 | 12/19/21 |
Ready to take the next step toward earning your online degree from William Paterson University?
Admissions
At William Paterson University, we’ve streamlined the admission process to help you get started quickly and easily. Please read the requirements for the MEd in Ed Leadership (With NJ Certifications) online program, including what additional materials you need and where you should send them.
The requirements include:
View all admission requirements [+]
You must meet the following requirements for admission to this MEd in Ed Leadership (With NJ Certifications) online program:
- Submit online application and $50 application fee
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited university
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Evidence of Provisional and/or Standard instructional, educational services, or administrative certification
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
Official transcripts and other documents should be sent from the granting institutions to:
Email address: graduate@wpunj.edu
Mail address:
Office of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment ServicesWilliam Paterson University
Morrison Hall 102
300 Pompton Road
Wayne, NJ 07470
Courses
For the MEd in Ed Leadership (With NJ Certifications) online program, you must complete 14 courses for a total of 34 credit hours, including 24 core credit hours, six elective credit hours, and four credits hours for an integrated internship.
EDLP 6010: Leadership in Learning Communities
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course is designed to introduce candidates to theories and styles of leadership, leadership ethics and professional norms, and leadership for equity, inclusiveness, and cultural responsiveness. The purpose of this course is for candidates to acquire the content knowledge and educational leadership skills to promote the success and well-being of each student and adult by advocating for ethical decisions, cultivating and enacting professional norms, and developing and maintaining a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive school culture.
EDLP 6030: Educational Research
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course is designed to provide candidates with an understanding of qualitative and quantitative designs used in education research, basic descriptive and inferential statistics, and evidence-based decision-making as it relates to continuous school improvement. Candidates will acquire the content knowledge and educational leadership skills to collaboratively lead, design, and implement a process for continuous improvement that reflects data use, design, implementation, and evaluation. The purpose of this course is for candidates to understand how school leaders can use education research to promote the success and well-being of every student.
EDLP 6040: Curriculum Design: Theory and Practice
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Designed to develop an understanding of the philosophies upon which the curriculum design is built and the societal influences that affect curriculum design. Candidates are guided to understand the curriculum design model as a decision making process: deciding what to do, the conditions under which it is to be done, and how it is to be evaluated. The knowledge, dispositions, and activities in this course provide a framework for understanding curriculum design as both process and content. Current theory as well as historical trends are included. The course extends the participant’s understanding of the process of curriculum design, its implementation and assessment. Current issues as well as historical trends about standards, neuroscience research, conceptual design, and urban education are some of the topics that are analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated through case studies.
EDLP 6050: Understanding Group Process and the Psychology of Organizations
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course is designed to provide a theoretical basis for understanding the school as a social system. The content knowledge and educational leadership skills specific to school mission and vision, and supportive, inclusive, and professional school cultures are emphasized in the context of organizational dynamics and change. The purpose of this course is for candidates to understand the school leader’s role in evaluating, designing, and communicating a school mission and vision; evaluating, cultivating, and advocating for a supportive and inclusive school culture; and developing a professional staff culture.
EDLP 6060: Principalship
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course is designed to provide candidates with the content knowledge and educational leadership skills that principals need to engage the community and practice external leadership. The purpose of this course is for candidates to understand the principal’s role in promoting the success and well-being of each student and adult by engaging families, community, and school personnel to strengthen student learning, support school improvement, and advocate for the needs of their school and community.
EDLP 6090: Supervision and Evaluation
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
Designed to examine the historical aspects and current status of supervision and evaluation in educational settings. Goals, processes, and functions of supervision and evaluation are studied in depth and connected to theories of leadership, motivation, and change. A strong emphasis is placed upon communication skills and interpersonal qualities of the effective supervisor. Creative collaboration, effective program development and analysis, clinical supervision, and staff development are examined in the context of effective leadership. The candidate is expected to acquire a repertoire of models, techniques, and skills in supervision and evaluation by the conclusion of this course. This highly interactive course builds upon theory to provide experiences with supervision not only in educational settings, but also in business and other organizational environments.
EDLP 6100: School Management Functions
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course is designed to provide candidates with the content knowledge and educational leadership skills to lead for equitable access to educational resources, procedures, and opportunities; and to improve management, communication, technology, school-level governance, and operation systems to develop and improve data-informed and equitable school resource plans. The purpose of this course is for candidates to understand the school leader’s role in operating and managing a school to ensure equitable access to educational resources, technologies, and opportunities.
EDLP 6110: Legal and School Centered Issues
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course is designed to examine the ethical and legal dimensions of school leadership practice. Candidates will examine various ethical and legal issues relating to students, staff, boards of education, and school communities from federal and state perspectives. The purpose of this course is for candidates to acquire the content knowledge and educational leadership skills to promote the success and well-being of each student and adult by applying laws, rights, policies, and regulations for ethical and legal decision-making around school-centered issues.
Students must choose two of the following courses.
EDLP 6120: The Supervision and Evaluation of Support Staff and Educational Programs
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the various contexts within which school leaders must evaluate and supervise support staff and educational programs. The course will include the role, responsibilities, and evaluation of school support staff as well as how to use data to evaluate the influence of educational programs on student success. The purpose of this course is for candidates to acquire the content knowledge and educational leadership skills to implement systems of supervision, support, and evaluation designed to promote school improvement and student success.
EDLP 6150: Curriculum Design: Language Arts Literacy across the Disciplines
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course is designed to develop an understanding of and appreciate for the five strands of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards in Language Arts Literacy that can be utilized across the disciplines. Teachers will use the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards in Language Arts Literacy to design and develop curricula across the disciplines. Participants will explore reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing, and learn to use them in integrative, interactive ways as they design and develop curricula. They will navigate through textbooks, assessments, the internet, visual arts, literature, informational and persuasive works, and strive to make classroom connections to support their curriculum design. They will discover the relationship between thinking and writing, language and voice, and ideas and values. They will also apply a variety of teaching-learning-assessment strategies to enable their studies to achieve mastery of language arts by using and exploring language in its many dimensions.
EDLP 6160: Curriculum Design: Technology Across Disciplines
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course is designed to provide candidates with the content knowledge and educational leadership skills to evaluate, develop, and implement high-quality, technologically rich curricula, programs, and other supports for academic and nonacademic student programs. The purpose of this course is for candidates to understand the school leader’s role in designing curriculum that integrates technology across the disciplines for learning and instruction aligned to state and national standards.
EDLP 6180: Curriculum Design: Developing, Writing, and Implementing Curriculum in the Classroom
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 3
This graduate course bridges theory and practice in curriculum development, writing, and implementation. Candidates will analyze, evaluate, and apply current theories in curriculum design and learning within the context of interdisciplinary units of study. This course will increase candidates’ professional competence to develop and improve new and existing courses of study at the P-12 level. Candidates will acquire the content knowledge and educational leadership skills to evaluate, develop, and implement culturally responsive and accessible assessments and high-quality, technologically rich curricula. The purpose of this course is for candidates to understand the school leader’s role in improving learning and instruction to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student.
In addition to the 30 credit hours above, the following four internships must be completed in a New Jersey school district. These credit hours are integrated into other coursework in the program.
EDLP 6131: Internship in Educational Leadership Part A
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 1
This graduate course is designed for candidates to synthesize and apply content knowledge and to develop and refine educational leadership skills with a mentor who has demonstrated success as an educational leader within a building setting. Candidates will be engaged in concentrated internship experiences that include authentic leadership experiences within a school setting. This 75-hour internship is intended to satisfy, in part, the 300-hour internship in educational leadership requirement for the New Jersey Principal Certificate of Eligibility as well as national standards.
EDLP 6132: Internship in Educational Leadership Part B
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 1
This graduate course is designed for candidates to synthesize and apply content knowledge and to develop and refine educational leadership skills with a mentor who has demonstrated success as an educational leader within a building setting. Candidates will be engaged in concentrated internship experiences that include authentic leadership experiences within a school setting. This 75-hour internship is intended to satisfy, in part, the 300-hour internship in educational leadership requirement for the New Jersey Principal Certificate of Eligibility as well as national standards.
EDLP 6133: Internship in Educational Leadership Part C
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 1
This graduate course is designed for candidates to synthesize and apply content knowledge and to develop and refine educational leadership skills with a mentor who has demonstrated success as an educational leader within a building setting. Candidates will be engaged in concentrated internship experiences that include authentic leadership experiences within a school setting. This 75-hour internship is intended to satisfy, in part, the 300-hour internship in educational leadership requirement for the New Jersey Principal Certificate of Eligibility as well as national standards.
EDLP 6134: Internship in Educational Leadership Part D
Duration: 7 weeks | Credit Hours: 1
This graduate course is designed for candidates to synthesize and apply content knowledge, and to develop and refine educational leadership skills, with a mentor who has demonstrated success as an educational leader within a building setting. Candidates will be engaged in concentrated internship experiences that include authentic leadership experiences within a school setting. This 75-hour internship is intended to satisfy, in part, the 300-hour internship in educational leadership requirement for the New Jersey Principal Certificate of Eligibility, as well as national standards.
