MSE in Educational Leadership

What You'll Learn

In Drake University’s Master of Science in Education (MSE) in Educational Leadership program, you’ll explore the workings of K-12 administration through hands-on experience and professional mentorship as you qualify for a Principal Endorsement in Iowa.

Prepare yourself to shape curricula, programming, and other large-scale initiatives by completing coursework in leadership, organizational behavior, instructional design, community relations, school management, program planning, and evaluation. You’ll learn practical skills, study the impact of public policy on schools, and hone your approach to meeting the needs of all learners. This program builds on your existing teaching experience to prepare you for a variety of leadership positions at school and district levels.

Your courses incorporate project-based learning to immerse you in real-world challenges and guide you in applying theory to find solutions. You will also complete a substantial clinical experience, applying your knowledge in a school setting under the mentorship of a practicing education leader.

Admission Requirements

About the Master’s in Educational Leadership

• Hands-on, project-based courses prepare you to be a school leader.
• A cohort model facilitates connection and collaboration between students and faculty, resulting in a network ready to give advice and feedback now and in the future.
• For each year of the program, you’ll be paired with a different practicing administrator, who will serve as your mentor and introduce you to their leadership style. Students meet with two professionals during their studies.
• Qualify for PK-12 Principal/PK-12 Special Education Supervisor, and Evaluator Approval in Iowa, and access a range of school and district leadership roles.
• Nearly 70 percent of school districts have at least one administrator who holds a Drake degree.

Program Facts

• Three pathways:
  • Traditional Licensure:
    • If you want to be a school leader and go through the program with a cohort of peers, choose a traditional cohort experience with a steady pace. The licensure path is six semesters with six credits, or two courses, each semester. You get to experience the program with the same group of classmates, making connections that will last long after you've graduated.
  • Non-Licensure:
    • Choose the non-licensure pathway is you want to use program learnings in your current role without needing to complete the clinical requirements for licensure. This path is five semesters with six credits a semester.
  • Accelerated: 
    • If you'd like to fast track your MSE: EDL degree, take the accelerated path. With this path, you can apply for conditional administrative licensure a semester earlier, and apply for BOEE licensure as early as May of your second year.
• Hybrid format: In the Fall and Spring semesters, all courses are scheduled on two Saturdays on campus and six Wednesday nights on Zoom. In Summer, students meet for two full course days on campus and six sessions on Zoom.
• Students take six credits per semester over six consecutive semesters
• 36 total credits