Educational Leadership, M.Ed. at University of South Florida

USF offers one program, with three different concentrations, united across three campuses. Our program is strengthened through diversity of the overall body: faculty, students, partners, and communities. We are committed to offering holistic and personalized educational opportunities to support learners’ preparedness to enact leadership collaboratively toward equitable and excellent education and educational system and educational policy. The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership offers students an opportunity to pursue a concentration in one of three areas: K-12 Public School Leadership, Non-Public or Charter School Leadership, and Curriculum Leadership. Each concentration has a unique focus in Educational Leadership; students are encouraged to consider their career goals to determine the appropriate concentration.

•    K-12 Public School Leadership Concentration: Effective school leaders must be focused instructional leaders who are able to lead in diverse school settings. Successful completion of the concentration fulfills degree and core curriculum requirements for Florida certification in Level I K-12 Educational Leadership – Administrative Class.

•    Non-Public or Charter School Leadership Concentration: The face of education is changing nationwide and many private, charter, alternative, or independent schools are emerging. This concentration is designed for educational leadership positions in non-public K-12 settings that do not require Florida administrator certification. The program emphasizes leadership elements related to instruction, decision-making processes, constituent relationships, and fiscal and facility management. This concentration does not satisfy all requirements for administrator certification.

•    Curriculum Leadership Concentration: Graduates of this concentration bring leadership skills to curriculum focused roles in schools, district offices, and education-related organizations. The concentration is designed to teach and assess the knowledge, skills and dispositions of effective leadership in curriculum, instruction, and professional development for K-12 teachers or other educators. This concentration does not satisfy all requirements for administrator certification.

Students in the program engage research in order to develop decision-making strategies, engage and inform stakeholders, sustain motivation for change, and build academic improvement opportunities for all children. Program students are prepared through collaborative inquiry, culturally relevant pedagogy, and applied leadership opportunities. Accordingly, the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership prepares schools leaders to perform their designated tasks in an effective, equitable and ethical manner aligned to the Florida Principal Leadership Standards (FPLS) for K-12 schools.