Online MEd in Educational Administration Degree
Prepare for Leadership in Public, Private or Charter Schools
The Master of Education in Educational Administration degree program at Grand Canyon University is designed to help you position yourself to potentially pursue a leadership role in school administration. This graduate program offers a comprehensive curriculum that delves into the intricacies of educational management, policy development and leadership strategies. For those who wish to pursue licensure to become school principals, this program teaches concepts that can offer a well-rounded education for future educational leaders.
“I appreciate the foundational knowledge to get my feet on the ground and learn what administration was going to look like.”1
Earn Your Educational Administration Master’s Degree From GCU
GCU offers flexible learning opportunities for working professionals looking to advance their credentials. This MEd in Educational Administration can be completed online or through evening classes on campus.2 The program covers topics chosen to help prepare you to be an impactful leader, who works to prepare future generations for life beyond school. The curriculum integrates the principles of servant leadership and a Christian worldview, empowering learners to serve school communities with integrity and ethical judgment.
You will be introduced to engaging coursework and hands-on applications, which includes internships that allow you to apply theory in practice. Knowledgeable faculty will cover topics that include the skills and insights necessary for educational leadership.
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Develop Skills To Help Shape the Future of Education
This master’s in educational administration focuses on the skills and concepts essential to the modern education system and its institutions. It provides opportunities to enhance your leadership skills through hands-on experiences. Some of the skills you will be taught include:
- Promoting the school’s mission and vision, making moral and ethical decisions and empowering instructional leaders
- Establishing continuous professional learning
- Assessing a program’s budgetary needs and defending a budget as an administrator
- Strengthening schoolwide curricular programs
- Teaching educators how to implement technology and effective teaching methods to improve instruction that meets state and district academic standards
- Supervising and coaching teachers, including those in special education
- Conducting formal observations
- Empowering leaders to evaluate assessment data and providing meaningful feedback on peer-teacher performance
- Recruiting and selecting staff and instructing new teachers
- Developing on-site safety initiatives and establishing protocols for emergencies
Explore Core Topics in Educational Leadership
This master’s degree in educational administration will teach you how to positively influence educational culture and achievements. The program covers specific topics, including:
- Foundations of school administration, preparing leaders for graduate-level education
- Education law, addressing issues such as student rights
- Shaping school culture through leadership styles and creating favorable workplace conditions
- Enhancing educational programs to promote continuous school improvement
- Improving teacher performance and self-efficacy while empowering instructional leaders
- Strategic direction and administration in principalship
- Practicum/field experiences focused on learner-centered leadership
Career Paths in Educational Administration
This MEd may be a good fit for you if you are interested in working in a pre-K-12 administration role in public, private or charter schools. Leaders in this role manage educational institutions, shaping policies and leading initiatives that can contribute to the growth and success of students, educators and the entire educational community.
Whether you aspire to lead schools, districts or other educational organizations, this degree teaches the skills and knowledge that can lead to transformative educational experiences and foster environments that nurture growth and success. Pursuing your educational administration master’s degree can prepare you for a career as an administrator in settings ranging from preschools and daycares to primary, secondary and postsecondary institutions. Some graduates may go on to seek licensure to become school principals. School principals play a vital role in shaping the education of future leaders and innovators.1
An effective principal should be equal parts:6
- Visionary
- Changemaker
- Communicator
- Instructional leader
- Culture builder
- Servant leader
- Facilitator
School leadership teams and administrators must work collaboratively with teachers, support staff, students, parents and other key community stakeholders.
Earn Your Master of Education From an Accredited University
This degree, offered by the College of Education, is an institutionally accredited program approved by the State of Arizona. It aligns with the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL, 2015) led by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA, 2018).
Further, GCU is an institutionally accredited university, having been continuously accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1968. Institutional accreditation is a reflection of the quality of the school as acknowledged by its peers. At GCU, we strive to deliver academically rich degree programs for graduate students who are strong critical thinkers and who are prepared to use their educational supervision skills to lead confidently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Applying for enrollment in a graduate degree program can be an investment in your future. Before getting started, however, it’s important to gather comprehensive information about the program and its potential benefits. Explore the following frequently asked questions and answers to learn more about this program.
Lead with confidence to create a collaborative and inclusive learning environment.
If you are seeking licensure/certification, please refer to the Accreditation and Compliance/State disclosures link for the specific program of interest’s website for your location and/or employment state licensure requirements, per 34 CFR 668.14(b)32 and 668.43(c).
1 GCU News. 2024, May, 20. COE alums add to long list of educator awards. Retrieved Dec. 23, 2024.
2 Online programs exclude observational and practice-based experiences, such as clinical internship/field practicum hours, which must be completed in-person locally.
3 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, Aug. 29). Occupational Outlook Handbook: How to Become an Elementary, Middle, or High School Principal. Retrieved on Dec. 5, 2024.
4 The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Elementary, Middle or High School Principals as of May 2023, retrieved on Dec. 5, 2024. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as elementary, middle or high school principals, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
5 COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2024, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Elementary, Middle and High School Principals, retrieved on Dec. 5, 2024.
6 Parents’ Campaign. (2014, March 28). 10 Traits of Highly Effective Principals. Retrieved Dec. 5, 2024.
7 The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Postsecondary Education Administrators as of May 2023, retrieved on Dec. 5, 2024. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as postsecondary education administrators, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
This degree, offered by the College of Education, is a regionally accredited program approved by the State of Arizona. It aligns with the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL, 2015) led by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA, 2018).
Core Courses
Course Description
This course begins by acquainting candidates with the learning management system while preparing them to be successful graduate-level students and future educational leaders. With a programmatic focus on developing leaders, this course examines school missions and visions that promote the values of equity, diversity, and community, with an emphasis on a leader’s character development, modeling and advocating for ethical behavior, and leadership.
Course Description
This course introduces candidates to the laws and policies governing and relating to PK-12 education in the United States. A broad range of topics will be examined including the values of democracy, individual freedom, and responsibility, as well as equity, social justice, community, and diversity within the educational community. Focus is on the principal’s role in ethical decision-making and implementing laws, rights, policies, and regulations to improve outcomes for all students.
Course Description
This course examines PK-12 education finance with a fundamental focus on issues and practices that directly affect the operation of the school and local education agency (LEA). Candidates will be exposed to the regulations encompassed in the Uniform System of Financial Records (USFR) and the implications of these regulations at the school site level. School finance topics related to education at the federal, state, and local levels will be examined. Candidates will explore financial aspects of school improvement while managing change.
Course Description
This course emphasizes the critical role of the leader in creating and sustaining a positive school culture and shared vision. Given diverse settings, contexts, and leadership situations, candidates will explore how to manage and cultivate productive relationships with students, families, and the educational community that promote student development and success. Emphasis is placed on effective communication with community stakeholders in a variety of contexts.
Course Description
This course explores critical organizational and management issues faced by school principals. Topics explored include recruiting, selecting, and hiring, to build a quality work force to support school improvement. Focus also includes managing and allocating resources, including technology that supports equity and digital literacy to all learners. Candidates also explore promoting a school mission and vision to support school community safety and learning.
Course Description
This course prepares candidates to become effective instructional leaders in the evaluation of school-wide curricular programs to promote continuous school improvement. Focus is placed on evaluating academic and non-academic practices, services, and curricula to ensure cultural responsiveness, character education and development, equity, and accessibility based on data-driven analysis.
Course Description
This course prepares candidates to develop and promote best practices in emerging trends and initiatives in support of teacher self-efficacy and retention. Topics will explore coaching and mentoring in alignment to the teacher coaching cycle of observation, evaluation, and providing actionable feedback for teacher improvement. Emphasis is placed on creating a collaborative professional culture that promotes equity, cultural responsiveness, and the success and well-being of all stakeholders.
Course Description
This course prepares candidates to promote effective and safe learning environments to support school improvement initiatives. Research-based best practices in establishing a consistent, organized, and respectful learning environment will be explored. Emphasis is placed on equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive practices. Character education is addressed to support the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of all school community stakeholders, and to sustain a positive learning environment.
Course Description
This course prepares candidates to become effective building-level instructional leaders who are able to supervise, support and evaluate school staff in a manner that promotes character education, character development, reflection and self-awareness, equity, cultural responsiveness, and distributed leadership. Emphasis is placed on promoting professional dispositions and norms that support equity, inclusion, and educational success.
Course Description
The internship experience and course content bridge program knowledge and skills with a focus on observing, participating, and leading. Principal candidates will apply building-level leadership skills in a clinical practice designed to facilitate the candidate's ultimate success in improving the outcomes for all students as a school leader. Practicum/field experience hours: 100. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisites: EAD-507, EAD-517, and EAD-527.
Course Description
The internship experience and course content bridge program knowledge and skills with a focus on observing, participating, and leading. Principal candidates will apply building-level leadership skills in a clinical practice designed to facilitate the candidate's ultimate success in improving the outcomes for all students as a school leader. Practicum/field experience hours: 100. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: EAD-570.
Course Description
The internship experience and course content bridge program knowledge and skills with a focus on observing, participating, and leading. Principal candidates will apply building-level leadership skills in a clinical practice designed to facilitate the candidate's ultimate success in improving the outcomes for all students as a school leader. Practicum/field experience hours: 100. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisites: Successful completion of all courses in POS and content area; a 3.0 GPA and approval and placement by College of Education Office of Field Experience.
- GCU cannot and will not promise job placement, a job, graduate school placement, transfer of GCU program credits to another institution, promotion, salary, or salary increase. Please see the Career Services Policy in the University Policy Handbook.
- Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
- Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change
Pursue a next-generation education with an online degree from Grand Canyon University. Earn your degree with convenience and flexibility with online courses that let you study anytime, anywhere.
Grand Canyon University’s evening programs cater to the demands of working professionals who prefer an in-person learning environment. Our night classes meet just once per week and offer the interaction and discussion of a typical college classroom.