Fully Online Program
The Master of Science (M.S.) in Educational Leadership degree is a fully-online graduate program. Candidates attain professional certification in administration and gain knowledge and skills in school leadership. This program is designed for the educator who holds a teaching certificate from area states and wishes to complete the requirements for a principal or special education supervisor certificate.
Program Requirements
Application to the program should be completed online. Before beginning an application, please book time with Dr. Tami Williams or contact edleadership@unomaha.edu for more details.
The 100% online M.S. degree program is 36 hours, which must be completed within 10 years. If a required course has been taken previously, an elective may be substituted. A tentative list of classes and calendar are part of our plan of study. The degree consists of 21 credit hours of required classes, 12 hours of concentration classes, and 3 hours of electives.
Classes are scheduled to allow teachers to continue employment and complete the degree in a personalized timeline. The classes are scheduled to be accomplished through one night a week (fall and spring) and/or three days a week (June or July). Most students complete the degree in three summers or a combination of fall, spring, and summer classes in two years. Endorsement can be finished in as little as 18 months, depending upon individual goals.
Choosing to earn a Master's Degree versus an Endorsement?
The 100% online endorsement option is available for those who have already earned a master’s degree in education and seek an administrative certificate. Options to be added are as follows: PK-8, 7-12, and PK-12 principal certification and special education supervisor certification.
Three areas of concentration correlate to certification:
- Building Administration Concentration (Principal, admin certificate)
- Special Education Supervisor (admin certificate)
- Teacher Leader (does not lead to admin certificate)
Those earning an endorsement do not complete the 3 hours of electives nor the Comprehensive Exam included in the master's degree.
If you are adding either the Principal or Special Education Supervisor endorsement to your current teaching certificate and are not completing the mater's degree program in Educational Leadership, apply to the UNO office of Graduate Studies as "unclassified status" in EDL. To create your informal plan of study email edleadership@unomaha.edu to notify the team of your application to graduate studies and schedule an advising appointment at book time with Dr. Tami Williams, EDL Department Chair.
Those earning a master's degree choose their certification by selecting the 12-hour concentration (principal or SPED block - see course planning document in "related resources" in the side bar for more details).