Educational Leadership, Ed.S., Strategic Educational Leadership
The Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Strategic Educational Leadership is a graduate curriculum for candidates who already possess a qualified master’s degree and who seek an advanced post-master’s degree that develops knowledge, competencies, and dispositions related to leading organizations with missions that include training, education, and teaching-and-learning activities. The Educational Specialist degree in Strategic Educational Leadership seeks to develop the program candidate’s graduate-level knowledge and skills in Leadership Theory & Practice; Curriculum Design and Data Fluency; Cultural Proficiency in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Resource Use in Education. The curriculum offers a wide range of elective course choices from NLU’s broad array of professional disciplines, enabling candidates to customize and personalize their advanced leadership credentials. Candidates may begin in the Ed.S. curriculum and continue on to earn their Ed.D. in Strategic Educational Leadership with no interruption.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Upon completion of the Strategic Educational Leadership major, candidates will demonstrate mastery of the following forms of knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
PLO-1 Content Knowledge. Candidates demonstrate and integrate specialized content knowledge in leadership as applied to leading learning communities and organizations with educational components within their missions.
PLO-2 Leadership Dispositions in Action. Candidates demonstrate leadership dispositions to articulate and model cognitive habits of mind and social-emotional habits of heart to promote safe and stimulating learning cultures for learners, staff, faculty, and community stakeholders.
PLO-3 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Capacities. Candidates advocate for and demonstrate diversity, educational equity, inclusion, and social justice through cultural proficiency and opportunities to advance the overall well-being of learners, staff, and other educational stakeholders.
PLO-4 Engagement and Networking. Candidates engage in an organization’s development and improvement plan for collaboration among stakeholders to develop effective learning communities and promote academic success.
PLO-5 Scholarly Proficiencies. Candidates engage in scholarly habits as they apply theory, research and practice to their coursework and leadership project.
PLO-6 Self-Directed Learning. Candidates develop and meet one or more personalized learning objective/s tailored to achieving the individual’s professional goals and a multi-term leadership project related to program pursuit at the Ed.S. level.
In addition to the National College of Education Graduate Admission Requirements, the program requires:
- Signed Licensure Limitation Form (acknowledges that this is a non-licensure program)
- Faculty review
Program Details:
Required Courses
Strategic Educational Leadership - 30 SH
Foundational Courses - 8 SH
| EDL 517 | Leadership Concepts and Applications in Education | 2 |
| EDL 520 | Leading Diverse Schools | 2 |
| EDL 525 | Decision-Making for Educational Systems and Organizations | 2 |
| EDL 526 | Realizing Vision through Technical, Human, and Financial Resources | 2 |
Research - 3 SH
Intro to Research - Choose 3 SH
| EDL 630 | Understanding and Using Educational Research | 3 |
| HED 601 | Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research in Education | 3 |
Major Electives - 12 SH
Leadership Theory and Practice - Choose 3 SH
| CAP 602 | Curriculum Theory: Contemporary Issues and Practices | 3 |
| CCD 625 | Critical Policy Analysis | 3 |
| EDL 605 | Leading Change | 3 |
| EDL 606 | Utilizing Effective Leadership Principles and Processes | 3 |
| EDL 620 | Understanding the Dynamics of Political, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Education | 3 |
| HED 626 | Legal Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Choose 3 SH
| CCD 630 | Education in a Global World | 3 |
| DEE 605 | History of Disability and Education | 3 |
| EDL 604 | Fostering Cultural Proficiency, Opportunity and Equity | 3 |
| HED 600 | Higher Education in the United States | 3 |
| OBD 651 | Diversity and Inclusion in the Organizational Culture | 3 |
Curriculum Design and Data Fluency - Choose 3 SH
| CAP 600 | Curriculum Theory: Historical, Philosophical, and Political Issues | 3 |
| CAP 601 | Cultures of Schools and Communities | 3 |
| EDL 622 | Developing Curriculum and Evaluating Programs | 3 |
| EDL 624 | Improving Instruction through Professional Development and Evaluation | 3 |
| EDL 626 | Leading Instruction to Advance Student Learning | 3 |
| EDL 628 | Analyzing and Using Data for Systemic Improvement | 3 |
| EDL 632 | Utilizing Data to Inform Decision Making | 3 |
Resource Use in Education - Choose 3 SH
| EDL 601 | Analyzing Resource Allocation and Equity in Educational Financial Management | 3 |
| EDL 637 | Managing Human and Fiscal Resources in Education | 3 |
Leadership Project - 4 SH
| EDL 573 | Educational Leadership Project | 1 TO 4 |
General Electives - 3 SH
Choose 3 SH of NLU graduate courses listed below in consultation with the Academic Advisor.
Curriculum Design and Data Fluency
| CCD 604 | Data Analysis, Interpretation, and Presentation | 3 |
| EDL 628 | Analyzing and Using Data for Systemic Improvement | 3 |
| EDL 632 | Utilizing Data to Inform Decision Making | 3 |
| ESR 616 | Mixed Methods Design | 3 |
| ESR 618 | Interpretive and Critical Research Design | 3 |
| HED 651 | Data-driven Decision Making in Education | 3 |
| RES 640 | Survey Research and Intro to Statistical Software | 3 |
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
| CCD 630 | Education in a Global World | 3 |
| DEE 605 | History of Disability and Education | 3 |
| DEE 606 | Applied Disability Studies: Advocacy Through Consulting | 3 |
| DEE 690 | Seminar: Special Topics in Disability and Equity in Education | 1 TO 12 |
| DEE 693 | Disability Studies in Education Seminar | 3 |
| EDL 604 | Fostering Cultural Proficiency, Opportunity and Equity | 3 |
| OBD 651 | Diversity and Inclusion in the Organizational Culture | 3 |
Leadership Theory and Practice
| EDL 605 | Leading Change | 3 |
| EDL 622 | Developing Curriculum and Evaluating Programs | 3 |
| EDL 624 | Improving Instruction through Professional Development and Evaluation | 3 |
| HED 620 | Leadership and Governance in Higher Education | 3 |
| HED 634 | Quality Assurance in Higher Education | 3 |
| OBD 650 | Culture of Learning Organizations | 3 |
Other (Teaching and Learning)
| CAP 600 | Curriculum Theory: Historical, Philosophical, and Political Issues | 3 |
| CAP 601 | Cultures of Schools and Communities | 3 |
| CAP 602 | Curriculum Theory: Contemporary Issues and Practices | 3 |
| CAP 603 | Curriculum Planning, Organization, and Evaluation | 3 |
| CAP 605 | Professional Development and School Change | 3 |
| CCD 615 | Sociology of Education | 3 |
| CCD 620 | Epistemology of Learning, Teaching and Inquiry | 3 |
| CCD 690 | Seminar: Special Topics in Education | 1 TO 3 |
| EDL 626 | Leading Instruction to Advance Student Learning | 3 |
| HED 632 | Student Development Theory | 3 |
| HED 695 | Special Topics in Higher Education | 1 TO 6 |
| PTIL 601 | Instructional Design in Higher Education | 3 |
Note: Additional 500- and 600-level courses in ECA, ECE, EDL, CIC, CIL or other elective topics may be accepted with dissertation chair approval.
Resource Use in Education
| CCD 625 | Critical Policy Analysis | 3 |
| EDL 608 | Communicating and Engaging with Staff, Families, and Communities | 3 |
| EDL 620 | Understanding the Dynamics of Political, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Education | 3 |
| HED 600 | Higher Education in the United States | 3 |
| HED 622 | Strategic Marketing and Enrollment Management | 3 |
| HED 624 | Finance and Budgeting in Higher Education | 3 |
| HED 626 | Legal Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| HED 630 | Academic Affairs: Faculty, Curriculum, and Assessment | 3 |