Strategic Educational Leadership, Ed.S.

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 students, 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 517Leadership Concepts and Applications in Education

2

EDL 520Leading Diverse Schools

2

EDL 525Decision-Making for Educational Systems and Organizations

2

EDL 526Realizing Vision through Technical, Human, and Financial Resources

2

Research - 3 SH

Intro to Research - Choose 3 SH
EDL 630Understanding and Using Educational Research

3

HED 601Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research in Education

3

Major Electives - 12 SH

Leadership Theory and Practice - Choose 3 SH
CAP 600Curriculum Theory: Historical, Philosophical, and Political Issues

3

CAP 602Curriculum Theory: Contemporary Issues and Practices

3

CCD 625Critical Policy Analysis

3

EDL 605Leading Change

3

EDL 606Utilizing Effective Leadership Principles and Processes

3

EDL 620Understanding the Dynamics of Political, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Education

3

HED 626Legal Issues in Higher Education

3

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Choose 3 SH
CCD 630Education in a Global World

3

DEE 605History of Disability and Education

3

EDL 604Fostering Cultural Proficiency, Opportunity and Equity

3

HED 600Higher Education in the United States

3

OBD 651Diversity and Inclusion in the Organizational Culture

3

Curriculum Design and Data Fluency - Choose 3 SH
CAP 600Curriculum Theory: Historical, Philosophical, and Political Issues

3

CAP 601Cultures of Schools and Communities

3

EDL 622Developing Curriculum and Evaluating Programs

3

EDL 624Improving Instruction through Professional Development and Evaluation

3

EDL 626Leading Instruction to Advance Student Learning

3

EDL 628Analyzing and Using Data for Systemic Improvement

3

EDL 632Utilizing Data to Inform Decision Making

3

Resource Use in Education - Choose 3 SH
EDL 601Analyzing Resource Allocation and Equity in Educational Financial Management

3

EDL 637Managing Human and Fiscal Resources in Education

3

Leadership Project - 4 SH

EDL 573Educational Leadership Project

1 TO 4

General Electives - 3 SH

Choose 7 SH of NLU graduate courses in consultation with the Academic Advisor.