The Master of Arts in Educational Leadership is a 36-hour, non-thesis program. Students must successfully complete courses designed to develop general administrative knowledge and skill in the following areas: administrative theory and practice, curriculum theory, instructional supervision, school law, business management, special and compensatory education, and courses designed to develop areas of competency for the position of principal or central administrator.

Students must complete the following courses:

ED 6302 Foundations of Educational Practice
3 semester hours

ED 6304 Human Development and Learning
3 semester hours

ED 6306 Curriculum Theory and Practice
3 semester hours

ED 6311 Applied Educational Research
3 semester hours

ED 6395 Current Topics in Education
3 semester hours

ED 7301 Organizational Theory and Administration
3 semester hours

ED 7302 Private and Public School Law
3 semester hours

ED 7305 School-Community Relations
3 semester hours

ED 7307 Instructional Supervision and Evaluation
3 semester hours

ED 7312 Educational Resource Development
3 semester hours

ED 7315 Effective School Leadership
3 semester hours

ED 7390 Internship in Educational Leadership
3 semester hours

TOTAL = 36

State of Texas Principal Certificate

After earning an M.A. in Educational Leadership, a student may pursue the State of Texas Principal Certificate by earning nine additional hours of graduate credit and successfully meeting all certification requirements. For programs approved by the State of Texas, the University is authorized to recommend qualified candidates for Principal Certification. Requirements for completing such an approved program are:

A. Completion of a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership (at St. Mary's University).

B. Successful completion of an additional 9 hours of appropriate coursework in:

• Computer Science
• Counseling
• Decision Support
• Education
• Management
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• Sociology
• Speech

c. Passing score on the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) for the Principal Certificate.

d. Two years of acceptable classroom teaching experience.

e. Valid Teacher Certificate, special education certificate, or vocational certificate that requires a bachelor's degree.