About The Program
We meet you where you are: already in the schools. We designed this flexible online program specifically for licensed teachers with at least two years of teaching experience. You'll complete all coursework online, and you'll get an opportunity to practice emerging skills with field-based learning and tailored internships. By earning your degree, you'll become a transformational leader who makes a difference in education.
Career Paths
- Assistant principal
- Principal (elementary, middle or high school)
- Supervisor of curriculum and instruction
- Director of instructional programs
- Coordinator of special education programs
- Coordinator of Title I programs
- School improvement specialist
- Educational consultant
At a Glance
Degree Earned
Master's in Education (M.Ed.)
Credits: 33
Application Semester and Deadline
Fall: April 1
Program Modality
Online and in-person*
*A minimum number of students is required to administer an in-person cohort.
Estimated Completion Time
Full-time (9-15 credits): average completion in 3 semesters
Part-time (1-8 credits): average completion in 5 semesters
#15 - U.S. News & World Report's 2024 annual list of "Best Online Graduate Programs"
"The best thing is the content I've been learning and getting to work with professors who are very easy to talk to and always open to taking questions. If you're an educator and ready to get deep into everything that makes a different in education, this is the program to pursue."
Deanna Fierro, M.Ed., '20
Admission requirements
| Degree: | Semester(s) of entry: | Deadline dates: | Test requirements: |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.Ed. | Fall | Apr 1 |
In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the following requirements represent the minimum acceptable standards for admission:
- Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate discipline
- Two letters of recommendation addressing the student’s potential for graduate study in education
- Statement of intent
- Transcripts of all previous college work
- At least two years of experience in a school setting in an instructional personnel position that requires licensure in Virginia
Please visit the School of Education website for further information.
Degree requirements
In addition to general VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students are required to complete course work in core and elective courses.
- Credit hour requirements: Students are required to complete a minimum of 33 credit hours.
- Grade requirements: Receipt of a grade of C or below in two courses constitutes automatic dismissal from the program. Courses with a grade below C cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.
- Internship requirement: Students in the administration and supervision concentration must complete an internship sequence.
- Testing requirements: Individuals must take the School Leaders Licensure Assessment or any other assessment required by the Virginia Board of Education for endorsement as a school principal/supervisor K-12.
- For endorsement, individuals must meet the technology standards approved by the Virginia Board of Education, and they must supply proof of child abuse and neglect recognition training.
Curriculum requirements
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required courses | ||
| ADMS 611 ADMS 611. School Law. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Legal aspects of school administration that include constitutional and statutory provisions and court decisions. Relationship of legal aspects to governance of schools in Virginia will be emphasized. Appropriate field-based project relating theory to practice will be required. | School Law | 3 |
| ADMS 618 ADMS 618. Leadership for Change and Improvement. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Students will reflect on the past, critically review current reality in schools or organizations and creatively predict the nature of schooling or organizational effectiveness in the future in light of the responsive role of the leader. Other constructs presented include change as an educational or organizational paradigm, the use of data to inform changes for improvement, and the leader as a change agent. In addition, students will assess their school or organization for change readiness. | Leadership for Change and Improvement | 3 |
| ADMS 622 ADMS 622. Understanding Diversity and Leading for Social Justice. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. In this course, participants will engage in conversations related to diversity in schools or organizations. Students will explore the critical role of education or organizational leadership in a rapidly changing democratic society. Participants will reflect on how culture impacts leadership beliefs and practice as well as explore strategies for establishing equitable environments that support the needs of all stakeholders. | Understanding Diversity and Leading for Social Justice | 3 |
| ADMS 624 ADMS 624. Principals as Human Resource Agents. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. The course examines the management of human resources in schools and school divisions. Legal issues, division policies, ethical considerations and professional interpersonal relationships are explored, along with evaluation of personnel. Students will participate in problem-solving in specific human resources cases and will critically examine human resource situations in their own contexts. | Principals as Human Resource Agents | 3 |
| ADMS 625 ADMS 625. Leadership for Individualized Learning. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course represents a holistic approach to leadership for meeting needs of learners across the continuum with a focus on students with disabilities and to include gifted students and English-language learners. The constructs presented include legal and historical frameworks, equity issues, traditional and emerging policies and practices, models of instructional delivery, and roles and responsibilities of personnel. | Leadership for Individualized Learning | 3 |
| ADMS 627 ADMS 627. Enhancing and Supporting Instruction. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. The focus is to learn ways to enhance and support instruction that improves student achievement. The content includes effective instruction, supervision, evaluation, professional development, diverse learners and capacity-building through the development of professional learning communities, as well as using data and curriculum alignment strategies to improve student performance. | Enhancing and Supporting Instruction | 3 |
| ADMS 629 ADMS 629. The Business of Schools. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course presents financial considerations such as funding, revenue and expenditure audits; maintenance of a safe and productive learning environment; crisis management and media relations; physical plant management; meeting management; communication with internal and external publics; time management; and the ability to effectively navigate political waters. The approach to these constructs will be both diagnostic and prescriptive. | The Business of Schools | 3 |
| ADMS 630 ADMS 630. Understanding and Engaging School Communities. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Students will explore the broad social, economic, political and demographic shifts that have transformed metropolitan schools and communities over the past half century. Based on a deeper understanding of the complex forces that influence society and democracy, students will develop leadership skills that focus on building relationships and communicating effectively with internal and external schools and/or communities. | Understanding and Engaging School Communities | 3 |
| ADMS 633 ADMS 633. Multiple Dimensions of Leadership. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course provides participants with the opportunity to understand their own unique beliefs and dispositions regarding leadership as well as to understand the roles and responsibilities of leaders, including the ethical dimensions of leadership. Various leadership models and theories are presented and explored. | Multiple Dimensions of Leadership | 3 |
| ADMS 670 ADMS 670. Administrative Internship I. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. This course must be taken as one of the first courses in the first semester of enrollment. The course serves as an orientation to the internship experience, which is an integral component throughout the master's and/or post-master's program of studies. Students will learn the specifics of the entire internship component of the program, such as the 320 internship hours required, the scope of internship work, and the variety of experiences needed and means by which all internship experiences are to be documented throughout the program. Students will develop their individual internship plans, which will guide them through their internship experiences throughout their entire program. This plan will include specific field experiences in each required course as well as plans that will be executed in Administrative Internship II and Administrative Internship III, such that a total of 320 hours of experiences are accrued and documented by the end of the program. Graded as S/U/F. This course includes site-based requirements. | Administrative Internship I 1 | 1 |
| ADMS 671 ADMS 671. Administrative Internship II. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Prerequisites: full admission status; no grades of Incomplete; evidence provided of meeting technology standards and completing child abuse/neglect recognition training; meet university's Graduate School academic requirements for graduation; adviser/department head approval of internship application; successful completion of ADMS 670. This course is to be taken in the semester immediately before Internship III. This course focuses on emerging topics from the students' internship experiences with emphases on leadership skills, professional dispositions and management. Field-based internship experiences developed in ADMS 670 are continued such that a total of 320 hours of experiences will be accrued and documented by the end of the entire program. A culminating experience taken at the end of the program, this course is designed for students to have opportunities to synthesize the essential knowledge and skills necessary to be a school leader. Reflection and refinement of skills and knowledge will be part of student-developed professional portfolio that could be used in securing a leadership position in a school system. Integration of theory and practice will take place in the internship as evidenced by documented experiences in a school/school district setting supervised by an approved professional and university instructor. Course will include seminars, selected readings, projects, discussion and other culminating activities. Graded as S/U/F. This course includes site-based requirements. | Administrative Internship II 2 | 1 |
| ADMS 675 ADMS 675. Administrative Internship III. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Prerequisite: successful completion of ADMS 670 and 671. This course is continuation of the experiences in ADMS 670 and 671 and of seminar topics related to developing a personal portfolio and resume as well as interviewing skills. It provides a culminating review and professional reflection of the internship experiences. As part of successful completion of this course, 320 hours of documented internship experiences must be completed by the end of the program. Graded as S/U/F. This course includes site-based requirements. | Administrative Internship III 3 | 1 |
| EDUS 660 EDUS 660. Research Methods in Education. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, hybrid or face-to-face). 3 credits. Designed to provide an introductory understanding of educational research and evaluation studies. Emphasizes fundamental concepts, procedures and processes appropriate for use in basic, applied and developmental research. Includes developing skills in critical analysis of research studies. Analyzes the assumptions, uses and limitations of different research designs. Explores methodological and ethical issues of educational research. Students either conduct or design a study in their area of educational specialization. | Research Methods in Education | 3 |
| Assessment | ||
| Individuals must take the SLLA or any other assessment required by the Virginia Board of Education for endorsement as a school principal/supervisor K-12. (no credit) | ||
| Total Hours | 33 | |
ADMS 670 ADMS 670. Administrative Internship I. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. This course must be taken as one of the first courses in the first semester of enrollment. The course serves as an orientation to the internship experience, which is an integral component throughout the master's and/or post-master's program of studies. Students will learn the specifics of the entire internship component of the program, such as the 320 internship hours required, the scope of internship work, and the variety of experiences needed and means by which all internship experiences are to be documented throughout the program. Students will develop their individual internship plans, which will guide them through their internship experiences throughout their entire program. This plan will include specific field experiences in each required course as well as plans that will be executed in Administrative Internship II and Administrative Internship III, such that a total of 320 hours of experiences are accrued and documented by the end of the program. Graded as S/U/F. This course includes site-based requirements.
ADMS 671 ADMS 671. Administrative Internship II. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Prerequisites: full admission status; no grades of Incomplete; evidence provided of meeting technology standards and completing child abuse/neglect recognition training; meet university's Graduate School academic requirements for graduation; adviser/department head approval of internship application; successful completion of ADMS 670. This course is to be taken in the semester immediately before Internship III. This course focuses on emerging topics from the students' internship experiences with emphases on leadership skills, professional dispositions and management. Field-based internship experiences developed in ADMS 670 are continued such that a total of 320 hours of experiences will be accrued and documented by the end of the entire program. A culminating experience taken at the end of the program, this course is designed for students to have opportunities to synthesize the essential knowledge and skills necessary to be a school leader. Reflection and refinement of skills and knowledge will be part of student-developed professional portfolio that could be used in securing a leadership position in a school system. Integration of theory and practice will take place in the internship as evidenced by documented experiences in a school/school district setting supervised by an approved professional and university instructor. Course will include seminars, selected readings, projects, discussion and other culminating activities. Graded as S/U/F. This course includes site-based requirements.
ADMS 675 ADMS 675. Administrative Internship III. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Prerequisite: successful completion of ADMS 670 and 671. This course is continuation of the experiences in ADMS 670 and 671 and of seminar topics related to developing a personal portfolio and resume as well as interviewing skills. It provides a culminating review and professional reflection of the internship experiences. As part of successful completion of this course, 320 hours of documented internship experiences must be completed by the end of the program. Graded as S/U/F. This course includes site-based requirements.
The minimum total of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 33.
The VCU Bulletin is the official source for academic course and program information.
The School of Education (SOE) degree programs that lead to professional licensure are designed to prepare students to meet the requirements for professional licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia as outlined by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). The SOE has determined that the curriculum includes applicable educational prerequisites for the following professional licensure(s) and/or certification(s) as outlined on this page of our website.