UMass Boston

Applicants must meet general graduate admission requirements in addition to the following program-specific requirements:

The program will recommend admission for those MEd and CAGS applicants who present evidence of their ability to do graduate work with distinction. Such evidence will normally include:

• At the time of enrollment, a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of recognized standing or an international equivalent.
• An undergraduate grade point average at the time of graduation of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (or international equivalent) or discipline specific GPA calculation, as evidenced by an official transcript.
• Two letters of recommendation. Typically, one or more letters from former professors familiar with the applicant’s academic abilities provide the strongest recommendations. Recommenders should have worked closely with the applicant in an academic, professional, or community service setting. Letters should not be written by friends or family members of the applicant. Letters should focus on the applicant’s abilities and past academic performance, while also indicating an ability to effectively complete graduate-level coursework.
• A résumé that documents two or more years of work experience as an educator or in the field of education.
• Statement of purpose. The statement of purpose is your opportunity to show the graduate admissions committee why you wish to pursue graduate study in this program, as well as your specific interests and goals.
• Submission of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) scores (optional).

Applicants interested in Massachusetts Administrator License

Please note that all students in this program who are seeking Massachusetts administrator licensure must provide proof of a passing score on the Communication and Literacy Skills portion of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) as part of the licensure process and documentation of state educator license.

Deadlines: March 1 (priority deadline) and April 1 (final deadline) for fall

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Estimate Your Program Cost: Get a feel for your expected program costs using the Graduate Program Cost Calculator.

Program Cost Information: For more detailed information on costs, please visit the Bursar's website.

Educational Leadership for Social Justice MEd

Required Courses (36 Credits)

• ADM G 610 - Research Design 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 613 - Personnel: Administration, Supervision and Evaluation 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 621 - Curriculum: Theories, Development, and Evaluation 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 622 - Curriculum: Status, Issues, and Trends 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 627 - Legal Issues In Educ 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 632 - Facility Design and Fiscal Management 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 646 - Leadership Development 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 655 - Advanced Seminar in Supervision 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 686 - Internship I Ed Adm 1.5-3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 687 - Practicum II in Educational Administration 1.5-3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 606 - Sociocultural Foundations of Education 3 Credit(s)

Educational Leadership for Social Justice CAGS

Required Courses (36 Credits)

• ADM G 603 - Organizational Change 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 610 - Research Design 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 613 - Personnel: Administration, Supervision and Evaluation 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 627 - Legal Issues In Educ 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 632 - Facility Design and Fiscal Management 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 655 - Advanced Seminar in Supervision 3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 686 - Internship I Ed Adm 1.5-3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 687 - Practicum II in Educational Administration 1.5-3 Credit(s)
• ADM G 691 - Advanced Seminar in Administration 3 Credit(s)
• APLING 623 - Sociolinguistics 3 Credit(s)
• EDC G 606 - Sociocultural Foundations of Education 3 Credit(s)
• SPE G 633 - Legal and Political Issues in Special Education 3 Credit(s)

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Educational Leadership for Social Justice MEd

Complete 36 credits from twelve required courses.

Capstone: Passage of a comprehensive portfolio examination synthesizing a significant portion of their course work. The portfolio offers students an opportunity to collect and reflect systematically upon the various components of their own learning, drawing on readings, course work, and pre-practicum and practicum experiences.
Practicum or internship: A 500-hour, two-year-long practicum or internship in educational administration is required for aspiring principals/assistant principals and special education directors. Students normally begin their practicum in the first semester and continue adding hours over the next two years (although this schedule may vary with different districts).
Licensure: Applicants seeking licensure as principal, supervisor/director, or administrator of special education must pass the communication and literacy portion of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure to be recommended for licensure. For complete information on this requirement, see the Massachusetts DESE website on Educator Services. Applicants seeking licensure as principal/assistant principal must also pass the Massachusetts Performance Assessment for Leaders (PAL). We will assist you with the assessment tasks as part of your regular coursework.

In addition to the MEd in Educational Leadership for Social Justice, students will receive the Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) endorsement for administrators upon graduation.

Statute of limitations: Five years.

Educational Leadership for Social Justice CAGS

Complete 36 credits from twelve required courses.

Capstone: Passage of a comprehensive portfolio examination synthesizing a significant portion of their course work. The portfolio offers students an opportunity to collect and reflect systematically upon the various components of their own learning, drawing on readings, coursework, and pre-practicum and practicum experiences.
Practicum or internship: A 500-hour, two-year-long practicum or internship in educational administration is required for aspiring principals/assistant principals and special education directors. Students normally begin their practicum in the first semester and continue adding hours over the next two years (although this schedule may vary with different districts).
Licensure: Applicants seeking licensure as principal, assistant principal, or administrator of special education must pass the communication and literacy portion of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure to be recommended for licensure. For complete information on this requirement, see the Massachusetts DESE website on Educator Services. Applicants seeking licensure as principal/assistant principal must also pass the Massachusetts Performance Assessment for Leaders (PAL). We will assist you with the assessment tasks as part of your regular coursework.

In addition to the CAGS in Educational Leadership for Social Justice, students will receive the Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) endorsement for administrators upon graduation.

Statute of limitations: Three years.

By the end of a two-year, 36 credit hour program, students will become:

1. Instructional Leaders who can connect research, curriculum, instruction and assessment to improve learning for all students.
2. Anti-Racist Leaders who can use knowledge and skills about race, gender, and culture and how these constructs intersect with each other to build school and educational community environments characterized by social justice and equity. Students will learn to not just be leaders who oppose racism but leaders who implement policies, practices and structures that act against racism.
3. Organizational and Cultural Leaders who can use solid understandings of organizational dynamics and culture to move successfully toward a shared vision for a school or community-based organization.
4. Managerial Leaders who can marshal the “nuts and bolts” of management and operations—human, financial, technological, and legal resources—to attain goals and serve a broad vision.
5. Leaders of other Leaders who can use their understanding of the principles and practices of professional development to support the growth of staff members and colleagues.
6. Data-Critical Leaders who can use data and enhance their organization’s capacity to use data not only for assessment, continuous improvement and decision-making but also for accountability, inquiry and action against injustices.
7. Communication Leaders who can use interpersonal, oral and written skills to work effectively with a variety of audiences, including parents and community members.
8. Reflective Leaders who can demonstrate the ability to integrate these tenets in context, to learn from practice, to assess strengths and weaknesses, and to plan for personal learning.

Through rigorous courses discussions, assignments and field experiences students will be able to:

• Communicate a clear and compelling vision for educational systems, schools, districts and community organizations that demonstrates and represent their knowledge about race, gender, and culture that defines / represent the components related to social justice.
• Design and implement a capstone project to leverage solutions to identified school- and community-based challenges and ensure equity and social justice is addressed in all aspect of the entry plan.
• Understand the ways data is socially constructed and use quantitative and qualitative methods of research and evaluation as an equity tools to promote accountability of decisions and create change.
• Identify, diagnose and manage change processes to turn educational settings into more strategic, coherent, equitable and just organizations.
• Examine the ethical impact on leadership and form strategies to foster justice with an inclusive mindset.
• Establish a community that addresses social justice on various levels: personal, institutional and societal.
• Assess and identify intended and unintended consequences of decisions through reflection and progress monitoring.

Careers

Our graduates are leaders who support the transformation and design of schools and community organizations at all levels.

Examples of positions our graduates have held or currently hold:

• Assistant Principal/Principal
• Director of Instruction
• Principal Leader
• Program Director
• Director of Special Education
• Curriculum Coordinator
• Assistant Dean of Students
• Senior Director of Teacher Development Initiatives
• Coordinator of Access and Equity in the Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign
• Preschool Director

Graduate Program Director Casel Walker
casel.walker [at] umb.edu
(617) 287-4848