Master of Arts in School Leadership (MASL)
Goals
- Graduates will be “teachers of teachers” who lead instructors in creating communities in each individual learning environment.
- Graduates will be ethical teachers and leaders who build their respective schools into unified learning communities.
- Graduates will actively involve members of the community outside their school (families, business, outside agencies, and other stakeholders).
Outcomes
- Ensure successful communication between administrators, teachers and parents to help nurture the whole child.
- Demonstrate leadership by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional development.
- Promote the success of all students by acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner that demonstrates respect for all cultures, ethnicities, gender, socioeconomic status, and exceptionalities.
- Create a community of caring relationships that unify all educational participants (students, teachers, families, community members, other stakeholders) in the education process.
- Incorporate sound research and information (including action research generated by the school community) into the perpetual process of educational improvement.
- Promote the success of all students by understanding and influencing the larger political, social, economic, and legal institutions which impact education.
These goals and outcomes of the program foster professional competence in educational leadership and effective instruction by requiring students to complete a curriculum of study, a comprehensive examination over the core curriculum, and a practicum in educational leadership (MASL).
Admission Requirements for the MASL Program
The admissions policy for the MASL at Benedictine College are designed to select students who have demonstrated the ability to be successful in academic, teaching, and leadership vocations. The School of Education carefully considers each application during department meetings and makes one of the following decisions:
- regular admission,
- probational admission, or
- denial of admission.
The decisions of the department with regards to admission are subsequently brought to the Committee on Graduate Studies for confirmation. The Director of the program will notify the applicant of the admission decision in writing. The applicant may appeal any adverse decision by submitting a written petition. Unless formal approval is received from the Director, a maximum of two courses taken as a special graduate student may be applied to degree requirements.
The requirements for formal admission are as follows:
Regular Admission
Applicants to the MASL program must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average in their last two years (60 hours) of college course work from accredited institutions.
In addition to the completed application form, applicants must submit:
- Official transcripts of all applicable college-level work completed and indication of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
- Evidence of certification for a role in the public/private schools and at least one year of professional experience.
- Professional Disposition evaluation completed by two supervisors as a recommendation of the candidate's potential abilities as a school leader.
- A résumé or curriculum vitae of educational and professional experience.
Probational Admission
Applicants with less than the required GPA may be admitted on a probationary status. The status of students under this provision will be re-evaluated after the completion of the first six hours of graduate work at Benedictine College in the prescribed curriculum of the program as follows:
- Those students who achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the first six hours of the prescribed curricula will be granted regular admission status.
- Those students who do not achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the first six hours of the prescribed curricula will be dismissed from the program.
Degree Requirements
- All course work must be completed within six (6) years from the date of the initial enrollment.
- A cumulative GPA of 3.25 must be maintained each semester.
- A maximum of six (6) semester hours of ‘C’ credit will be accepted. If a student receives a grade of ‘C’ in more than six (6) semester hours he or she will be dismissed from the program.
- Any grade below ‘C’ will not be accepted and will result in exclusion from further study.
- Degree candidates must pass a written comprehensive examination.
- Degree candidates must complete the online graduation application by the appropriate date.
Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC-5512 | Introduction to Educational Research | 3 |
| EDUC-5515 | Models & Strat Instructional Leadership | 3 |
| EDUC-5516 | Practicum in Instructional Leadership | 1 |
| EDUC-5532 | Foundations of Curriculum Developme K-12 | 3 |
| EDUC-5534 | Assessment & School Improvement | 3 |
| EDUC-6606 | School Leadership, Management & Finance | 4 |
| EDUC-6612 | Supervision in Education | 3 |
| EDUC-6613 | Practicum in Supervision | 1 |
| EDUC-6622 | Educational Law | 3 |
| EDUC-6623 | Practicum in Legal, Ethical & Comm Issueý@ | 1 |
| EDUC-6640 | Partnering With Parents & the Community | 3 |
| EDUC-6642 | Educational Leadership | 3 |
| EDUC-6643 | Practicum in the Principalship | 1 |
| EDUC-6680 | Special Education Administration | 3 |
| EDUC-6688 | Master's Comprehensive Exams | 0 |
| Total Hours | 35 | |
School Leadership Practicum for the MASL Program
The program includes a 200-hour practicum in educational leadership and administration during specific courses, with activities aligned to standards addressed by the course. Practicum requirements include a 20-hour visitation to a school of a different cultural setting than their “home school” with a subsequent reflection paper based on this experience. Practicum experiences are designed in collaboration between the Program Director, the student, and the supervisor at the proposed practicum location.
Dispositions
To complete the MASL program at Benedictine College, all candidates must demonstrate appropriate “dispositions” for school leadership. This term means the values and professional ethics the graduate student brings to becoming principal. We are required by the State of Kansas to evaluate candidates on their dispositions. The dispositions we expect candidates to demonstrate may be summarized in the phrase, “Professionally Responsible Builders of Community.” These are divided into two areas: 1) “Professional Responsibilities” and 2) “Building Community.” Dispositions are reviewed each semester and are scored at each of the three (3) benchmark points in the program. If a supervising mentor, teacher, principal, or faculty member has serious concerns about a candidate’s professional dispositions, a meeting will be held with the candidate, Program Director, and Chair. A plan for improvement will be made and a timeline for re-evaluation will be set. Failure to meet the tenets of the plan in a timely and professional manner may lead to the dismissal from the program.
Graduation Application
During the semester preceding the final semester before anticipated graduation, students must make application for graduation by completing the online graduation application.
Comprehensive Examination
All graduate students must successfully complete a comprehensive exam over the course of study for the degree. The comprehensive exam for the MASL is the Praxis School Leadership Assessment (test 6990).