The hybrid, dual-track M.A. in School Leadership is for emerging public and independent school leaders across Texas and the United States. This 30-hour program will annually equip and connect up to 30 teachers and administrators to lead for flourishing. Grounded in Baylor’s unambiguously Christian mission, leaders will attend to their own spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, professional, and physical well-being so that they will lead humbly, do justice, and catalyze growth in colleagues and students. All students will complete six core classes. Three classes are track-specific and will meet the needs of those seeking Texas principal certification, and those who do not require that certification because they are serving in independent schools or other states. The program will consist of three on-campus intensive courses, six virtual job-embedded courses, and a leadership internship that will allow leaders to remain in their current professional roles while completing this degree in 18 months. Students seeking Texas principal certification will submit all materials for certification throughout the course of the program. The degree will culminate in a capstone research course that will require leaders to apply improvement science tools to address adaptive problems of practice in the leaders’ current school contexts.

Program Distinctives

Grounded in Christ: The Baylor program is grounded in Christ, theory, and practice. As Christians, our work is animated by our faith, and we bring that mission to everything we do. We teach and lead for human flourishing because we believe our students and colleagues are made in the image of God. Our role as school leaders is to walk alongside others as we help them become all that God created them to be. Sound educational theory informs our inquiry and practice as we seek to serve others well and holistically.

Diverse Schools: M.A. students will learn about all school contexts as public and independent school leaders work alongside one another on common problems of practice. The diverse school contexts in which M.A. students serve will enrich the experience of the cohort model as we learn from the adaptive challenges and opportunities of particular contexts.

Hybrid Classes: The M.A. is structured to offer a hybrid form of learning that maximizes connection and convenience. Face-to-face on-campus intensives will build relationships that will flourish as we also work virtually from our own school contexts. The program will launch with a nine-day intensive residential experience. This will support the virtual collaboration that will occur through weekly synchronous online sessions and asynchronous work.

Capstone Research: The culminating experience for MA students will be a capstone research project. Students will conduct focused research on solving a problem of practice at their school. Using improvement science, leaders will identify problems of practice in their school context, identify possible solutions, and through an iterative process will execute, evaluate, and present the results of their solutions.

Requirements

To be considered for the program candidates must

1. submit official transcript(s) of all prior undergraduate and graduate coursework,
2. have at least two years of service in public or independent schools, and for Texas certification, you must hold a valid teaching certificate and have two years of teaching experience,
3. submit a letter of intent, no longer than three pages, describing why you want to pursue a degree in school leadership and believe you are a good fit for Baylor’s MA in School Leadership,
4. submit two letters of recommendation from individuals who know you and can speak to your educational or professional experience, and
5. submit a current resume.

For Texas principal certification: Candidates will need to pass the TExES Principal (268) and complete the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) to obtain a standard principal certification.

Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
EDL 5345	Fundamentals of School Leadership	3
EDL 5301	Christian Faith and P-12 Educational Leadership	3
EDL 5300	Research Applications in Educational Leadership	3
EDL 5302	Instructional Leadership	3
EDL 5363	Administrative Theory and Educational Leadership	3
EDL 5353	The Principalship	3
EDL 5V64	Internship in School Administration	3
EDL 5359	School Law and Governance	3
EDL 5344	School Business Management and Finance	3
EDL 5303	Capstone in Educational Leadership	3
Total Hours		30

Transfer Credits

A maximum of six credit hours may be transferred from an accredited institution toward the M.A. in School Leadership. Credit for graduate course work transferred from other universities is subject to the following provisions:

1. the work must be equivalent to Baylor graduate-level courses and must have been completed while a student was enrolled in good standing as a graduate student;
2. the work must have been done within five years prior to matriculation into the master’s degree program;
3. the school from which the credits are transferred must be accredited by a regional accreditation agency;
4. the student must have earned a letter grade of “B” or above—audited courses or courses taken for “pass/fail” credit will not transfer;
5. none of the transfer course work consists of extension or workshop courses; and
6. petition for transfer of credit occurs after enrollment in the Graduate School.

Courses taken at Baylor as a “transfer of credit,” post baccalaureate, or non-degree graduate student may be petitioned as transfer credit toward a graduate degree only after admission to a Baylor graduate program.