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>> Go to Downloads & Forms to view Leadership Education Application packet

About

Welcome to Educational Leadership at UCCS. By enrolling in one of the excellent programs offered here, you have identified yourself as an educational leader. You are now embarking upon an adventure in learning. Through this program you will be in partnership with a faculty of outstanding professionals who are also leaders in the field of education. They have been selected because of their commitment to excellence, their outstanding record in teaching adults, and their ability to mentor and develop leaders.

The curriculum of the Master’s Degree in Leadership has been carefully designed to ensure the development of educational leaders who can transform schools into learning communities in which all members of a diverse society are accorded opportunity and respect. This curriculum has been developed on a foundation of research in the areas of leadership, management, schooling, curriculum, instructional practices, adult development, and technology. The program is accredited by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Educational Leadership Constituency Council (ELCC).

As an active participant in these programs you will develop as a leader through an expanded selfknowledge and worldview. You will develop school management competencies and leadership strategies. You will learn how to guide an educational team as they integrate recommendations from research with an assessment of the needs of a school community and create a plan for student success. You will explore the political and social implications of schooling and the educational requirements of a diverse, democratic, multicultural society. You will discover how technology can be utilized to enhance management and communication. You will acquire the confidence necessary to ignite and inspire others.

Warren Bennis has written that the primary goal of leadership is the creation of a human community held together by a common purpose. True leaders, he said, demonstrate a balance of competence, virtue, and vision. It is our mission to guide you in developing all three.

Credits

Master of Arts in Leadership + Licensure

This is a 42-credit-hour program overall that requires the completion of 12 credits of core licensure requirements and 21 credit-hours of licensure electives in order to achieve licensure plus 9 additional credit hours for the MA degree. There are no cognate areas required for this degree.

Master of Arts in Leadership + Cognate Areas

This is a 30-credit-hour degree program only, with the option of licensure after the degree is completed. Students pursuing this option must choose between two cognate areas of 21 credit-hours each in addition to the 9-credit-hour core requirements. The cognate area stands in for the licensure electives required in the degree + licensure program. The two cognate areas are:

• Research & Foundations
• P-12

For students wishing to gain licensure after the degree program is complete, they may elect to take the 12 credits of core licensure requirements. Therefore, the general degree with both a cognate area and an added licensure is 42 credit-hours.

Online Program

The Master of Arts in Leadership + Licensure program is available both on campus and online.

• The online program is designed to:
• Allow students the option of completing coursework for licensure only (33 credits) or completing both licensure and the MA (42 credits).
• Address the needs of adult learners by offering classes in an online environment, in which courses are divided into modules to allow learners to continue their educational goals without the physical restrictions of a traditional classroom setting.
• Create a rich community of learners by progressing through the online program as a cohort.
• Provide opportunities for motivated educators who want to advance their education and career opportunities without disrupting their full-time jobs.
• Accommodate working adults by offering online classes that are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
• Assist educators in rural areas who have limited or no access to the UCCS campus.

The next online cohort will be forming Spring 2010 (January).

Student Handbook

>> Educational Leadership Student Handbook

>> Educational Leadership Course Descriptions

Admissions

• Grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.75
• Letters of recommendation from academic or professional sources
• Résumé
• Personal interview
• Preference is given to students who have a sound program of undergraduate work in the liberal arts and sciences or teaching field and who hold a teaching license

Post-Admission Requirements

Grade Requirements

Graduate students in the Department of Leadership, Research, and Foundations (LRF) in the College of Education (COE) must maintain grades of no less than B minus in all coursework. This policy is enforced for students enrolled in the Master’s degree program and students enrolled in Student Affairs in Higher Education (SAHE) whether on campus or online.

Repeating Courses

A student who receives a grade below B minus in a course may repeat that course once, upon approval by the department chair. The grade received in a repeated course will substitute for the original grade and only the latter grade will be used in calculating the Graduate Program grade point average required for graduation. However, all grades received will appear on the student's transcript and will be used in calculating the student's University grade point average.

Transfer Course Credits

Courses transferred from another institution or from other departments at UCCS must be approved by a faculty advisor and a grade of B minus or better for that course must be verified by an official transcript. Incomplete Grades A grade of "I" (Incomplete) is considered to be a “W” (Withdrawal) if work is not completed within the one-year maximum period of time. A grade of "I" will be given only when the following conditions are met:

• The student requests an incomplete grade.
• Reasons for not completing course requirements were beyond the student's control.
• A substantial amount of coursework has already been completed by the student.
• The instructor agrees that a grade of “I” is warranted.

The instructor sets the conditions whereby the course work will be completed to include a deadline of no more than one calendar year.

Student Ethics

Students are expected to adhere to the highest codes of personal and professional ethics, as set forth by the Honor Code of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, which appears each semester in the Schedule of Classes. Students who do not meet these standards may be dismissed from the Graduate School by the Graduate Dean upon recommendation of the chair of the Department of Leadership, Research, and Foundations (LRF).

Academic Probation

A non-provisionally admitted student who has completed nine or more semester hours in a MA or Licensure program in LRF and who has received a grade of “F” in any course will be placed on a one-year probation until the course has been repeated and a minimum grade of B minus has been earned. Under extenuating circumstances, student may petition the Department Chair for an extension of the probationary time period. A provisionally admitted student who receives a grade of “F” during the provisional time period will be dismissed from the program.

Dismissal from Program

Any student who fails to earn the minimum required grade for a repeated course that was previously taken unsuccessfully (that is, with a grade lower than a B minus) will be dismissed from the program. A dismissed student is eligible to reapply for admission after one year. Approval or rejection of this application rests with the Department Chair. Military Student Policy If you are a military student with the potential of being called to military service and /or training during the course of the semester, you are encouraged to contact your UCCS course instructor no later than the first week of class to discuss the class attendance policy.

Licensure

To be eligible for licensure, candidates must:

• Successfully complete all academic and field experience requirements
• Pass the appropriate Colorado PLACE exam
• Complete three semester hours of a field-based practicum

For information regarding the Colorado State PLACE licensing exam, contact the Program for Licensing Assessments for Colorado Educators. Visit the Links page to access PLACE site.

>> Go to Links page

PLACE practice booklets are on reserve at the Kraemer Family Library.

UCCS College of Education is committed to offering programs that meet strict accreditation standards. As with any new start-up program, there is an involved process required to gain accreditation. All the UCCS College of Education programs are fully accredited and we are in the process of acquiring the same accreditation for our online programs.

Degree Courses

Core (9 credits)

Cognate Areas

P-12 (21 credits)

Research & Foundations (21 credits)

Principal Licensure Courses (33 credits)

Course Rotations

For a complete listing of course rotation, both campus-based and online-based, consult the MA in Leadership Education Handbook.

>> View Handbook