The choice will reflect your individual background, work demands and career interests. Students interested in serving as a formal school leader (e.g., principal,  assistant principal) at present or in the future should consider the K-12 Educational Administration MA program because it prepares students for the School Administrator Certificate. Additionally, students interested in serving in other leadership roles within their schools may also be interested in this program.  In general, students are more successful in the K-12 masters program after several years of full-time teaching and experience leading projects, teams, and committees at the school level.

Increasingly, international students find a home in K-12 Educational Administration for their masters and doctoral studies. Currently enrolled Educational Administration (K-12 and HALE) students and recent alumni come from around the globe including Pakistan, Cambodia, Kenya, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Mexico and more. Study in our programs introduces international students to educational policy formulation and enactment; organization and management of public, private, and charter schools; and ways in which administrative leaders and teacher leaders encourage instructional improvement.

“Lifelong learner” and “Graduate certificate” are registration categories used when students who are not admitted into any degree program take a class at MSU. Students may transfer no more than 10 credits total from lifelong learner and/or graduate certificate and/or other university course work. In other words, students must earn a minimum of 20 credits as admitted degree program students. Credits transferred into a degree program cannot be more than 5 years old at the time a student completes (not enters) his or her MA degree program. 

** Students are informed that MSU’s registration system allows individuals to register for classes without being an admitted degree program student. Do not make the mistake of thinking that because you succeed in registering for classes and taking classes that you are therefore admitted. You must apply to the program and be accepted.

The K-12 Administration program accepts 6 credits from MSU student’s 5th year teacher internship program. If teacher internship credits are more than 5 years old when a student starts the MA program, we work with the student to submit a credit time limit extension to the Graduate School.

The time limit policy for masters degree set by The Graduate School The Graduate School of Michigan State University is 5 years. The 5-year window begins with the date of the earliest credits in the degree program; this includes any transfer, Lifelong or Graduate certificate credits transferred into the degree program. Students who encounter events that make it difficult to complete the degree within 5 years can speak to their advisor about applying for a time extension.

Meet with a program advisor to consider how you might jointly earn the School Administrator Certificate and the Central Office Endorsement through an expanded Ed.D or PhD degree program.