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Educational Leadership (Graduate)
Gain important skillsets to prepare for positions of educational leadership, either as a K-12 principal, a curriculum director or district superintendent within the primary school system.
Educational Leadership – Master of Education (M.Ed.), Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The Educational Leadership program at Montana State is specifically designed to prepare students who want to step into roles of primary school leadership, focusing on K-12 principals, curriculum directors or superintendents. The Master’s of Education program prepares candidates to gain certification in Montana as a K-12 principal and additional coursework will enable candidates to gain vital experience to apply towards professional specializations. In the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program, candidates further prepare for leadership positions at the helm of large school districts, university preparation programs and other institutions.
I LEAD
The Educational Leadership program participates in the Indian Leadership Education
and Development (I LEAD) Project, designed to recruit, educate, certify and place
American Indian educators into administrative positions in schools with high populations
of Native American students.
CPED Member
The College of Education, Health and Human Development is a proud member of the Carnegie
Project on the Education Doctorate.
Adventure Awaits
LendEDU has ranked MSU #1 in Outdoor Recreation, due to its proximity to world-class
skiing, blue-ribbon rivers for fishing and seemingly endless hiking opportunities,
as well as access to rental equipment from the ASMSU Outdoor Recreation Program.
Fund Your Education
The Graduate School at Montana State is dedicated to helping students secure funding during their time at MSU. Some resources the Education department and Graduate School offer includes:
Additionally, most of our incoming graduate students are funded with graduate assistantships throughout the fall and spring semesters, with the possibility of summer employment as well. More information, as well as a list of available graduate assistantships and their job descriptions, are available on the Department of Education website.
Superintendent Certificate
Montana State's Educational Leadership program offers the School Superintendent Certificate to prepare candidates to complete all state requirements for licensure as a School Superintendent in Montana. The program starts with an intensive summer program and is followed by a semester-long internship.
The School Superintendent Certificate is comprised of 15 credits and is designed to take two semesters to complete. For more information, including application requirements and deadlines, reach out to the Department of Education Graduate Program or read more on the Educational Leadership program's website.
Careers after Graduation
Graduate alumni in Educational Leadership embark on a wide range of careers within 10-years of their graduation.
Nearly 84% are working in non-profit and about 3% for government. Top industry employers include Montana State University and Montana Public Schools.
Across all career paths the estimated salary of alumni within 10 years of graduation ranges from $60,000 to $150,000 with an average of $90,000 (source of data Academic Analytics).
Admissions Requirements
Note: no GRE Required.
Each program within the Graduate School at Montana State has its own particular requirements for admission, and the Education Leadership program is not different. To ensure that you start your application on the right foot, please review the admissions requirements for the Education Leadership program. This includes any additional deadlines that the Department of Education may have aside from the Graduate School, which does practice rolling admissions.