Master of Arts in Education: Instructional Leadership - 36 Credits
Contact Information
Recruitment Counselor: Christine Vandenberg
Contact Phone: +1 (877) 236-4723 ext. 2071
Contact Email: graduateadmissions@centenarycollege.edu
Program Advisor: Prof. Robert Cavo ext. 2285
About Our Program
The Master of Arts in Education: Instructional Leadership is designed to enhance the competencies, knowledge and skills of educational professionals in the areas of design, implementation, practice and assessment of instructional programs.
The MA is designed to equip professional educators with the skills necessary to become master teachers and instructional leaders in public and private schools as well as corporate and non-profit organizations. This program is designed to be utilized by public and private school teachers as well as by corporate and nonprofit institution educational personnel.
Program Goals
- To Develop master teachers and instructional leaders.
- To Enhance the instructional competencies and knowledge of members of the education profession.
- To Provide educational institutions and/or organizations with master teachers skilled in the art of designing, implementing, delivering, and assessing instructional programs.
- To Enrich and foster an understanding of individual differences and how they can be addressed.
- To Foster collaboration among instructional professionals from educational institutions and corporate organizations.
- To Develop an understanding of outcome and performance-based assessment.
- To Enable individuals to understand, interpret and extend research in the field of educational psychology, instructional leadership, staff development, and curriculum development.
Centenary College’s long history in training teachers goes back more than 50 years. But our education program and our faculty are on the forefront of developing new, innovative ways to train tomorrow’s teachers and to continue to train them throughout their careers.
Admission Requirements
- Completed application.
- Bachelors Degree.
- Original transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
- Minimum GPA 2.8.
- No GRE/GMAT required.
- Teaching Certification - Please send a copy of your standard certificate or your Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing with application. (If you do not have a teaching certification please contact Jennifer Novak at ext. 2162).
- Students must achieve a grade of “B” or higher in each course. Students who do not achieve a “B” or higher in each course shall be dropped from the program. (See Centenary College Catalog for further explanation.)
Master of Arts in Instructional Leadership - Program Requirements
Students are required to take 24 credits in Instructional Leadership and 12 elective credits.
Instructional Leadership Core Requirements - 24 Credits | ||
GED 550 | Seminar in Curriculum Evaluation | |
GED 560 | Seminar in Instructional Leadership | |
GED 619 | Students, Teachers, Social Policy, | |
GED 632 | Educational Technology | |
GED 651 | Curriculum Development and | |
GED 680 | Finance and Facilities | |
GED 697 | Educational Research *** | |
GED 698 | Special Topics: Research in | |
Graduate Electives - 12 credits | ||
GED 635 | Literacy as a Process in Integrated Learning | |
GED 637 | Critical Thinking, Moral Education, and Ethics | |
GED 642 | Case Studies in Supervision * | |
GED 643 | Conflict Resolution | |
GED 650 | Principles and Practices of | |
GED 661 | Managing Educational Change and Innovation | |
* These courses are required in order to obtain your NJ Supervisor Licensure with the Master degree.
***Recommended: GED 697 should be taken in the semester prior to taking GED 698. The thesis proposal should be approved in GED 697 and completed in GED 698.
Please note that if you have already been admitted to the program please contact Professor Robert Cavo at 908-852-1400 ext. 2285 for clarification as to how to progress towards earning your degree.
Master of Arts in Instructional Leadership - Course Descriptions
GED 550 | Seminar in Evaluation and Assessment Strategies | 3 credits |
[old number GLA 550] This course includes the study of appropriate methods of evaluation and assessment of educational programs with emphasis on evaluative/assessment procedures for developers and users, and consideration of materials and effectiveness of programs. | ||
GED 560 | Seminar in Instructional Leadership | 3 credits |
This course will examine the philosophical and psychological attributes of leadership. The theoretical concepts of leadership will then be applied to education by studying the major “formers and reformers” in America’s educational history. Students will be called upon to identify their own leadership attributes and to develop their philosophy of leadership through the application of conceptual and behavioral skills to the resolution of instructional problems through the utilization of simulated situations, role playing, and case study analysis. | ||
GED 619 | Students, Teachers, Social Policy, and the Law | 3 credits |
This course involves the study of the legal aspects of public education, including the influence of social policy as evident in local, state, and federal legislation. Emphasis will be on the rights of students and the rights/responsibilities of teachers in the schools. Case law will be examined as a regular part of the classroom discussion. | ||
GED 632 | Educational Technology | 3 credits |
This course examines the role of technology in the classroom, including computers, videotapes, television, and satellite communications. Current and potential resources are covered. Special emphasis will focus on the computer as a teaching-learning tool, with a study of commercially available computer software, and analysis and evaluation of software design and documentation included. This course will incorporate, where appropriate, the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and the New Jersey Professional Standards for School Leaders. | ||
GED 635 | Literacy as a Process in Intergrated Learning | 3 credits |
This course is designed to provide an introduction to the theories of literacy, to develop an understanding of literacy instructional methods and strategies, and to assist teachers in individualizing instruction. Literacy in this course is described as developing an integrative ability to use the modalities of reading, writing, listening, viewing, and visually representing across age and grade levels. Emphasis is placed on accommodating literacy assessment including standardized tests, performance assessment, authentic/alternative assessment and portfolio assessment. The importance of interpretation of assessment and the practice of diagnostic teaching to improve literacy will be addressed. | ||
GED 637 | Critical Thinking, Moral Education, & Ethics in the Classroom | 3 credits |
This course promotes the concepts of critical thinking through an historical and philosophical analyses of the value questions that educators and their students confront. Using the constructs of critical thinking, students will study the teaching of moral value systems, will analyze values clarification, and explore various psychological developmental approaches to character education. Students will also provide critical analysis of some of the contemporary value conflicts and moral dilemmas inherent in present-day educational policies and practices. | ||
GED 642 | Case Studies in Supervision | 3 credits |
This course is designed to apply the theories of educational supervision to the application of educational supervision through the use of case studies. Students will be encouraged to develop “real-life” scenarios or problems and then create strategies to handle the scenarios and/or solve the problems in order to maximize teaching effectiveness. | ||
GED 643 | Conflict Resolution | 3 credits |
This course will examine the nature of conflict and develop an understanding that conflict is often necessary to the change process. Emphasis will be placed on the different ways that people deal with conflict. In addition, this course will explore the methods and strategies of conflict resolution; the reasons for conflict; the levels of conflict; and the types of conflict. The strategies for mediation and conflict resolution will be understoond, applied, and analyzed. | ||
GED 650 | Principles and Practices of Supervision | 3 credits |
This course is designed to provide future school supervisors with the skills, knowledge and experience to observe, mentor, collaborate, counsel, and support teachers in the classroom. Several currently researched theories of staff supervision will be used as models to maximize teacher learning and to optimize the learning opportunity for their students. The national INTASC-based standards for beginning teachers, national specialty organizational standards, the Highly Qualified Teacher Requirement of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, the P-12 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, and the New Jersey Professional Standards for School Leaders will provide the foundation for supervisor’s training. Principles and problems of supervision will be explored as well as the varied roles of the supervisor in school districts. | ||
GED 651 | Curriculum Development and Evaluation | 3 credits |
The course is designed to prepare students to become educational leaders and professional curriculum developers. Students will develop an integrated view of curriculum and instruction at the preschool, elementary, and secondary school levels from the perspective of the teacher and the learner. Students will acquire an understanding of the interrelationships between current issues in curriculum development, socio-cultural and political influences, and the needs of each constituency in educational systems. The course will emphasize analysis and evaluation of significant curriculum practices, reforms, and innovations including the P-12 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, the national INTASC standards, and the New Jersey Professional Standards for School Leaders. Emphasis will be placed on connecting an understanding of curriculum theory to effective supervision of curriculum development and practice. | ||
GED 661 | Managing Educational Change and Innovation | 3 credits |
This course develops an awareness and understanding of the dynamics of planned change. Theoretical frameworks from social psychology are utilized to aid students in improving their ability to understand leadership responsibility. Various concepts of managing change and the process of change will be considered. Managerial methods such as continuous quality management, site-based management, total quality management, and strategies for adapting principles from them to the schools and the classroom will be discussed. In addition, an analysis is made of teacher and supervisory roles in creating instructional change. Techniques for evaluating instructional change are discussed along with strategies for improving human relations and communications in the change process. This course will incorporate, where appropriate, the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and the New Jersey Professional Standards for School Leaders. | ||
GED 680 | Finances and Facilities | 3 credits |
The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with how schools are financed, how the budget is organized and managed, and sources of revenue. Special emphasis will be given to the history, legalities, ethics, and trends of financing public education. Issues of equity, taxation, and politics will be addressed. | ||
GED 697 | Educational Research | 3 credits |
This is a survey course of empirical and qualitative research design and research methodologies in education as well as survey techniques, case study reports, and ethnography. Common and unique features of philosophic, aesthetic inquiry and historical methods are also considered. This course will incorporate, where appropriate, the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and the New Jersey Professional Standards for School Leaders. | ||
GED 698 | Special Topics: Research in Instructional Leadership | 3 credits |
Prerequisite: GED 697 Educational Research and core requirements. The primary focus of this course is research: theoretical, action research, empirical, historical or ethnographic. The student will develop a proposal for research under the guidance of the professor and will complete the approved research project during this course. |
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