School Administration

Submitted by hudspethea on Mon, 01/09/2012 - 10:08am

Welcome to the School Administration program homepage. Our programs offer the Master of School Administration (MSA) and the Education Specialist (EdS) degrees, as well as an Add-on Licensure for those already possessing a maters in the education field. The MSA degree is in compliance with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) requirements leading to North Carolina Licensure as a school principal. The EdS degree requires a pre-requisite of an MSA degree and leads to North Carolina Licensure as a superintendent.

MSA, EdS and Add-on Licensure curriculums are all offered off-campus in specific locations. The MSA and Add-on Licensure curriculums are also offered entirely online. Cohorts are a group of students who begin the program, complete all coursework, and graduate together. Students outside of the cohort are not allowed to take classes at these sites unless seats are available and the professor approves the additional student. 

Cohorts are set up depending on interest level and number of students who apply. Generally these curriculums run in Rutherford, Alexander, Caldwell, Catawba, Forsyth, Burke and McDowell counties, but when they begin depends on available faculty and student interest. For additional information about off-campus School Administration cohorts you may contact Ms. Lisa Freeman at (828) 262-2906 or freemanlh@apptate.edu.

The following is the general MSA program checksheet.

  • There is no residency requirement. However, individual instructors may require on campus attendance for a portion of their courses.
  • Course work for all the cohorts will be available during the fall, spring, and summer terms. 
  • Students must complete a Program of Study and Admission to Candidacy form (see specific program page for link to file) before they have completed their first 18 hours of coursework.
  • All 36 hours of course work will be offered through the office of extension services.
  • Tuition for all off-campus course work will be charged at the Extension Service rate.
  • Enrollment will be limited to 20 students. The students must be officially accepted into the graduate program and must confirm attendance before they are permitted to register for any courses.
  • The sequence of courses and electives will be the responsibility of the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies.
  • There will be a minimum of 2 courses offered each semester (including summer) until completion of the degree.
  • The minimum clock hours per semester for the internship are 130 hours.
  • All students will begin, proceed, and finish together. No more than 9 credit hours may be taken out of, or transferred in to, the cohort.
  • Students MUST apply to graduate through the graduate school their last semester.
  • Upon enrollment the applicant must have completed three years of teaching experience in an accredited school.

Applications are handled electronically through the graduate school and you can begin the process by following Admissions link under Resources at the right. If you have further questions about either of the school administration programs, please email Al Proffit at proffitac@appstate.edu or Lori Dean at deanlk@appstate.edu in the LES department. To apply, go to the graduate school website.