College of Education

Graduate Studies

Educational leadership

Department of Educational Leadership & Counseling Psychology


WSU’s Educational Leadership program offers graduate studies at the masters and doctoral levels and administrator certification programs for the superintendent, residency principal, and residency program administrator certificates. The masters (M.A. and Ed.M.) and doctoral (Ed.D. and Ph.D.) degree programs offer specializations in K-12 educational leadership.

The Ed.D. also offers a specialization for those interested in higher education administration. Contact the Office of Graduate Studies for details.


At right: Educational leadership in action. Because Paul Elery wants to be a school district leader someday, he enrolled in Washington State University's superintendent certification program. But like so many of that program's graduates, he loves being a principal and is still on the job at Harvard Elementary in the Franklin Pierce School District. That's lucky for his students and staff. And it's lucky for us, because visiting Paul at work gives us a chance to show what educational leadership looks like in this video.

A statewide program

WSU Educational Leadership Program faculty are dedicated to meeting students’ needs as current and future K-12 educational leaders and to preparing future professors for work in academia. The program provides a balance and integration of practical experience, theory, and research and aims to prepare educational leaders who function as scholar-practitioners.

Educational leadership programs are offered at all of WSU’s campuses (Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver). All campuses offer the Educational Leadership masters degrees, certification programs, and access to the statewide doctor of education degree (Ed.D.). One-year residency at the Pullman campus is required for the doctor of philosophy degree (Ph.D.).

WSU’s Educational Leadership program is one of 70 doctoral-granting programs nationwide selected for membership in the University Council for Educational Administration, a national consortium dedicated to the improvement of educational leadership preparation and practice. WSU’s graduate students have the opportunity to participate in UCEA’s annual convention and other professional activities.

WSU’s administrator certification programs are organized around the national ISLLC (Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium) standards, which have been adopted as the certification standards for Washington State licensure.. WSU’s innovative cohort-based and field-based certification programs for principals and superintendents promote a close professional network. Faculty members for certification programs have extensive experience as school principals and/or central office administrators.

Master of Arts - M.A.

Offered at Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver campuses.

The Master of Arts Degree (M.A.) program is recommended for students who plan to subsequently pursue a doctoral program. The program of study for the M.A. requires 30 semester hours, including at least 21 semester hours of graded course work and at least four semester hours of EdAd 700 for completion and defense of the masters thesis. Students who are interested in the M.A. may personalize their program by choosing an emphasis in either K-12 educational leadership.

As described in the handbook, applicants must complete the departmental application form as part of the application packet.

Master of Education - Ed.M.

Offered at Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver campuses.

The Master of Education Degree (Ed.M.) program is a non-thesis program recommended for K-12 educational professionals. The program of study for the Ed.M. requires a total of 35 semester hours, including at least 32 semester hours of graded course work and at least two semester hours of EdAd 702 for completion of a comprehensive written examination. Students who are interested in the Ed.M. degree may personalize their program with an emphasis in either K-12 educational leadership.

As described in the handbook, applicants must complete the departmental application form as part of the application packet.

Doctor of Education - Ed.D.

The Ed.D. program is a statewide, cohort-based program designed for students whose primary interest is leadership practice in K-12 schools or related organizations. Participants are part of a learning community dedicated to improving schools and promoting the learning of all children. Program features include:

Statewide program delivery

Program participants can access courses and work with advisors through all of WSU’s campuses. Through careful sequencing of program offerings, participants at all campuses can work in local cohort groups and complete all requirements within four years.

A practitioner-scholar approach

Program content combines the best of both worlds: issues important to practicing school leaders and the scholarship that can help to analyze and address these issues. While several faculty members are successful, experienced administrators, others are highly regarded academic scholars.

Summer inquiry institutes

To augment the program offerings available at each campus, participants from around the state attend two-week summer institutes on the Pullman campus. These institutes help build a learning community and support network among the statewide cohort. Institute participants share their leadership experiences and challenges, plan collaborative inquiry around problems of practice, and benefit from working with a wider range of educational leadership faculty. The institutes are designed to help students move toward completion of their dissertation research.

The dates for the 2013 Summer Institute are:  On-campus - July 8th-19th, On-line July22nd-26th.

Alignment with certification programs

The statewide doctor of education (Ed.D.) program is closely aligned with WSU’s field-based superintendent certification program. Students who have completed the Superintendent Program can apply all credits toward the Ed.D. program of study. However, participation in the superintendent program is not a requirement for the Ed.D. Program offerings are carefully sequenced to allow all participants to complete the program in a timely manner, both those enrolled in the superintendent program and those who are not.

The program of study for the Ed.D. requires a minimum of 72 semester hours, including at least 42 semester hours of graded coursework and at least 20 semester hours of EdAd 800 for completion and defense of the dissertation.

As described in the handbook, applicants must complete the department application form as part of the application packet.

Doctor of Philosophy - Ph.D.

The Ph.D. program focuses on developing and applying theoretical and research knowledge and skills in the field of K-12 educational leadership. The program is recommended for students who intend to become professors and/or to conduct empirical research in other professional roles. All Ph.D. students are encouraged to focus their research on problems of practice in K-12 schools. The program of study for the Ph.D. requires a total of 72 semester hours, including at least 42 semester hours of graded course work and at least 24 semester hours of EdAd 800 for completion and defense of the doctoral dissertation. In addition to core courses in Educational Administration, a cognate area of at least nine semester hours of graded coursework is required; the cognate may consist of a special emphasis within the College of Education (e.g., educational psychology, cultural studies) or outside the College of Education (e.g., anthropology, political science, economics, public administration).

The Ph.D. in educational leadership is offered on the Pullman campus only. A one-year residency of full-time enrollment is required.

As described in the handbook, Ph.D. applicants must complete the departmental application form as part of the application packet.

Certification programs for superintendent, residency principal, residency program administrator

Offered at Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver campuses.

WSU’s Educational Leadership Program offers administrator certification programs for the superintendent, residency principal, and residency program administrator certificates. All programs are fully accredited by Washington State and are designed to prepare educators to be successful leaders for K-12 school improvement. WSU’s certification programs are designed around the ISLLC Standards for School Leaders.

For details on certification program requirements and application procedures, please see the program handbooks and links mentioned below.

Superintendent certification program

WSU’s field-based superintendent’s certification program has been recognized nationally for its innovative structure and success in preparing K-12 school superintendents. The program is designed around the ISLLC Standards for School Leaders and emphasizes leadership for school improvement. The two-year program includes four courses (12 semester credit hours) delivered through 16 weekend seminars conducted at locations around Washington State, as well as a two-year internship. Highly experienced superintendents as well as WSU academic faculty members collaborate in designing and delivering the program. WSU’s field-based superintendent’s certification program is administered through the Spokane campus, and more information (including program requirements and application procedures) can be obtained from the WSU Spokane website.

Residency principal and program administrator program

The mission of this program is to prepare school leaders with the leadership and management skills needed to improve student learning in a variety of school environments. The program is delivered by WSU faculty members who have experience as school building and district leaders. It is closely aligned with the ISLLC standards as well as the “Nine Characteristics of High Performing Schools” as endorsed by the Washington State Board of Education. The residency principal certification program requires 18 semester credit hours of course work and 720 hours of documented internship activities; program administrator certification requires 12 semester credit hours of course work and 720 hours of documented internship activities. Program requirements and application procedures are fully described in the handbook:

The program is offered through all four WSU campuses. Requirements are common across all campuses, but the delivery format is somewhat different. The Spokane and Tri-Cities campuses offer a “field-based” two-year program that integrates weekly seminars and internship activities, while the Vancouver and Pullman campuses offer two years of course work followed by a one-year internship. More specific information can be obtained at these websites: Spokane program, Vancouver program, Tri-Cities program.

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