The Instructional Leadership Licensure Program
The IL major is suitable for candidates who are seeking to obtain leadership licensure. The candidate will develop the necessary leadership skills in an education environment that focus on leading and developing teachers at either the building or district level. This focus provides the necessary tools to increase teachers' effectiveness, instructional strategies, and student assessment. The degree requirements include 33 semester credit hours of successful coursework. A program of study must be filed, after official written notification of admission to graduate studies has been received.
The program is designed to license school administrators based on State Board policy and standards. In order to be eligible for the program, a candidate must have:
- A valid Tennessee teacher license
- State required educational experience
- Basic technology skills
- Completed recommendation for consideration by a practicing administrator
- Completed the application process
Educational Leadership: NOT leading to initial Tennessee leadership license
The EL major is suitable for candidates already holding leadership licensure, out-of-state candidates, higher education personnel, and practitioners seeking improvement with best practices in organizational leadership, innovative strategic school improvement, organizational alignment, and data collection and analysis to improve the school community. The degree requirements include 33 semester credit hours of successful coursework. A program of study must be filed, after official written notification of admission to graduate studies has been received.
Instructional Practice
The Instructional Practice concentration is ideal for current educators who are interested in building upon their skillset and current area of expertise. Beyond the core curriculum, candidates may take coursework relevant to their field of specialization (general education or special education).
The Instructional Practice hybrid cohort program is a 33-semester hour program designed to extend and expand the candidate's level of professional competence beyond that attained at the bachelor's level. This program will bring the candidate up to date on master's level information relevant to their field of specialization, to stimulate the candidate to read and understand research in their field of specialization, and to prepare the candidate for leadership roles.
Candidates enter and move through the program as a hybrid cohort, engaging in current research related to individual interests. In a hybrid program, a majority of the coursework including instructional and assessment will be done online through Canvas and Watermark. Candidates are expected to complete learning modules and required discussions by specified dates. A portion of the program is conducted face-to-face. This provides candidates an opportunity for collaboration and group work.
We also offer the option of meeting with our faculty up to three times per semester at times and locations most convenient for the student. This time will not include lecture, instead just provide the student an opportunity to build a relationship with their professors and have any questions answered on a one-on-one basis.