Program Description

Elizabeth City State University provides a challenging and supportive environment that prepares its students for knowledgeable, responsible participation and leadership in an ever-changing, technologically advanced society. It continues to promote excellence in teaching as its primary responsibility to meet the needs of the students and citizens of the state nation, and world.

The Department of Education, Psychology and Health offers the Master of School Administration (MSA) degree. The Master of School Administration Program is interdisciplinary in scope and offers students both full-time (accelerated) and extended-time (regular) options. This program of study closely links theory to practice in ways that enrich candidates, local educational agencies, and regional, national, and global communities.

The Conceptual Framework of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health represents the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are essential for the development of professional educational leaders as 21st Century Professional Educators. The knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in the conceptual framework are attained through a collaborative relationship between the University, Local Education Agencies, the community, and the family. Our conceptual framework identifies three types of knowledge (content knowledge, professional knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge) that candidates in our program will attain. The conceptual framework also directs the Master of School Administration program by informing the decisions that faculty make regarding teaching and evaluation.

The Master of School Administration program seeks to fulfill its mission by preparing 21st Century Professional Educators to:

Reflect on appropriate practices and communicate a vision that engages the school, family, and community in creating an effective learning environment;
Promote acceptance of diversity by acting with integrity and fairness while encouraging respectful relationships among students, faculty, administration, families, and the community;
Understand principles of organization and management and use evidence-based practices in creating environments that maximize efficiency, effectiveness, and learning;
Think critically about the philosophical and historical context of teaching and learning and apply processes of conceptualizing, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gained by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action;
Use technology to enhance instruction, communication, development, evaluation, and management operations; and
Use appropriate assessment and development strategies to promote a focus on student learning consistent with the school’s vision and goals.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the Master of School Administration Program must meet the requirements below and submit the required documents to the Office of Graduate Education:

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution;
North Carolina "A" teaching license and/or the equivalent from another state;
Overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale;
Three years of teaching experience;
ECSU Graduate School Application;
Copy of GRE or MAT scores. The original copy should be sent from the testing agency;
Two official transcripts in sealed envelopes from all institutions attended;
Statement of purpose (3-4 pages typewritten);
Non-refundable cashier’s check or money order of $30, payable to Elizabeth City State University;
Completed ECSU Student Health Services form;
Three letters of recommendation (two of the three must be from professional educators who can document your potential for leadership and work ethic); and
Interview with the MSA Coordinator and/or faculty.

The requirements described above are minimum requirements and do not guarantee acceptance. Students are selected and admission decisions are based on consideration of educational factors (i.e. interview, performance, and communication skills). A limited number of students who do not meet the minimum standards may be allowed to enroll with special student status. We encourage you to apply.

Course Load

A full load is nine (9) semester hours. The maximum number of hours in any semester is twelve (12).

Residence

Candidates in the Master of School Administration program must meet the Elizabeth City State University residency requirements. No more than six credit hours may be transferred from other institutions. Thirty-six to forty-two semester hours must be earned by degree-seeking students.

Time Limitations

The Master of School Administration degree must be completed within six successive calendar years. Programs remaining incomplete after this time period are subject to cancellations, provisions, or special examinations. A special appeal must be made, in writing, to the Chair of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health for appropriate action to be taken.

Advisors

Advisors for MSA students are assigned by the Graduate Coordinator. The Coordinator submits advisor assignments to the Office of Graduate Education. The students will be notified of their advisors in the initial admission letter.

Graduate Advisement Committee

The student, with the assistance of his or her advisor, selects the members of his or her Graduate Advisement Committee. The Committee shall consist of the advisor and a minimum of two additional members. One member should be a university faculty member from outside the student's major department. The Graduate Advisement Committee shall be responsible for the evaluation and approval of the candidate's CAP (Comprehensive Assessment Portfolio). The committee is also responsible for conducting the oral examination of the candidate. Each committee member must sign the Graduate Advisement Committee Agreement Form, indicating agreement to serve on the Committee. This Committee must be approved by the Chair of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health.

Admission, Matriculation, and Exit

We believe that school leaders must be proficient in a wide variety of technical skills and tasks to be successful educational administrators as seen in the guiding question, "How shall schools be organized and operated to produce high student achievement?" However, a supporting and equally important question to organization and operation is what are the external socio-cultural factors that administrators must consider in designing and running effective schools? To this end, courses are designed and infused with critically reflective curricula and strategies that stimulate candidates to think beyond current ways of knowing and behaving in order to study, research, and implement leadership practices that have positive impact for P-12 students. The synthesis of scholarship, leadership, and reflective thinking occurs in the completion of the six evidences required in the Electronic Portfolio. This analysis and synthesis occurs throughout the program, from admission to exit.

Matriculation

Upon admission to the program, the student is expected to assume the following responsibilities:

Follow all policies of the Office of Graduate Education and the program area as specified in the Graduate Catalog;
Consult with an assigned advisor before registering for courses each semester;
Meet with the advisor to review the degree plan of study and obtain all the necessary signatures;
Obtain permission from the advisor before making substitutions or altering the plan of study.

Exit Requirements

In order to be awarded the Master’s Degree each student must:

Complete a minimum of 36-42 semester hours of graduate credit applicable to the program;
Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0;
Complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of credits in courses offered by Elizabeth City State University;
Submit an Admission to Candidacy Application;
Complete four Internship Labs and a minimum of one additional semester of administrative internship experience (500 hours);
Complete an electronic portfolio including required Hallmark Assignments and six Evidences, and orally defend the components of the portfolio. The oral and written submissions of the electronic portfolio will be evaluated using Task Stream; and
Complete an exit interview with the graduate coordinator to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Master of School Administration program.

Oral Examinations

The following actions will be implemented in reference to oral examinations:

In the semester that the Master’s level student is scheduled to graduate, the student will be required to submit a complete copy of the Comprehensive Assessment Portfolio (CAP) to the Office of the Coordinator of Graduate Programs in the Department of Education, Psychology and Health. The deadline dates for the student to present the oral comprehensive exam are listed below are listed below:
Fall Semester – November 15th

Spring Semester – April 15th
Oral comprehensive examinations will be scheduled during the week following the submission of the Comprehensive Assessment Portfolio during the months of November and April; and
The student will be expected to be prepared to defend their Comprehensive Assessment Portfolio to Graduate Faculty and other individuals interested in the student's product.

Please Note: The Capstone course is separate and apart from the responsibilities of each student and the committee that will hear and assess the oral presentation. The Capstone course instructor is responsible for guiding each student through the preparation of his or her finished products for the oral examination of the electronic portfolio.

Department of Education, Psychology and Health

The Department of Education, Psychology and Health provides the following support services:

The Curriculum Materials Center located in the Willie and Jacqueline Gilchrist Education Building, provides a wide variety of books and instructional materials in the Teacher Education areas and at levels ranging from pre-primary through high school. The center houses state curriculum textbooks, ancillary materials, and selected journals. For prospective teachers, materials are available for unit construction, lesson planning, instructional aids, and teaching strategies. Other specific areas include the Children’s Reading Room and the Professional Library.

The Instructional Technology Laboratory provides state-of-the-art instructional technology. Candidates have the opportunity to focus in-depth on class assignments and research projects. Students and faculty are taught to use state-of-the-art technologies for integrating these technologies into a 21st Century delivery system.

The Elizabeth City State University Laboratory School serves children ages three through five years. The Laboratory School is a component of the Department of Education, Psychology and Health. The Laboratory School’s goal is to provide education majors an opportunity to become familiar with young children and their characteristics, and to enable the transition of theoretical concepts into practical application. In addition to being a site for training teacher education majors, the Laboratory School’s goal is to provide a learning environment that will help young children develop to their maximum potential physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally.

All classrooms in the Willie and Jacqueline Gilchrist Education and Psychology Complex have been constructed to support full audiovisual conferencing, and classrooms have audiovisual display capabilities to enhance instruction. These resources serve as technological support for faculty, staff, and students for presentations, research, demonstration, and teaching.

Elizabeth City State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the baccalaureate and master’s levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the status of ECSU.

The Teacher Education Program is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) and the North Carolina Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (NCACTE).

The Teacher Education Program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 210 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036-1023) and has North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) program approval.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Saundra S. Copeland, MSA Program Coordinator

Department of Education & Psychology

Phone: 252-335-3337

Fax: 252-335-3554

sscopeland@ecsu.edu

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Master of School Administration