Academics

The information below is a list of graduate programs offered through the College of Education and Human Development's Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology at Western Michigan University.

New multi-year plan of courses posted for every program in the ELRT Department! Before developing a Program of Study, visit the new plans. If courses have changed names, or the new plans seem to present some challenges for you to graduate on time, do not worry—contact your academic advisor in the department. That individual will address your concerns. 

Graduate programs

Graduate Certificates

• Educational and Instructional Technology
• Educational Leadership Central Office
• Higher Education and Student Affairs

Master's Degrees

• Educational and Instructional Technology—M.A.
• Educational Leadership—M.A.
  Concentrations:
  • Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership
  • K-12 Principal and Interscholastic Athletic Administration
  • K-12 School Principal Leadership
  • Educational and Global Leadership
• Evaluation, Measurement and Research—M.A.
• Organizational Change Leadership—M.A.

Graduate Specialist

• Specialist in Education—Ed.S.

Doctoral Degrees

• Educational Leadership—Ph.D.
  Concentrations:
• Higher Education Leadership
• K-12 Leadership
• Organizational Analysis Leadership
  
• Workforce Education and Development (formerly Career and Technical Education)
• Evaluation, Measurement and Research - Ph.D.
• Education and Human Development - Ph.D. 

• Emphasis: Organizational Change Leadership
• Emphasis: Educational and Instructional Technology

The College of Education and Human Development offers a variety of special-topics writing workshops for graduate students who would benefit from focused attention on core academic writing issues. For some students, these elective/no-credit workshops may be helpful refreshers, for others they may be much-needed specific instruction. Topics include Effective Writing and Citing to Avoid Plagiarism, Literature Review Structure and Purpose, and Analysis vs. Synthesis in Academic Writing, among others.

Doctoral students who need encouragement and support during the dissertation phase of their PhD program can work with the CEHD Dissertation Writing Coach through either one-on-one consultations or in weekly writing workshops held in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. These elective/no credit workshops are ideal for those who would benefit from the camaraderie and accountability of structured writing time, as well as additional support with their writing process.

NEW This Fall:  Graduate Writing Intensive

The Graduate Writing Intensive (GWI) is a specially designed mini-course for new CEHD graduate students (masters and doctoral level) with fewer than 18 credits. The GWI is highly recommended for students returning to the classroom after a hiatus in the professional world, international students needing help transitioning to the North American academic writing style, or students who have always been good-enough writers, but want to become more confident, competent writers as they pursue this next level in their academic career. Limited to 15 participants. Register soon if you are interested.

As social science scholars, CEHD students are expected to write in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) (6^th edition). In addition to attending one of the twice-yearly APA workshops, students can become experts in APA writing style by downloading and using the CEHD APA style resources.