K12 Educational Leadership Options

  • Student Testimonial

    "Within certain courses, you are given a project designed to be implemented in your daily work, using principles and objectives learned in class."Johnny Edwards, Ph.D. Student and Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Portage Public Schools

Overview

WMU's K12 Educational Leadership programs offer a variety of pathways to prepare you for leadership roles in your district. From the central office leaders, to principals, to superintendents and beyond, these graduate programs will help you advance your career in a flexible format that meets the needs of working professionals.

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Program offerings

Graduate Certificate
Master's Degree
Specialist Degree
Doctoral Degree

Why enroll in these programs at Western Michigan University?

  • Ranked in the top 50 in the nation and No. 2 in the state of Michigan for best online master's in education programs by U.S. News and World Report in the 2023 rankings.
  • 97% of WMU K-12 administrative candidates were recently rated "effective" or "highly effective" by their school district within their first three years as an administrator. 

  • The M.A. and Ed.S. programs are offered fully online via a blend of synchronous and asynchronous courses to meet the needs of working professionals across the state and broader region. Many of the courses with the Ph.D. program are online as well. 

  • Our MA and Ed.S. programs have the fewest credits of any similar degrees in the state of Michigan. 

  • Up to 50% of the credits in all of our K-12 programs can be earned through prior learning assessment (PLA).

Accreditation

Our K-12 programs meet the new standards for the Michigan K-12 administrator certification requirements, CAEP accreditation standards and the guidelines of the National Educational Leadership Preparation Standards (NELPS), and is Michigan State Department of Education principal preparation program approved.

Cohorts

The K-12 unit has successfully delivered the Educational Leadership MA and K-12 Administrator Certificate in the cohort model that is job embedded by utilizing local and intermediate school district resources and opportunities.  The department is willing to create cohorts that target specific school districts, counties, or regions.  If you have an interest in starting an educational leadership cohort, please contact Dr. Rusty Stitt.

Newsletter

The Lead is a monthly online publication that highlights the work of our Educational Leadership (K-12) programs, and contains a wide-array of information relevant to school administrators; it also celebrates the work of our alumni, students and faculty. Visit The Lead newsletter page for all issues.

Helpful links

Questions?

Dr. Wayne "Rusty" Stitt, Program Coordinator