Master of Arts in Principal & Athletic Leadership (Online)
This master's degree is designed to prepare a student for the leadership role of being a building principal, as well as an athletic director. Students who complete this concentration will be recommended to receive, from the state of Michigan, the School Administrator Certificate. Program graduates may be endorsed to receive the administration certification outside of Michigan as well (depending on the certification process in state of residence).
Notification: Starting, January 2025, the State of Michigan will be requiring state testing for those that are wanting to attain a School Administrator license for either the Central Office or Building Level. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.
Why this program at Western Michigan University?
- Offered fully virtually to support working professionals, including several synchronous class sessions each semester to support "face-to-face" student engagement.
- This program can have the fewest required credits of any similar M.A. in the state of Michigan, with students able to earn up to 15 of the 33 required credits with our Prior Learning Assessment program. Learn more.
- Ranked by U.S. News and World Report as No. 22nd in the nation and No. 1 in Michigan for best online master's degrees offering educational supervision for veterans in their 2025 rankings (and an overall best ranking of No. 71 in the nation, and No. 2 in Michigan). Learn more.
- Great outcomes in that 97% of WMU K-12 administrative graduates have been rated as "effective" or "highly effective" by their school district within their first three years as an administrator.
Course requirements
- EDLD 6300: Data Informed Decision Making, Research and Evaluation
- EDLD 6610: School Law and Ethics
- EDLD 6620: School Business Management
- EDLD 6640: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
- EDLD 6670: The Principalship
- EDLD 6730: Instructional Leadership and Supervision
- EDLD 6740: School Community Relations and Cultural Competence
- EDLD 6793: Principal Internship I
- EDLD 6794: Principal Internship II
- HPHE 6600: Governance and Administration of Sport
- HPHE 6690: Event and Facility Planning and Management
Application information and deadlines
Applications are accepted on an on-going basis throughout the year. Admission decisions take approximately two weeks after all materials are received.
Note: To complete many course assignments, and to have a mentor for a two-semester principal internship, applicants must be employed within a K-12 setting OR have access to a school setting.
Accreditation
The K-12 Principal master's degree program meets 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.
Multi-year course offering/planning tools
- 5-year course offering information
- Course-taking planning tool
- Program Course Requirements (for those admitted prior to fall 2021)
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 some recent issues.
Cost & Funding
- Tuition and fees
- Cost of attendance
- Scholarships
- Assistantships
- Grants
- Loans
- Employer-paid tuition
- Military and veterans
Helpful links
Questions?
