If you are an educator who wants to make change happen, rather than have change happen to you, let the Master of Arts in Educational Administration program at Saint Mary’s University prepare you for a leadership role in your building or district. Mike Farley did.

"Saint Mary's administrative program gave me the knowledge and experience to work effectively as a building administrator. The advisors and faculty at Saint Mary's were very supportive, and continue to be so as I am working in the field. It is not uncommon for me to call my site coordinator to discuss an issue I am dealing with, to get his perspective as a former Head Principal. Our relationships do not end when we graduate from Saint Mary's; they continue on. I was very pleased with my experience in the Saint Mary's M.A. in Educational Administration Program, and cherish the relationships I made with the staff and fellow students."

Mike Farley, Assistant Principal
Anoka High School

More than 60% of the state’s administrators will retire within the next 10 years, according to estimates by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA). Prepare yourself for the rising opportunities.

Click on a link to learn more—it’s your future.

The Master of Arts in Educational Administration program consists of 32 semester credits. The core of the program consists of 10 required courses which total 28 credits.

The remaining four credits may be earned in various ways. Students may take approved elective courses from the Master of Arts in Education program. Electives may also be taken from other programs with prior approval.

Students may transfer a maximum of six semester graduate level credits into the program from a regionally accredited institution of higher education if the credits were earned during the 10 years before admission, are administrative in nature, have been approved by the program director and the dean, and have not been used as part of another degree program. After acceptance into the program all courses must be taken from Saint Mary’s University.

Prior to graduation, each student is required to write a summary paper and a portfolio in consultation with an adviser, and present them to a faculty committee. This provides students an opportunity to substantiate their academic work and to demonstrate how they have integrated their course work with their professional careers.

The Educational Administration program is offered in a flexible format to meet the needs of working adults. Classes are scheduled at the Twin Cities campus and throughout the state in the evening and on the weekends during the school year, and at various times in the summer.

Instruction focuses on applied research and practical skills needed by school administrators to become leaders of effective organizations.

Graduates of the Master of Arts in Educational Administration program should:

1. Know all aspects of child development that affect the learning process.
2. Demonstrate appreciation for diversity and the ability to deal with diversity in all its forms in the classroom and in the community.
3. Use a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs of an ever more diverse and changing student population.
4. Create a positive and productive learning environment for all students with whom they are working.
5. Communicate effectively in a variety of modes.
6. Plan instruction that productively meets the needs of all the students for whom they are responsible.
7. Align curriculum design, assessment methods and instructional strategies.
8. Exhibit a commitment to lifelong learning and see it as a critical attribute to being a productive classroom teacher and professional.
9. Work productively in a collaborative fashion, develop positive working relationships with a wide variety of people and understand the ethical implications of their actions.
10. Cope with the changes inevitable in our society and world and assist their students in doing the same.
11. Demonstrate knowledge of designated graduation standards and have the ability to provide instruction to their students to support them in their efforts to achieve the standards.
12. Use a variety of leadership theories and strategies to involve staff, students, parents, and community, in school development.
13. Recognize the role of strategic planning, in decision making, for effective school improvement.
14. Apply knowledge of current adult development theories to teacher development and assessment.