High school principal with clipboard in busy corridor with students

Academic Program

Educational Leadership

Our graduates are trained to lead, advance and improve educational systems. 

Our Educational Leadership program provides educational professionals with the training they need to be effective leaders in education practice and policy. Students learn from faculty who are at the forefront of research on best practices in education and those with years of experience in school administration. 

About

Our vision of effective leaders is working collaboratively as scholar-practitioners who foster the cognitive and affective development of all learners both through technological, managerial and interpersonal skills as well as through agile and creative habits-of-mind.

The Educational Leadership program offers master’s and doctoral degree programs for individuals interested in pursuing leadership careers within academic institutions. We also offer K-12 principal certification, director of curriculum and instruction certification, and superintendent of schools certification.

Features of our program include:

  • Personalized advisement and attention
  • Excellent instruction by full-time faculty
  • Balance of theory and practice
  • Earned reputation for quality
  • Proven placement record

Accreditation

The Educational Leadership Certification programs are accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to offer PreK-12 Principal Certification, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction Certification and Superintendent PreK-12 of Schools Certification - Letter of Eligibility.

Educational Leadership Spotlight

  • 2025 Summer Institute

    COE Summer Institute Students Gather in Greece

    Over forty students, faculty and staff from the College of Education (COE)'s Global Programs are gathered in Athens, Greece for the start of the 2025 Summer Institute. Each year this experience offers students working in education from across the globe an opportunity to engage with professors and fellow students in an in-person, intensive learning environment.

  • Political Leanings in Public Schools

    A Look at Perceptions of Political Leanings In Public Schools

    A new study by J. Cameron Anglum and Anita Manion looks at the perceptions of students and parents regarding the political leanings of public schools. Published by the Brookings Institution, their research finds that adults' perceptions of public school bias vary by party affiliation, while most high school students say that public schools are politically neutral or balanced.

  • Kimberly Levin

    Levin Presents Research on At-Risk Students

    Kimberly Levin '03G '22Ph.D. will present, "Using Dropout Predictors to Identify At-Risk Students," at the 2025 CIU 20 Literacy Symposium on June 10 at DeSales University. Her presentation includes findings from her dissertation and the application of those findings to the secondary Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) model used within her school district.

  • Matt Link LUSSC Leadership Award

    Link Recognized for Outstanding Leadership

    Matthew Link '13G, superintendent of the Northern Lehigh School District, was recently awarded the Cooperative Leadership Award by the Lehigh University School Study Council (LUSSC). The award recognizes outstanding leadership within the National School Development Council or on its behalf, including exemplary efforts to establish cooperative relationships with other educational agencies or school study councils in creating programs for the nation’s schools.

A Day in the Life

Learn more about our Educational Leadership degree programs from our students:

Spring Shank, M.Ed., Educational Leadership, '19 

Gina Gullo, Educational Leadership, M.Ed. Special Ed, '14 and Ed.D. Educational Leadership, '16

Faculty & Staff

Documents