School Administration
MASTER OF school administration PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Department of Education at Elizabeth City State University offers the Master of School Administration (MSA) degree. The Master of School Administration Program is interdisciplinary in scope and offers students both full-time (accelerated) and part-time (regular) options. The Master of School Administration (MSA) program meets state standards for North Carolina Level I administrator licensure. The degree requires 36-42 semester hours and is delivered in a 100% online format and closely links educational theory to 21st century school leadership practice. Students engage with the content of leadership preparation through various assignments, observing schools and school leaders in the field, and performing tasks under the supervision of a school-based and university mentor during Internships. Courses are offered in the evenings during the Fall and Spring terms and at various times in the Summer term.
The admission requirements are:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution;
- At least three (3) years of experience as a state licensed teacher;
- Two official transcripts from all institutions attended;
- Completed ECSU Health Form;
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university;
- A minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or a 3.0 average for the
last four semesters (60 credit hours) of study for the bachelor's degree. Applicants
may be admitted without reference to their baccalaureate record if they earned at
least a 3.0 cumulative GPA in a master's degree program completed at an accredited
college or university or if they earned at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA for at least
12 credit hours of a master's or doctoral degree program;
- The MSA student must have a cohort average of at least a 3.0 in order to meet accreditation requirements. If a student’s GPA from their most recent degree is under a 3.0, the student may be provisionally admitted or admitted as a special student until the 3.0 GPA requirement is met.
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) recommended, but not required;
- $30 non-refundable application fee (waived)
- Interview with Department of Education, Psychology and Health Graduate Coordinator and Graduate Faculty;
- Typewritten two-page essay on a provided educational topic; and
- Recommendations from three professional educators who can document work performance or relevant experience.
The requirements described above are minimum requirements and do not guarantee acceptance. Students are selected and admission decisions are based on consideration of educational factors (i.e. interview, performance, communication skills). A limited number of students who do not meet the minimum standards may be allowed to enroll with special permission. We encourage you to apply.
A full load is nine (9) semester hours. The maximum number of hours in any semester is twelve (12).
Candidates in the Master of School Administration program must meet the Elizabeth City State University residency requirements. No more than six credit hours may be transferred from other institutions. Thirty semester hours must be earned at ECSU.
To gain approval to proceed with exit requirements, each student must:
- Complete a total of 12 but no more than 15 hours of graduate credit with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better (Advance to Candidacy).
- Receive no more than 2 grades of a C in any graduate coursework.
The student selects his or her Graduate Advisement Committee. The Committee shall consist of the advisor and additional members to a total of three: One member should be a university faculty member from outside the student’s major department. The Graduate Advisement Committee shall be responsible for approval of the Product of Learning. Each committee member must sign the Graduate Advisement Committee Agreement Form indicating agreement to serve on the Committee. The Graduate Advisement Committee must be approved by the Chair of the Department of Education.
Dr. Bryan Wilkins
Graduate School Coordinator
252 Willie and Jacqueline Gilchrist Education and Psychology Complex
Campus Box 856
bwilkins@ecsu.edu