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Master of Science Degree Program

Admission
Master's K12 and Policy
Master's HPCE
Master's Examination
Capstone Project
Minimum Standards & Progress Toward the Degree
Transfer Credits

I. Admission

See the department's general admission requirements.

See other available downloadable forms to facilitate the process.

II. K12 & Policy Graduate Program

Master of Science Degree

The following minimal requirements (30 credits) will satisfy the M.S. degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis.

Prior to or during the semester in which students are completing the 10 th semester hour of coursework, each student and advisor will prepare, submit, and obtain Department Chair approval for a master’s degree program plan. The program plan form can be downloaded from the Department website http://www.education.wisc.edu/elpa/reference/forms.htm

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INITIAL EDUCATOR ADMINISTRATIVE LICENSE

Master’s degree or an approved equivalent in Education Administration (PI 34.32)
Eligible to hold teacher, counselor, school psychologist, or social worker licenses in the State of Wisconsin
Three years successful experience at the elementary/secondary level, or three years successful experience as a school counselor, psychologist, or social worker which included 540 hours of classroom teaching experience.
Completion of the human relations requirement of PI 4.11
Undergraduate or graduate course in human growth and development including child psychology, early adolescent psychology, or adolescent psychology. (Ed Psych 301, 303, 320, 502, 520, 521, or 701)

(From Department of Public Instruction FAQ website http://dpi.state.wi.us/tepdl/doc/pi34faqs.doc)

Can a teacher who holds an Initial Educator License and who completes an approved principal program apply for and be issued an Initial Educator License as a principal?

A: No. The educator would first have to complete all requirements to advance his/her non-renewable Initial Educator License for teaching to the professional educator license stage. If an Initial Educator License was issued in an administrative category to an educator who still was licensed at the initial educator stage as a teacher, there is no assurance that the educator would complete requirements for advancement to the professional educator stage as a teacher. The educator would therefore no longer be eligible for the administrator license since eligibility for a teaching license is a prerequisite.

Program Approval

Satisfactory completion of the approved M.S. program shall be certified by the Student Services Coordinator prior to scheduling the Master’s examination and/or completing the portfolio requirement.

Occasional exceptions to the minimum M.S. program requirements may be made by the Department upon request by the student and major professor through the Department Chair.

K-12 Leadership Students Seeking Administrative Certification and/or a Master's Degree

All students seeking University endorsement for initial licensure as a K-12 administrator from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction must complete a portfolio based on Wisconsin State standards for administrators. Students seeking licensure who are also officially admitted to the Master’s degree program in ELPA, AND are completing the course requirements for the ELPA Master’s degree program and the K-12 licensure program may elect to submit the required portfolio for faculty review in lieu of the comprehensive Master’s exam.

In accordance with PI 34, the Department has created a portfolio requirement for all certification students. Beginning September 1, 2004 , students seeking certification as Principal, Director of Instruction, Director of Special Education and Pupil Services, or Superintendent, will be able to take part in the processes leading to the successful completion and presentation of their own portfolio. Each portfolio is comprised of five components: four dimensions of leadership, and a professional vision statement. Students will create exhibits for the components that will help to demonstrate their leadership proficiency in each of the dimensions that coincide with the Department’s mission and vision. Information on this requirement can be found on the Department website at http://www.education.wisc.edu/elpa/academics/degrees/PortfolioRequirement.htm

(From Department of Public Instruction FAQ website http://dpi.state.wi.us/tepdl/doc/pi34faqs.doc) 25) Q: Can a teacher who holds an Initial Educator License and who completes an approved principal program apply for and be issued an Initial Educator License as a principal?A: No. The educator would first have to complete all requirements to advance his/her non-renewable Initial Educator License for teaching to the professional educator license stage. If an Initial Educator License was issued in an administrative category to an educator who still was licensed at the initial educator stage as a teacher, there is no assurance that the educator would complete requirements for advancement to the professional educator stage as a teacher. The educator would therefore no longer be eligible for the administrator license since eligibility for a teaching license is a prerequisite.

Master's Examination

K-12 Master's Students Not Seeking Certification

K-12 Master’s students who are not seeking an administrative certification must take and pass the Master’s examination as a requirement for the M.S. degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. The examination may be taken during or after the final semester of course work that fulfills the program requirements. You must be enrolled the semester you complete a degree program or the Graduate School will require a completion fee equal to two graduate level credits be paid. The examination is offered (3) times a year near the end of each academic semester and summer session. The exam is also required for the Educational Specialist Certificate.

The Master’s examination covers only courses taken in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. Writing time for the examination is approximately six (6) hours. If failure results, the Master’s examination may be repeated one time. After a failure the student is required to complete a minimum of six (6) additional credits in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis course work before retaking the examination.

Minimum Standards and Progress Toward the Degree

A minimum of thirty (30) graduate credits must be completed in the Master of Science (M.S.) program with an overall GGPA of at least 3.00. The student must maintain a minimum overall 3.00 GGPA in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis courses at all times.

The M.S. degree program must be completed within five (5) years from the date of admission to the program. Failure to complete the program in 5 years will result in the student being declared "inactive." Students declared "inactive" will be ineligible to take the Master's Examination and receive the degree until a new graduate program has been approved by the Department and any new or different program or examination requirements then in effect have been met.

Students declared "inactive" for three (3) years may be dropped from the M.S. program. Students who have been dropped must seek readmission to a specific degree program in the Department and meet all existing admission, program, and examination requirements.

Transfer Credits

No more than six (6) graduate credits in other than educational administration courses may be transferred to the M.S. program in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

No more than nine (9) graduate credits in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis courses may be transferred from other universities to the M.S. program in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Graduate School regulations state that a master’s degree candidate must complete a minimum of 16 graduate level credits* on the Madison campus in order for the degree to be considered a Madison degree.

All transfer credits must have been taken in accredited graduate level programs.

*Cooperative Master’s degree students must check with the Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis.

III. HPCE Graduate Program

The following minimal requirements (30 credits) will satisfy the M.S. Degree in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis.

Prior to or during the semester in which students are completing the 10 th semester hour of coursework, each student and advisor will prepare, submit, and obtain Department Chair approval for a master’s degree program plan with a specialization in HPCE. The program plan form can be downloaded from the Department website http://www.education.wisc.edu/elpa/reference/forms.htm

Course Title

Foundations

(6 credits)

(students are encouraged to enroll in these courses during their first semester)

ELPA 701: Introduction to Higher and Postsecondary Education

ELPA 725: Research Methods & Procedures in Educational Administration

Core Areas

(9 credits)

To ensure that students have a comprehensive perspective on practice, policy and research in higher, postsecondary and continuing education, one course (3 credits) in each of the following core areas:

• Administration, Organization, Governance

• Teaching and Learning

• Policy and Research

Administration, Organization & Governance

ELPA 661: Organization and Operation of Education for Work Programs

ELPA 662: Designing Education for Work Programs

ELPA 715: Governance and Administration of Colleges and Universities

ELPA 730: Program Development in Continuing Education

ELPA 736: Administration of Student Services in Higher Education

ELPA 811: Leadership and Coordination of Continuing and Technical Education

ELPA 814: Technology in Continuing and Higher Education

ELPA 815: Problems in College and University Administration

ELPA 860: Organizational Theory and Behavior in Education

ELPA 940: Leadership in Two-Year Colleges

Teaching & Learning

ELPA 705: Community Building, Action and Learning: Leadership Dynamics

ELPA 742: Facilitating Learning for Adults

ELPA 746: The Adult Learner: Implications for Curriculum and Instruction

ELPA 748: Issues in Teaching-Learning in Adult Education

ELPA 817: Reflective Practice in Higher Education, Post-Secondary and Continuing Education

ELPA 880: Academic Programs in Colleges and Universities

ELPA 881: Ideas of the University

ELPA 940: Students in Higher and Post-Secondary Education

Policy & Research

ELPA 660: Foundations of Education for Work

ELPA 824: Field Research Designs and Methodologies

ELPA 831: Financing Post-Secondary Education

ELPA 841: Legal Aspects of Higher Education

ELPA 870: Politics of Education

Additional HPCE
Courses
(6 credits)

Students are encouraged to take six additional credits in HPCE courses to deepen their perspective and knowledge relative to practice, policy and inquiry.

Supporting Courses
(6 credits)

Complete six (6) credits in supporting courses related to the practice and study of HPCE (see recommended list) offered by faculty in departments outside of ELPA.

CP 665: Career Development Throughout the Lifespan
CP 855: Student Development Theory in the Practice of Student Affairs
CP 860: Multicultural Counseling
EPS 545: Philosophical Conceptions of Teaching and Learning
EPS 713: History of Higher Education in Europe and America
EPS 600: Community Colleges: Issues and Research
EPS 561: Women in Higher Education

Field Experience
(0-3 credits)

Students are encouraged to consider completion of a planned professional or research practicum experience that is supervised by an HPCE faculty member and ELPA faculty fellows.

Capstone Learning Project

(3-6 credits)

Students admitted after August 2006 will be required to complete a capstone project.

Higher, Postsecondary, and Continuing Education
Capstone Project

The HPCE master’s program is anchored in a culminating scholarly project in which each student is expected to demonstrate their growth and development as reflected in their accomplishments and scholarship proficiency in the following four domains: (a) foundations; (b) administration, organization, and governance; (c) teaching and learning; and (d) policy and research. Each project will be reviewed and judged by two HPCE faculty members (i.e., major professor and one additional faculty). The document should be approximately 50 pages written in paragraph format using APA writing style guidelines. You have at least two options to fulfill this requirement. First, you may do so within the parameters of a course. For this option, you would register for ELPA 915: HPCE Capstone Seminar. Second, you can work independently with your major professor. For this option, you would register for ELPA 999: Independent Reading. Capstone project options include: (a) integrative research reviews; (b) program/project evaluation; and (c) publishable manuscript.

Integrative Research Reviews
Integrative research reviews provide the opportunity to evaluate a body of research to identify gaps in current research, identify future research needs, bridge between related areas of work, identify central issues in an area, generate a research question(s), identify a theoretical or conceptual framework, and explore which research methods have been used successfully. At least five components are generally included: (a) problem formulation; (b) data collection or literature search; (c) evaluation of data; (d) data analysis; and (e) interpretation and presentation of results. The integrative review methodology must involve detailed and thoughtful work, the outcome of which can be a significant contribution to a particular body of knowledge and, consequently, to practice and research.

Program/Project Evaluation
Program/project evaluation is a formalized approach to studying the goals, processes, and impacts of projects, policies, and programs. Program/project evaluations can involve quantitative methods of social research, qualitative methods, or both. Program/project evaluation provides formative feedback that helps guide a program/project as it is being implemented. It also provides summative data that clearly demonstrates that the program/project is accomplishing its stated goals and objectives. The evaluation option requires a program or project is identified and agrees to participate, and that the evaluation process is designed and implemented.

Publishable Manuscript
The publishable manuscript is a document that is based on an empirical inquiry using data and original analysis. The document should generally include sections dedicated to: (a) statement of the problem; (b) rationale for the study; (c) research question(s); (d) review of relevant literature; (e) framework; (f) method; (g) findings and discussion; and (h) implications for research, policy, and practice. When the document is complete, every effort should be made to present results at a professional conference and/or submit to a professional journal.

.Guidelines last revised July 9, 2004

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