Do you want to become an exceptional educational leader? If so, the University of Maine at Farmington M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership program is for you. Designed for practicing teachers, the program contributes to the intellectual and professional growth of educators through a rigorous and supportive course of study—one that respects and builds upon your experiences in the field.
UMF is rated by University Headquarters as having some of the Best Master’s Degrees in Maine (#2 overall). University Headquarters is an industry-leading, independent educational organization that compiles a comprehensive set of information for students who wish to pursue a higher education.
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Program at a Glance
- Convenient blended format: 70% online / 30% face-to-face
- 33 graduate credit hours, including 15-credit concentration
- Cohort format
What Our Master’s Students Have to Say
“I feel very fortunate that Farmington offers this graduate program in a hybrid format — a combination of online and in-person, which makes it easy to both work and stay on track with my education, especially this past year. This degree will offer me new opportunities in the future while teaching me the skills needed to be a leader in any setting. The professional networking and collaboration in the UMF program are so important. They provide the kind of expert support that makes me a better teacher, better leader and a better person.”
— Lacey McQuarrie from Houlton, Maine
Special Education teacher in Aroostook County
Student in the UMF M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership program
In-Person and Online: The Best of Both Worlds
The master’s program is taught in-person and online, with roughly 30% of the program taught in-person and 70% online. Typically, the 30% face-to-face instruction takes place over the course of 3 Saturday classes.
Our graduates have consistently told us that this format allows them to experience the best of both worlds: the convenience of online education with the ability to make connections and expand your professional network through face-to-face interaction.
Complete the Program in 2 or 3 Years
The M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership offers students the choice of completing the degree in 2 or 3 years. If you’d like to view the schedule for either plan, simply download the schedule.
Download M.S.Ed in Education Leadership 2- or 3-Year Schedule>>
Master’s in Educational Leadership Curriculum
UMF’s M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership is a cohesive student-centered program that models excellence in education through rigorous coursework and faculty mentoring of research and practice. The 33-credit program, which includes a 15-credit concentration, helps competent teachers become effective educational leaders.
Core Curriculum (18 credits)
- EDU 551 Changing Educational Organizations in a Diverse World (3 credits)
- EDU 582 Research Methods (3 credits)
- EDU 583 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment I: Development and Planning for Digital Age Learners (3 credits)
- EDU 584 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment II: Data Informed Decision Making for Digital Age Teaching and Learning (3 credits)
- EDU 585 Cultivating Ethical Leadership (3 credits)
- EDU 586 Applied Educational Research I (3 credits)
To see course descriptions please review the Graduate Catalog.
Concentrations (15 credits)
This concentration is designed for practicing educators interested in pursuing opportunities in school administration.
Courses
- EDU 550 School Law for Administrators
- EDU 551 Changing Educational Organizations in a Diverse World
- EDU 552 Supervision and Evaluation of School Personnel
- EDU 553 Finance for School Administrators
- Optional Elective: SED 518 Special Education Law
- Optional Elective: EDU 554 Internship in School Leadership
Required Courses
- EDU 539 Introduction to Nature Based Education and Outdoor Learning
- EDU 520: Nature-Based Programming and Leadership
- ENV 577: Natural History of Maine/New England
Choose two electives from the following courses
- EDU 559: Outdoor Classroom Design
- EDU 549 Design Thinking for Early Learners and Elementary
- EDU 508 Nature-Based Art Education
- EDU 514 Exploring Maine Through Children’s Literature
- EDU 555: Integrating Nature into the Curriculum
Required Courses
- Engineering for Early Learners and Elementary
- Introduction to STEAM for Early Learners and Elementary
- Design Thinking for Early Learners and Elementary
Choose two electives from the following courses
- Computational Thinking for Early Learning and Elementary
- Technology for Young Learners
- Advanced Mathematics Methods for Elementary School Teachers
- Exploring Maine Through Children’s Literature
- Science in the Early Childhood Years
- Creative Arts in Early Education
This concentration is designed for those working in school districts, non-profit organizations, and small businesses who are striving to improve their Human Resources Management expertise.
Courses
- BUS 500 Human Resources Management
- BUS 505 Organizational Theory & Design in Non-profit Organizations
- BUS 510 Legal Issues in Human Resources Management
- BUS 515 Performance Management and Employee Training
- BUS 520 Compensation and Benefits
This concentration is designed to help professionals expand and hone their writing skills through the lens of their workplace context.
Courses
- ENG 500 Writing in the Workplace
- ENG 505 Writing for the Internet
- ENG/ART 510 Graphic Design
- ENG 515 Grant Writing
This concentration is designed to prepare educators to integrate topics around climate change and related issues into their teaching.
Courses
- ENV 500 Introduction to Climate Change & Sustainability Education
- ENV 505 Climate Change and the Geosphere
- ENV 510 Climate Change and the Biosphere
- ENV 515 Systematic Thinking About Resilience and Adaptation
- ENV 520 Capstone Course in Climate Change and Sustainability Education
This concentration is designed to assist teachers in acquiring strategies for creating an inclusive classroom, conducive to proficiency-oriented and communicative language instruction designed to create a learning community.
Courses
- EDU 502 Second Language Acquisition
- EDU 503 Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Teaching Methodologies for Multilingual Learners
- EDU 504 Multilingual Learners: Equity, Inclusion and Family Engagement
- EDU 505 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for Multilingual Learners
- EDU 511 Evidence and Inquiry Based Strategies for Working with Multilingual Learners
This concentration is designed for practicing educators interested in pursuing opportunities in teaching gifted and talented students. Please check with the Maine Department of Education for additional requirements for a Maine’s Endorsement: Gifted/Talented Teacher.
Courses
- SED 530 Identifying and Educating Learners Who are Gifted
- SED 531 Curriculum and Instruction for Learners Who Are Gifted
- SED 532 Developing and Implementing Programs for the Gifted Learner
- SED 533 Teaching Critical & Creative Thinking in Gifted Programs & Classroom Settings
This concentration is designed to prepare K-12 teachers to identify students who need assistance in mathematics and to address the needs of these students through assessment-informed and focused interventions. Participants will learn to identify students’ concept understanding and areas needing further development using quantifiable and research-based assessments.
Courses
- EDU 524 Advanced Mathematics Methods for Elementary School Teachers OR
- EDU 561 Methods for Middle/Secondary Mathematics Education (for 7-12)
- EDU 525 Developing Formative Assessment Practices in the Mathematics Classroom
- EDU 527 Mathematics Intervention: Theory and Data Informed Decision Making
- EDU 528 Mathematics Intervention: Implementation and Assessment
This concentration in Math coaching is designed to prepare K-12 teachers who wish to support other educators in their district on mathematics learning and teaching.
Courses
- EDU 524 Advanced Mathematics Methods for Elementary School Teachers OR
- EDU 561 Methods for Middle/Secondary Mathematics Education (for 7-12)
- EDU 525 Developing Formative Assessment Practices in the Mathematics Classroom
- EDU 594 Theories of Mathematics Coaching
- EDU 596 Mathematics Coaching in Practice
This concentration is designed for practicing educators interested in pursuing opportunities as a special education administrator. There is a shortage of qualified administrators of special education and assistant administrators of special education in the state of Maine.
Courses
- EDU 550 School Law for Administrators
- EDU 551 Changing Educational Organizations in a Diverse World
- EDU 552 Supervision and Evaluation of School Personnel
- EDU 553 Finance for School Administrators
- SED 598 Inclusive Education Reform: a Social Justice Approach to School and Systemwide Reform
This concentration is designed to assist educators in meeting professional goals. The courses included provide educators with a range of essential knowledge and skills to support students with disabilities in a variety of settings, and for professionals in a variety of roles. There is a focus on high leverage practices designed to support students with disabilities.
Courses
- SED 503 Preparing Students for the Future: Transition Programming, Self-determination and Advocacy
- SED 506 Assessment in Special Education
- SED 507 Curriculum and Instructional Programming for Students With Disabilities
- SED 508 Classroom and Behavior Management of Students with Disabilities
- SED 518 Special Education Law
- SED 529 Individualized Positive Behavior Supports
- SED 598 Inclusive Education Reform: a Social Justice Approach to School and Systemwide Reform
Required Courses
- EDU 506 Poverty in Education
- EDU 519 Risk and Resilience in Educational Settings
- EDU 579 Implementing Systems of Student Support
Choose one of the following courses
- ECH 533 Advanced Foundations of Child Development
- EDU 503 Culturally Responsive English Language Learner Pedagogy
- EDU 504 English Language Learners: Equity, Inclusion, and Family Engagement
- EDU 521 Fostering Effective Learner Dispositions
- EDU 533 Mindfulness
- SED 529 Individualized Positive Behavior Supports
- SED 514 Literacy Development for All Students
- SED 530 Identifying and Educating Learners Who are Gifted
- SED 598 Inclusive Education Reform: a Social Justice Approach to School and Systemwide Reform
Application Process & Due Dates
All applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Division of Graduate & Continuing Education office prior to application to discuss the program and professional goals. Call us at 207-778-7502 or email us at gradstudies@maine.edu.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and will be considered when complete. Students may enroll in some courses as a non-matriculated student prior to acceptance into the program.
Due Dates
- Spring Term: December 9
- Summer Term: April 24
- Fall Term: August 14
How to Apply
To apply for the M.S.Ed. in Educational Leadership, you will need to provide the following:
A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university is required.
If you have a foreign degree, it must be validated by World Educational Services, Center for Educational Documentation, Inc., or other appropriate agency. The decision to accept the degree is made on a case-by-case basis by the UMF Director of Graduate Programs in Education.
Download our Application (pdf) >
Please email completed forms to: gradstudies@maine.edu
Please provide official transcripts from each institution you have attended (including both the undergraduate and graduate level). Official transcripts must be sent directly from the institutions to the UMF’s Office of Graduate Studies.
If you attended a UMaine System school (UMA, UMF, UMFK, UMM, UM, UMPI, or USM), the Office of Graduate Studies can obtain your transcript for you.
We are looking for educators with the potential to become leaders, who would benefit from a program designed to build these skills and characteristics.
Write a brief (1000 word limit) essay in which you:
- Identify two areas of strength from the Teacher Leader Model Standards (included on the application form). Please provide examples and evidence of your successes as a teacher leader.
- Identify two areas you wish to develop from the Teacher Leader Model Standards (included on the application form). Please articulate how the M.S.Ed. program at UMF will support your development in these areas.
If you are requesting an individualized concentration, then you will need to provide us with supplemental information.
Please submit the following additional materials in one document:
- Propose a title for the focus of your concentration.
- List the courses you have taken that you are requesting for transfer. Include course prefix, title, institution, and grade received. (Official transcripts and syllabi are required for final decision regarding transfer of credit.)
- List the courses you may take at UMF or other institutions to complete the concentration (refer to UMF’s graduate catalog for UMF courses).
- Provide a brief (500 word limit) description of the focus. Include: What knowledge and skills do you hope to obtain? How would this focus promote your growth as a teacher leader?
Two recommendation forms are required:
- One from a current administrator or supervisor
- One from a professional colleague of your choosing
Download Recommendation Form>>
Note: This is a fillable form, and you may need to download it to enable it.
You will need to provide us with a copy of your Teaching Certificate.
If you are requesting that graduate-level coursework be transferred from another institution into this UMF Master’s program, in addition to your transcript you must submit the syllabi for each course you would like considered for transfer. Transfer decisions are made at the time of admission.
A student, with the approval of the Admissions Committee, may transfer up to 9 graduate credits from another institution into his/her academic program; only 3 of these credits may be in the core of the program.
These credits must have been earned from a regionally accredited institution, within 5 years prior to admission, and with a minimum grade of B (or equivalent). Graduate credits applied toward an undergraduate degree cannot be used toward the Master’s degree.
University of Maine at Farmington. Make the Most of Your Education.
Getting a master’s is a big deal, so make the most of your education with a quality program at nationally recognized University of Maine at Farmington. Well-known for excellence in teacher education, UMF offers a number of graduate programs for teaching professionals, including 5 on-campus Master’s degree programs, 10 different Graduate Certificate programs, a 100% online Master’s program, a Special Education Alternative Route to Certification, and more. We also offer a new Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a Creative Arts Focus that provides a solid clinical foundation while integrating the creative arts into the practice of counseling and psychotherapy.
The Division of Graduate & Continuing Education is at the center of UMF’s commitment to collaboration with teachers working in Maine’s Pre K-12 schools. This commitment finds life in programs that have a long history of quality, as well as new programs that are developed each year in response to needs voiced by the Pre K-12 community.
The University of Maine at Farmington is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).