Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis MS - Wisconsin Idea Principal Preparation

This is a named option in theEducational Leadership and Policy Analysis M.S.

This named option is a specialized program of study within our Masters degree program. It provides all coursework necessary to meet the requirements for licensure as a school principal in the state of Wisconsin (licensure also requires a Masters degree). It replicates the campus program resulting in the same degree and eligibility for licensure. The UWWhitewater Cooperative Program, an existing departmental named option, similarly provides training for school administrators. A second departmental named option resulting in a Masters degree, the Global Higher Education Program, serves a different population of students who are training for work in post-secondary education.

The mission of the department is to create, evaluate, exchange, and apply knowledge about leadership, learning, and organizational performance to prepare scholars and scholar practitioners who cultivate equity and educational opportunity in a diverse and changing world. The purpose of the Wisconsin Idea Principal Preparation Program directly relates to this mission as the program is designed to train school leaders in a program with an explicit emphasis on equity and opportunity for all children in elementary and secondary schools.

The program is designed for current teachers and school or system leaders who are committed to becoming effective leaders of schools that eliminate inequities in student learning for all students in the schools and systems they serve. At the completion of the 14-month program, candidates will receive a master of science in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and be eligible for endorsement for a Wisconsin administrator license for the principalship.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper.  Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706.  Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if: