Educational Leadership and Policy

The Educational Leadership & Policy (ELP) program is devoted to the study and development of policy, leadership, change, and social diversity in elementary and secondary schools and other educational settings for children and youth. A combination of theory and real-world practice will enable students to tackle the complex challenges of current education policy, leadership and reform. Program strengths include:

• A focus on equity, anti-oppression and educational justice;
• Deep expertise in both the Ontario educational context and in comparative, international and global contexts; and
• Training in advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods.

The ELP program is designed to develop critical and highly skilled educational leaders, policy analysts, and researchers who will make positive change in schools, school boards (districts), government ministries, foundations, nongovernmental agencies and international organizations in Canada and around the world. Within the program, students are able to explore the field more broadly or focus on one of four thematic areas: Policy, Leadership, Change and Social Diversity. Students have four degree program options within ELP: MEd, MA, EdD and PhD.

MA:

B+ in final year of bachelor’s

B+ average in Master’s

Mid-B in final year of bachelor’s

A-minus average in Master’s

Duolingo English Test:Tests completed on or after July 1, 2024: Overall score of 120 with a score of 120 in production.

Tests completed before July 1, 2024: Overall score of 120, with no subscore below 100.

International Baccalaureate English:A minimum score of at least 4 (predicted or final) in Higher Level or Standard Level English A: Literature or English A: Language and Literature. English B Higher Level is not acceptable. Learn more about IB English.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS):The minimum requirement is an overall band of 6.5, with no band below 6.0. Results from IELTS (Academic) for UKVI test sittings are accepted. Learn more about IELTS.

Note: We do not accept the IELTS Indicator test or results from the IELTS One Skill Retake. Applicants must achieve the scores listed above on a single date.

Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic:The minimum requirement is an overall score of 65 with no part below 60. Results from PTE (Academic) UKVI test sittings are accepted. Learn more about PTE.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):Tests completed before January 21, 2026:

- The minimum requirement is a total score of 89 with 22 in each of Speaking and Writing
- Applicants must achieve the scores listed above on a single date. TOEFL MyBest (super-scored) results will not be used.

Effective January 21, 2026 there will be a new TOEFL scoring format. Admission requirements for the new scale are under review and will be posted once finalized.

Paper based test: Tests will be reviewed on an individual basis. Learn more about TOEFL

We do not accept TOEFL Essentials, TOEFL ITP or TOEFL ITP Plus for China for admission purposes.