Education

The Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration program is designed to meet the needs and interests of school-based leaders and those aspiring to lead within an academic context, such as principals, vice-principals, and cluster managers. Designed on an outcomes-based learning model, the program ensures that principal-candidates graduate with the ability to apply best practice in educational leadership to meet the changing needs of society in the 21st century. To achieve successful student learning, a leader’s work in education includes implementing evidence-based practice, ongoing teacher development, and actively engaging parents and community partners. Central to the vision of Zayed University’s College of Education is the belief that moral, ethical, and professional leadership is essential to the transformation of any education system. This vision aligns with the goal of the United Arab Emirates to ensure quality education for all U.A.E. nationals.

Candidates for this program should have:

• A qualification in education;
• Experience in the field of education or related areas;
• Demonstrated leadership experience in education or related areas;
• Commitment to improving the educational system, and being a change agent;
• Demonstrated successful academic performance;
• Demonstrated proficiency in English language;
• Commitment to lifelong learning.

Curriculum

Orientation Seminar
Prior to formal coursework, students participate in an orientation program where they are introduced to the nature and requirements of the program, some of the major issues involved in being a graduate student, the facilities offered in the program such as the library, online databases and other resources, the Curriculum Resource Center, the Graduate Writing Center, academic reading and writing preparation, and ways of communicating with faculty. During this orientation students form small, informal working teams to provide support for each other during the entire program.

Courses

The curriculum consists of the following courses:

Semester One

• EDP610 Educational Psychology
• EDC612 Introduction to Educational Research
• ELA614 Strategic Leadership in Education

Semester Two

• EDC620 Data Analysis in Education
• EDC625 Curriculum and Standards in an International Context
• ELA627 Educational Improvement and Systemic Change

Semester Three

• EDC630 Assessment and Evaluation
• ELA633 Human Performance and Resource Management
• ELA635 The Learning Organizations

Semester Four

• EDC643 School-Community Partnerships
• ELA647 Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning
• ELA648 Graduate Internship

Participants will engage in some internship hours attached to specific coursework and should apply for the final internship. Participants will be assigned a faculty member (as a Zayed University supervisor) and a school leader to mentor the student during the internship. The Zayed University supervisor in collaboration with the mentor will identify leadership and school-based opportunities that will align with learning outcomes required in the internship and reflect the career aspirations of the participants. Participants will make a public presentation of their internship experience and demonstrate their achievement in meeting the graduate program learning outcomes.

An international internship (study abroad opportunity) is possible by prior arrangement (the expenses will be borne by the candidate).

Course Delivery Format

The graduate program delivery follows a full semester model, whereby three courses are offered simultaneously in each semester. Instruction is delivered through a blended learning mode that makes use of face-to-face sessions and online delivery that could be either synchronous or asynchronous. Face-to-face sessions are held on Saturdays. Synchronous online sessions are scheduled during early evening times, while asynchronous sessions are more flexible in nature. The overall instructional time for each course is 48 hours.

Admission

• Admission is open to males and females of all nationalities.
• Applicants must have earned a four-year baccalaureate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher from an accredited university.
• An IELTS (Academic) overall band score of not less than 6.0 (the College of Education requires minimum sub scores no less than 5.0), or an internet-based TOEFL total score of not less than 79 iBT, or a native speaker of English with an earned baccalaureate degree from a university in which English is the language of instruction and which is located in a country where English is an official language.