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Educational Leadership
45 unit two year program

Experience the Santa Clara Difference


Our vision imagines a region and world in which everyone has access to an inspiring education and the psychological tools and support to propel them toward flourishing lives of meaning, purpose and connection.  Our education is characterized by Strong Values, Social Justice, Transformative, Diverse Community.

 
Our program

Our distinctive Educational Leadership program at Santa Clara University, a premier private Jesuit university, is designed to prepare top-notch leaders with the capacity to transform their organizations to promote social justice and educational equity.  We offer a high quality and innovative administrative services credential and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership in small class settings taught by renowned faculty that specialize in bridging theory, research and practice to teach the whole person. Our outstanding graduates hold leadership positions as K-12 principals, assistant principals, education program directors, teacher leaders, and intervention specialists.

The MA degree can be completed with an additional 15 quarter units beyond the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential or as a stand-alone degree program (45 quarter units). Completing an MA allows for deeper learning and expertise in educational Leadership in distinct contexts.

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Program Details

Aligned with our long tradition of learning in community with each other, our program offers in person instruction with some online classes. These online classes will have a majority of content taught synchronously via Zoom meetings. Online classes will typically meet weekly via zoom, with some content and/or meetings taking place asynchronously.


  • Classes are held both in-person and online
  • Full and part-time pathways available. 
  • 45 quarter units to complete the degree. 
  • See the Bursar's Office for a full list of tuition & fees for graduate students.
  • Credential-seeking applicants are eligible for a 25% tuition discount.  
Navigate here to Generous Scholarships

We have multiple scholarships available, including the Semilla scholarship (50% of tuition).  See our Financial Aid page to learn more.

Navigate here to Contact us
Navigate here to Admission Process

For more information on how to apply, and to learn about our requirements, please visit the Application Requirements page.


Why Santa Clara?


Faculty member provides instruction to a class of students
Navigate here to Personalized instruction
Our program is designed to deliver an exceptional education experience with attention to the individual instructional needs of students. With the support of our faculty, Santa Clara students aspire to build a better, kinder, more humane and more sustainable planet. 
Students
Navigate here to Experienced Faculty
With real world experience in TK-12 classrooms, our faculty have held positions as elementary and secondary teachers and principals. These experiences have shaped how they prepare teachers and combined with their research, allows our students to learn both practical and theoretical approaches to teaching. 
Three students sitting at a large table studying with their laptops
Navigate here to Flexibility & Affordability
Our Educational Leadership programs are offered part-time, full-time in-person and hybrid. This allows students to fit our programs into their schedule, not the other way around. In addition to the flexibility, our programs also offer a multitude of financial aid and scholarship options making our program as affordable as others in the area. The Santa Clara University reputation coupled with generous financial assistance gives our students an advantage upon graduation. 

Dean's Executive Professor of Education

Diane Ketelle

Director of Educational Leadership and Associate Professor

Pedro Nava, PhD

Dean of the School of Education and Counseling Psychology

Dr. Sabrina Zirkel


SCU in the News


 

Masters of Arts in Teaching and Teaching Credential

In response to the growing demand for flexible teacher-education programs, Santa Clara University’s School of Education and Counseling Psychology (ECP) is bringing its Teacher Education programs online, offering a Master of Arts and teaching credential for public, private, and Catholic school teachers. Aligning with the commitment to prepare educators dedicated to ensuring all learners are supported in the classroom, this program is the first online offering from the School of Education and Counseling Psychology.

Leverage Grant

Santa Clara University professor and associate dean of the School of Education and Counseling Psychology Marco Bravo has received a $2.7 million grant from the National Professional Development Program of the Department of Education to fund “Project Leverage.”

To help support the development of high-quality mathematics teaching in high-need schools, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $3 million grant to Santa Clara University to pay for 20 future math teachers to earn both a master’s degree and teaching credential, while learning cutting-edge approaches to teaching math.