The Program

Program Structure

For a complete description, see 2008 MED catalog.

All students complete the following core courses:
  • Edu 610 Foundations for Curriculum Development, taken in the first year.
  • Edu 620 Introduction to Research, taken in the first year.
  • Edu 630 Learning Theory Applied to Teaching, taken in the second year.
  • Edu 650 The School in Society, taken in the third year.
Educational Leadership specialization courses:

  • Edu 720 Organizational Leadership—taken in the first year. This course provides a theoretical and empirical overview of contemporary leadership theories and the essentials of organizational behavior. Students will explore assumptions about human nature in leadership and followership, the personality and motivation of the leader, theories of leadership and participation focusing on the distinctions between transformational and transactional leadership, interpersonal dynamics in leadership, and organizational dynamics with an emphasis on organizational complexity and systems thinking. Attention will be given to leadership that is specific to educational settings using a case study approach. Prerequisites are Edu 610 and 620.

  • Edu 725 Development and Management of Personnel—taken in the second year. This course is a study of the educational leader’s role with the faculty and staff. This includes a study of recruitment, selection, and hiring, personnel utilization/staffing, supervision/personnel evaluation and conferencing. Additionally, the course focuses on the use of job descriptions, staff development, adult learning, and the promotion of change. Prerequisite is Edu 720.

  • Edu 740 Supervision of Instruction—taken in the third year. In this course, the educational elader is a key member of an instructional team focused on effective teaching and learning in the classroom. Two aspects of instructional leadership will be explored in this course
    1. Supervision—those professional community practices that lead to teacher developmental growth; and
    2. Evaluation—those administrative practices that lead to judgments regarding novice, veteran, and marginal teachers.
    Prerequisite is Edu 720.

  • Edu 745 School Law, Standards, and Policy—taken in the second year. This course is a study of the legal foundations of education—law, standards, and policy. Constitutionally-based case law is examined for its impact on public schools. Contract law is examined for it’s impact on private and religious schools. Tort law is examined for an understanding of legal liability. Legal audits assess the meeting of federal and state statutory requirements. State standards are reviewed. An historical, philosophical, and biblical framework for school law is presented. Prerequisite is Edu 720.

  • Edu 760 School Business Management—taken in the third year. This course is a study of the principles and methods of school business management based upon a biblical perspective of leadership, planning, and stewardship of time and resources. Students study strategic planning, technology planning, budgeting, purchasing and warehousing, scheduling and time management, records management, physical facilities planning, maintenance and operations, resource management and board relations. Prerequisite is Edu 720.

  • Edu 785 Field Experience in Educational Leadership—taken in the third year this is a capstone course, although students may begin the work in previous years. In this course students are required to observe, participate in, and reflect on activities which deepen understanding and develop skills necessary for effective practice. Field-based experiences are intended to extend course work to the school setting, providing real-life learning and a critical link between theory and practice. The set of planned experiences involves at least 150 clock hours of participation. Students are encouraged to begin field work during their first year of the program. The requirements for this capstone course include taking the Praxis II test in Leadership and Administration (Test #10410) and producing a 10-15 page scholarly paper which includes a literature review. This course is taken as an independent study. Prerequisite is Edu 720.

Integrated Curriculum and Instruction courses:

  • Edu 712 Shaping School Curriculum, K-12—taken in the first year. This course is an application of a biblical worldview to the processes and products of curriculum development and assessment for the K-12 school or school system. The course will examine the steps in developing a course of study from a school’s mission statement through the assessment process. The issue of state and national standards will be addressed. Criteria will be developed for the evaluation of textbooks and other curriculum materials. Prerequisite is Edu 610.

  • Edu 730 Implementing Instructional Strategies—taken in the second year. This course is a study of strategies, particularly technological, for planning instruction to create a better learning environment for all students. Instructional strategies are examined in the light of learning principles and other research findings. The class will endeavor to embody a biblical view of learners, teachers, curriculum and the global community in which they all interact. Prerequisite is Edu 630.

  • Edu 735 Integrative Approaches to Curriculum—taken in the second year. This course is a study of the theory and practice of integrative curriculum that centers on individual teaching units. Units are developed which focus on enduring understandings and reflect a biblical world view, and also reflect a proper understanding of the unity of knowledge and human experience. Students study the process of change within school communities to encourage adoption of more integrative approaches to education where appropriate. Prerequisites are Edu 610 and 630.

  • Edu 738 Research and Practice in Teaching Content Fields—taken in the third year. This course is an in-depth study of the research literature related to the teacing of the various content fields. Emphasis is given to research that has implications for instruction, and to current trends in the design of curricula and teaching practice. Prerequisites are Edu 620 and 630.

  • Edu 750 The Nature of Knowledge and Curriculum Integration—taken in the third year. This course examines the epistemological foundations for an integrated school curriculum. It clarifies the structure of knowledge, the nature of truth, and the place of “knowledge” in the postmodern world. These considerations are brought to bear on the task of integrating an academic curriculum. Prerequisite is Edu 610.

  • Edu 790 Project in Integrated Curriculum and Instruction—taken in the third year this is a capstone course, although students may begin the work in previous years. In this course students create a major project linking research to practice within school settings. Projects typically build on plans for integrated curriculum and instruction developed in Edu 735. In this course, those plans are implemented within an appropriate action research framework, informed by a comprehensive literature review and comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the project. This course is taken as an independent study. Prerequisites are: Edu 620 and 735.


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