Education Leadership, M.Ed.

Degree Requirements

The program features 2 pathways. The 1 year pathway is a 12 month program that integrates 6 hours of field studies experiences with 24 hours of course requirements. The 2 year pathway is in conjunction with partner districts that integrates 6 hours of residency experiences with 24 hours of course requirements. In the first year of the program the students complete their coursework, and in the second year of the program, students take the residency courses and complete an internship on their campus. Candidates for Principal Certification in the state of Texas must take and pass the 268 Principal as Instructional Leader and 368 Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL), which are state-administered assessments required for principal certification.

While applicants may request consideration for transfer of up to six hours of graduate credit, students should note that this is a cohort program with a tightly structured and integrated design, and it is not likely that traditional three-credit courses will be accepted for transfer. Requests for transfer credit are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Students need to submit a transfer request during the admissions process in order to be considered. Only courses with a grade of B or above can be transferred. Generally, no credit is allowed toward the master’s degree for courses taken more than six years before acceptance into the program.

Admission Requirements

All applicants must complete and submit a program application, which can be found online at https://grad.smu.edu/a-guide-to-graduate-admissions-at-smu. All of the following admission requirements must be submitted as part of the application.

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution;
2. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.5* (on a 4.0 scale). Applicants not meeting this requirement must provide GRE scores (see below), as well as other qualifications, such as long-term experience or expertise in a related specialized field as justification for consideration for admission;
3. For applicants with a GPA below 2.5: Scores from the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), taken within the last five years. For the GRE taken after August 1, 2011: Preferred scores are 144 or higher for Quantitative Reasoning, 153 or higher for Verbal Reasoning, and 4.5 or higher for Analytical Writing To ensure that we receive your GRE scores, please use the institution code 6660;
4. Copy of valid Texas teacher certification;
5. Copy of service record reflecting one year teaching experience in an accredited public, private or charter school;

6. Applicants must be able to communicate, listen, read, write, and comprehend the English language sufficiently to use it easily and readily in daily communication. English language proficiency will be evidenced by one of the following:
   1) Completion of an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or one of its territories; or
   2) verification of a minimum scaled score that falls within the High-Intermediate level in each section on the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test (TOEFL-iBT); or
   3) An undergraduate or graduate degree that was earned at an institution of higher education in a country outside of the United States from the following list: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada (except Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Federated States of Micronesia, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grand Cayman, Grenada, Guyana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Trinidad/Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom, U.S. Pacific Trust, Cameroon, Kenya, Philippines, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
   4) a standard certificate issued by the department of education in another state where examinations for the certificate were taken and passed.

7. Recommendations and evidence of a high degree of support from the school of employment, including a commitment on the part of the applicant’s principal (or an equivalent supervisor) to serve as a mentor for internship activities;
8. Evidence of leadership capacity and demonstration of leadership role in the applicant’s school;
9. The application includes essays, recommendations, and an interview with the Admissions Committee;
10. Official Transcripts from all graduate and undergraduate institutions where a degree was conferred or from which you have received 9 or more credit hours.

• Electronic transcripts should be sent to: gradappmaterials@smu.edu
• Paper transcripts should be sent to: 

Graduate Application Processing
PO Box 518
Dallas, TX 75275-0518

* calculated in accordance with current TEA guidelines. Simmons reserves the right to rescind an offer of admission should any misrepresentation occur.