Admission Requirements: Master of Education in Educational Leadership

Admission Requirements: Master of Education in Educational Leadership
04.24.2025
30
05.12.2025
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

SPRING 2025 APPLICATION FEE WAIVED

Apply now and save the $65 application fee. Start your Journey today.

SPRING 2025 GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

Apply by the 15th of December to be eligible for the award. Contact an Enrollment Services Advisor to learn more.

stack of documents icon Admission Requirements

Admission into the University of Cincinnati’s Master of Education in Educational Leadership online program is selective and based on meeting the requirements outlined below.

Applications for the online program are reviewed in a holistic manner that carefully considers all items in your application portfolio. Our Admissions Office is happy to work with you to answer any question you may have and help determine your eligibility. Contact an Enrollment Services Advisor or email [email protected].

Prerequisites

If applying to the Special Education Leadership or Principal Leadership:

  1. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university.
  2. Overall minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (recommended).
  3. A current, active professional teaching license (alternative teaching licenses cannot be used to gain an administrative license).*
  4. A minimum of two years of full-time teaching experience with a sanctioned school/district. This excludes time spent as a substitute teacher or time spent as a student teacher. (Note: This degree program does not lead to initial teaching licensure)*

*Not required if applying for the General Administration & Policy concentration.

If applying to the General Administration & Policy:

  1. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university.
  2. Overall minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (recommended).
  3. Teaching license is not required

Admission Materials

  1. Three Letters of Recommendation (1 letter must be from an immediate supervisor who can speak to the candidate’s performance).
  2. Goal statement.
  3. Resume or CV.
  4. Unofficial Transcripts from all universities attended.

Application

All applicants will complete the online application for their requested program by the posted application deadline corresponding with the semester you wish to begin. Applicants must ensure that all required materials are successfully uploaded, and the application submitted. Incomplete applications will not be processed or reviewed.

Start your application

Application Fee

$65 domestic-currently waived

$70 international-currently waived

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required.

Recommendations should come from individuals who can attest to your academic and professional skills. References from current and former employers are always desirable. Additionally, recommendations from contacts within academia or professional organizations you’re involved in are also desirable.
Those writing letters should explain who they are, their relationship to the applicant, and what they know of the applicant’s academic and professional abilities.
Letters of recommendation from family, friends or current students are not accepted.
Recommendations are submitted by the recommender themselves; they cannot be completed or submitted by the applicant or another party on behalf of the reference.

Resume or CV

Professional Resume:

A resume relevant to academic and professional data. It should include the applicant’s name; phone; email; colleges attended with degrees, dates conferred, and grade point average; employment history; professional experience; present employer; and names of references.

Curriculum Vitae:

A detailed look at the applicant’s career path, including achievements, publications, and awards. Including comprehensive information about candidate’s research background, presentations, publications, committee memberships and other experience of an academic, clinical, or scientific nature.

 

Goal Statement

The goal statement serves as a sample of the applicant’s writing quality and ensures their goals match with the program. It should denote applicant’s desired program concentration (if applicable) and highlight applicant’s motivation for pursuing a career in the field, and how the program will benefit them.

Unofficial Transcripts

All applicants are required to upload unofficial transcripts during the application process, showing all undergraduate and graduate course work completed, including degrees granted and dates of conferral.

Official transcripts are not required until the student has received and accepted an offer of admission from the university. Once the offer has been confirmed, the student must submit official transcripts.

Optional GRE Scores

No GRE is required of applicants.
GRE scores are optional for admission. Scores are recommended to strengthen applications that may be weak in areas. For example, applicants with a minimum undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0 should include GRE scores with their application.

GPA Scores

Candidates who graduated from a non-accredited college or university or who do not meet the minimum grade point averages requirement for admission will need a waiver from the School of Education. For the program to request a waiver, the candidate must provide evidence that address mastery of the knowledge prerequisite to the courses required by the program, acceptable writing skills, the ability to engage in critical thinking, and a personal commitment to completing the program. The evidence must convincingly demonstrate the candidate’s potential for success in graduate level work.

Transfer Credits

You may transfer up to one third of the credits of the program, about 9 credits credit hours of graduate courses from a regionally accredited college or university. These credits must have been earned within the last five years prior to admission and be approved by the program faculty. Practicum coursework cannot be transferred into the program.

Transferring from one graduate program to join another at UC, all UC graduate credits taken as part of the incomplete program or under a certificate are eligible to use to fulfill requirements in the new program, based on faculty evaluation of the equivalence to courses in the new curriculum and program approval.

 

International Transcripts

International students are required to provide specific information about their transcripts. Transcripts must have a course-by-course evaluation completed from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).

English Proficiency Requirement: English proficiency is required of all applicants whose native language is not English. Students can demonstrate proficiency in a number of ways at the graduate level.