Administration & Supervision (Ed.S.)

This program is designed for those who possess a master's degree in school administration or a master's degree in a related educational field. This program offers advanced preparation for those educators who desire careers as school superintendents, assistant superintendents, state department of education personnel, vocational education coordinators, curriculum coordinators, or educational personnel in private organizations. This program leads to certification as a superintendent in New Hampshire. It is possible to also receive certification as a principal under special circumstances.

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A student who does not hold a master's degree in administration may be required to take specific courses as electives.

The call in our society for strong, creative leadership of our organizations is universal. Educational organizations are no less impacted by this need for quality leadership than are businesses, non-profit organizations, and government.  The Department of Education, in general, and the program in Administration and Supervision, in particular, is responsible for training educational leaders who will fill leadership roles in the schools, institutions of higher education, educational research centers, and government. 

Professional preparation is a blend of gaining expert knowledge, developing analytical and personal skills, and applying them in real world settings. Study at a research institution like UNH provides the link between theory and practice, concepts and actions. Our faculty infuse their courses with the strong belief that professionals develop and use concepts and research that provide a basis for handling new challenges of practice.¹ We use scholarship as the foundation for our preparation of leaders who will engage with the communities they serve. Our graduate programs of professional educational preparation prepare our students to lead and engage their communities based on the application of in-depth scholarship to leading educational institutions.

Graduate students in our Education Specialist degree program will be able to:

Articulate a vision and a mission grounded in core values that reflect the ability to:

• Develop an educational mission for the educational institution, in collaboration with constituencies.
• Develop an educational mission that promotes academic success and well-being of all students.
• Articulate a vision of an educational institution.
• Cultivate and articulate core values.
• Model the vision, mission and core values through ethical and professional practices.

Exhibit leadership skills that reflect the ability to:

• Demonstrate knowledge and the application of: effective leadership practices; the legal foundations that impact the institution, including human resources, civil rights, and civil liberties; the policy making process, planning, and evaluation; and the ability to consistently use strong interpersonal skills to work collaboratively.
• Gather information about the educational community served by the educational institution to be used in meaningful engagement and assessment.

Develop management skills that reflect the ability to:

• Use resources efficiently to develop the capacity of school personnel, and to maintain a safe environment.
• Establish programs and procedures that meet the mission, vision, and core values of the educational institution.
• Develop crisis response protocols to proactively react to emergency situations, including short-term specific incidents and longer-term systemic incidents.

Pursue, through leadership and management skills and activities, the core values of creating and sustaining a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion that reflect the ability to:

• Create a culture in which students, faculty, and staff are treated fairly and respectfully, and that protects their rights and dignity as individuals.
• Infuse an ethic of care for all participants in the educational institution.
• Implement policies and practices that support a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Articulate, advocate, and cultivate polices and practices that reflect the core value of a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

¹Student learning outcomes are actualized in our classroom instruction, assignments, and field experiences. We ground our classroom instruction, which supports the student learning outcomes, in the practices identified by the National Policy Board for Educational Leaders Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (2015), and the New Hampshire Department of Education regulations.

Apply now

Deadlines: Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

• Fall: Aug. 15
• Spring: Jan. 15
• Summer: May 15
• Special: N/A

Application fee: $65

Campus: Durham

New England Regional: No

Accelerated Masters Eligible: No

New Hampshire Residents

Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

• Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
• Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of recommendation: 3 required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:

1. Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
2. Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.

Department Requirements

Applicants must also possess a Master's Degree in Educational Administration or the equivalent

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

International Applicants

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.

This program is normally not available to international applicants who are currently living outside of the U.S.