Western Education's MPEd | Field of Educational Leadership
The Educational leadership is about leading policy and practice for positive social change in education. The Master of Professional Education Program in the field of Educational Leadership builds on a strong base of research, theory, and practice to develop expertise and appropriate confidence in recognizing, addressing and ameliorating problems of professional practice. The program nurtures the ability to become contributing members of professional and academic communities while also working as critical scholar practitioners. In addition to participating in online graduate seminars addressing pertinent theory and research, candidates critically analyze problems drawn from their practice contexts. The program culminates with a capstone course addressing a problem of practice through collaborative work.
Examples of problems addressed in capstone course projects:
- Addressing the challenges of leading educational organizations during and after Covid-19
- Leading decolonizing, equity, diversity and inclusion policy changes in an educational setting
- Organizing professional learning within a school or educational team
- Aligning organizational goals, mission, and practices
- Leading human resource policy development in educational settings to achieve organizational goals for socially just practice in education
- Communicating policy changes to diverse stakeholders
- Analyzing policies and their effects in education
- Supervising educational staff teams for effective teaching and learning
What can I do with this Degree?
This degree will be of interest to professionals in educational settings who have a recommended minimum of one-year full-time teaching experience, or other related experience within the field of education and who are interested in developing educational administration and leadership practices. Some of our alumni are vice-principals, principals, department heads in schools. Others are educational leadership consultants, and/ or instructors and administrators in post-secondary institutions and public sector organizations that relate to training and education. Please consult the degree admission requirements.
This is an exclusively online graduate degree program.
Help children and families
Work with diverse communities
Solve real-world problems
Develop collaborative relationships
Beyond the program details
Admissions
Required:
- A four-year degree (20 full courses or equivalent) from an accredited university.
- Minimum "B" standing (70%) or equivalent in the final two years of study.
Recommended:
- A qualification leading to certification as a teacher (e.g., B.Ed.).
- Minimum one-year full-time teaching experience, or experience within the field of education.
Notes and Exceptions:
- Bachelor of Education and Additional Qualification course grades aren’t used in calculating admission averages.
- Applicants with three-year degrees will be considered on a case-by-case basis if seats are available in programs. Successful experience as an educator in a professional setting may be considered in the selection process.
- Probationary status: If an applicant doesn’t meet all of the minimum admission requirements (e.g., average below 70% and/or has only a three-year degree plus B.Ed.) the applicant may be offered admission as a Probationary Student with Conditions.
- Conditions: Applicants will be required to maintain a 75% average in each of these courses to clear conditions.
- The successful completion of an MPEd degree doesn’t lead to certification with the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT).
Tuition
Tuition amounts are set each year by Senate and then published on the Office of the Registrar's Fees Schedules web page. Fees are assessed once each term (Fall, Winter, Summer).
Current students can access fee information by logging into the Student Centre (use your Western email log in and password). Students are notified each term once fee amounts have been posted in the Student Centre; it is each student's responsibility to log into the Student Centre and pay fees by the due date indicated. Failure to do so may result in a late payment fee or deregistration.
For questions about fees, including how to pay fees and the methods of payment that are accepted, students should go to the Student Financial Services pages of the Office of the Registrar's web site or contact Student Financial Services (Office of the Registrar) at 519-661-2100.
The Graduate Student Affordability Calculator was designed for you to get a better estimate of what it will cost to attend one of Western's graduate programs for one year. The calculator is not a promise of funding or a place to access scholarship support or financial aid; rather, it is intended to provide you with an accurate estimate of how much money you will need to pay for your tuition, fees, housing, food, and many other necessities for a 12-month (three-term) academic year.
Funding
The Faculty of Education recognizes the financial commitment required to pursue professional graduate studies.
As the majority of our programs are fully online, we offer students flexible learning that allows them to fund their education by remaining in their current employment. Some employers offer subsidization or time release opportunities for the professional learning of their employees. As a result, internal funding is not available for these programs.
There are also many external funding opportunities for competitive candidates in our professional programs. Download this PDF file for an additional list of over 30 external awards (see more information below). Also, visit online sites that contain numerous award opportunities.
Please note that students must apply for these awards individually. Read the qualifications carefully, and contact the award provider for more criteria and award information. Some application support is available from the Research Office for research-based awards only.Many private financial institutions offer financing options (with particular rates and payment plans) to full-time students. Please contact a representative of your preferred financial institution for more information.
Provincial governments offer a variety of loan programs to help students finance their studies. Ontario residents may be eligible to apply for OSAP.
The Government of Canada's CanLearn website provides a listing of contact information for the offices of all government student financial assistance programs. Please visit CanLearn to find your province or territory listing. The Government of Canada implemented the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) to encourage higher education and training. The LLP allows you to withdraw up to $10,000 a year from your registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance training or education for you or your spouse or common-law partner. For further information on this plan, visit the government's LLP website
Technology
Instructors of onsite courses use the Sakai OWL platform, although it is not required. Access to a course in Sakai OWL is typically opened the first business day of each term. Please note that although your own access may be granted prior to the first business day, course content may not be posted until closer to the scheduled term start. Your Western University login and password is required to access the course (your Western email without the @uwo.ca and its accompanying password). Access to the learning management system is found here: Sakai OWL.
For online courses, students are required to have access to the following:
- High speed Internet access
- Access to a computer that enables connection to outside websites (flexible firewall restrictions)
- Multimedia playback capabilities (video/audio)
- WebCam
- Computer capable of running a recent version of Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox; and/or Cisco MOVI client for PC or Mac
- Audio headset and microphone for computer
Program information
Description
The Master of Professional Education Program in the field of Educational Leadership nurtures the ability for graduate students to become contributing members of professional and academic communities as informed, yet critical, scholar practitioners. In addition to participating in graduate seminars addressing pertinent theory and research, candidates critically analyze problems and challenges facing educational leaders drawn from their practical experience. The program culminates with a capstone project addressing a topical problem of practice related to educational leadership through collaborative research.
The program is delivered through a variety of instructional media. The MPED degree can also be earned through customized programs developed and delivered with partner organizations such as school boards, post-secondary organizations, or other constituent organizations.
Important Note: The successful completion of a Master of Professional degree does not lead to certification with the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT).
Objectives
Our Master of Professional Education program assists practicing professionals to become stewards of their profession, guided by vision informed through key knowledge and refined through critical analysis. The program fosters self-confidence and committed to enhancing student learning. Our students are encouraged to engage meaningfully with the varied dynamics of local communities. We seek candidates who are willing and eager to experiment with promising practices. Our graduates will be assisted to:
- Frame complex problems of practice related to educational leadership to foster insights conducive to meaningful analysis and amelioration;
- Construct and apply knowledge to make positive differences in the lives of individuals, families, organizations, and communities with considerations for decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion;
- Develop and demonstrate skills and values appropriate for working professionally with diverse communities and building respectful partnerships;
- Acquire a professional knowledge base grounded in practical understandings informed by pertinent theory and research and refreshed through ongoing inquiry;
- Emphasize the generation, transformation, and use of professional knowledge, practice and ethics;
- Provide service to the professional, scholarly, and university communities through the dissemination, interpretation and application of research;
- Identify and act ethically, demonstrating professionalism and integrity.
Timing/delivery
The MPEd is designated as a full-time program. Full-time status requires that students complete four half-courses in one year. MPEd students will complete one course per semester (fall, winter, intersession, summer) for two years. See the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for details.
This program of study is a course-based cohort model. Approximately 20 students will be admitted to each cohort. This cohort structure will provide ongoing support within the course work, enabling you to develop a professional community of practice. To ensure the integrity of the cohort model, continuous enrollment is required, and will necessitate that you complete all the required courses within the timeframe stipulated.
Courses
Year 1 Fall
ED 9430 Leading Schools
Review of major relevant leadership theories and their application to leadership in schools and other human-service organizations. Specific attention will be paid to problems and challenges confronted by leaders, particularly administrators, in varying contexts and cultures.
Year 1 Winter
ED 9431 Approaches to Research
Integrative overview of the philosophy of inquiry and ways of understanding problems and challenges faced by leaders with particular attention to methods and methodologies commonly employed in the social sciences.
Year 1 Summer - Intersession
ED 9432 Resource Development and Management for Effective Education
Critical and comparative review of key theories of formal organizations and their implications for schools and school systems with attention to problems and challenges of culture in schools and other human services organizations.
Year 1 Summer - Summer Session
ED 9433 Advanced Topics in Policy Study
Review of policy development and implementation and their relationship to legislative processes and shared features of educational law in modern states. Students will analyze specific cases of interest.
Year 2 Fall
ED 9434 Organizing for Instruction
Understanding and management of financial resources and related issues in public education; students will critically examine development of human and other resources in schools and school systems with specific attention to evidence-based decision making.
Year 2 Winter
ED 9435 Research and Evaluation in Schools
Review of approaches to and understandings of research and/or evaluation methods and approaches appropriate to investigating problems and challenges related to school organization and leadership. This course will include a focus on the location and use of appropriate data sources.
Year 2 Summer - Intersession
Year 2 Summer - Summer Session
ED 9436 Finding, Framing, and Solving Problems in Professional Practice (2 semesters)
A culminating course in which candidates work together on framing, analyzing, and responding to problems and challenges they encounter in their leadership practice.
