EDST - Graduate Programs

THE EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (EADM) is a graduate program of interest to persons who seek to exercise leadership in a wide array of formal and informal educational settings. Our program offers both M.A. and M.Ed. options. It aims to engage students in learning that will help them understand, critique, and thereby improve their educational practice to better serve children, communities, and the wider society. Graduates will be prepared to provide leadership as educators, administrators and facilitators of educational change within schools and communities.

We approach educational leadership as a situated ethical practice that extends the boundaries of schooling into the community by engaging with social justice issues. Educational leaders engage with multiple constituencies -- school and community-based -- which hold conflicting social, political and cultural claims regarding the aims of education in a democratic and pluralist society. We seek candidates who care about the issues at stake, understand the potential of education in fostering personal development and citizenship in a democratic and multicultural society, and who want to positively influence teaching, learning and the public space in which education operates.

As a community of scholars and practitioners, we come from different disciplinary traditions (philosophy, law, educational administration and management, organizational studies, sociology, policy studies, media studies, Indigenous education). We bring to the Program an engagement with education undertaken in national and cultural settings in different regions of the world (South East and Western Asia, North America and the Pacific). We believe that this diversity enriches our teaching and exposes students to both Canadian and international experiences and approaches in the field of educational leadership.

The EADM Program is known for its ability to generate student professional growth. It challenges established assumptions and offers critical perspectives on education and society. The Program has a distinctive Canadian content and engages with a wide array of educational initiatives across British Columbia and Canada. A focus on education and educational leadership rather than “training” gives our Program a special character.

Faculty members take pride in fostering student intellectual growth and in promoting student welfare. We ask much of our students and give much in return. The Program has been operating for over 40 years and has over 800 graduates, many of whom occupy strategic educational roles in schools, school districts, non-governmental organizations and in other community settings.

Vision

“The University of British Columbia, aspiring to be one of the world’s best universities, will prepare students to become exceptional global citizens, promote the values of a civil and sustainable society, and conduct outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia, Canada and the world”.

“Our mission is to advance education’s role in the well-being of people and communities”.

“Educational leadership is the distinctive and integrating feature of the EADM program. ‘Education’ and ‘leadership’ have powerful meanings. When they are linked a new connotation is created that emphasizes the centrality of education to the pursuit of the good life. We believe that Educational Leadership is a powerful conduit for a socially just and equitable education in a democratic society. As a community of scholars and practitioners, we strive to improve, sustain, and renew the educational opportunities of all citizens in fair and just ways. We are committed to forms of educational praxis that integrate research and scholarship into sustainable organizational improvements of schools and other educational settings operating in a variety of contexts and serving a diverse citizenry”.

“As members of the Educational Administration and Leadership Program we aspire to provide our students with knowledge, skills and understandings that equip them to work successfully in diverse leadership roles across complex educational and schooling contexts and exercise their professional judgement in ways which recognize and promote the values of a civil, democratic, multicultural and sustainable society, the empowerment of individuals and the well being of communities”.

Student Representative

Administrative Team

Resident Faculty

Further Information

Tuition and other fees can be found through the UBC calendar. It is possible for some students to study full time and finish within 14 months. There are many other options for study, including an M.A. (with a thesis), an Ed.D., and a Ph.D. Please ask the receptionist for information about these programs at 822-5374 or check our website at www.edst.educ.ubc.ca/

Application for Admission

We are looking for students with academic strength and a track record of leadership. That means an average of at least 76% or a B+ in the 30 most recent credits, at least 12 credits at a first class level, as well as ample evidence of leadership among adults demonstrated in a school or community setting. Applicants are required to have at least three years, preferably more, of teaching experience in public, independent schools or in community settings engaged in education. Registration and application procedures are accessible online.

You may begin your program in July, September, or January. To get application deadlines please go to our admissions page

With the application forms, you are asked to submit a thoughtful statement of fit with the program, three strong letters of reference from educators or administrators who are in a position to comment on your work, your professional résumé, two official transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended, and an application fee.

"While applicants must have completed a four year degree from a recognized post-secondary institution to be admitted to UBC and have a B+ average during the last two years of full time undergraduate study, an undergraduate degree in education is not a requirement for admission to EADM. What is required is evidence of experience in the field of education, broadly conceived."

Campus Program

Most of our students choose part-time study. They usually take one course each term in the winter session on a weekday over 13 weeks or on five Saturdays. Weekday classes start at 4:30 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m. They then take a course in the spring and two courses in the summer (in intensive daytime classes during three-week periods starting in early July and running till mid-August). It is possible to take up to four courses in the spring/summer period and students who live beyond commuting distance usually take advantage of that option. Students proceed at their pace but start with a group whose members tend to share classes. With four courses per year, completion may be as short as two and one-half years.

Once applicants are accepted into the program, they are assigned an individual adviser and required to contact him or her to plan their courses. They may choose to change advisers at any time. Throughout their enrollment in the program, they have the services of the co-ordinator who oversees the program and has general responsibility for student welfare.

All students are required to complete a Program of Studies in consultation with their faculty pro tem adviser upon admission to the program. Program requirements are thirty (30) credits, a minimum of eighteen (18) credits of which are in EADM.

Students who wish to transfer from the M.Ed. into the M.A. option must request the transfer through their pro tem Adviser. The request must not be later than four (4) courses, including the three (3) core courses and the research course are successfully completed. Approval for transfer is not automatic and is subject to the student satisfying transfer requirements as defined by University and Departmental regulations and policies. The Program of Studies for M.A. and M.Ed. students is built in terms of credits hours as shown in Table 1:

(1) Students can enrol in EADM 501 or EDUC 500 or an equivalent research course approved by the faculty pro tem adviser.

(2) This course is not required for M.A. students. For M.Ed. students a capstone is required but can be undertaken in one of two ways: (a) A student may write a Graduating Paper (EADM 590) under the supervision of a faculty member; (b) A student may enroll in a Group Inquiry course (EADM 553) which has a research application component. Either option is normally taken only after four (4) courses are completed successfully (these include the three (3) core courses and the research course).

(3) Electives can be chosen from among other courses in Educational Administration and Leadership (EADM), Educational Studies (EDST), Curriculum Studies (CUST), Educational Psychology/Special Education (EPSE), Language and Literacy Education (LLED), or courses outside the Faculty of Education. These courses must be approved by the faculty pro tem adviser.

(4) A thesis is written under the supervision of a faculty member and a supervisory committee (M.A. students should consult with their pro tem advisers on how and when to constitute their supervisory committee). M.A. students should note that the thesis is normally written after four (4) courses, including the three (3) core courses and the research course are successfully completed. For M.A. students the thesis counts as a capstone.

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Cohort Programs

There are a number of off-campus cohorts in the Educational Administration and Leadership Program operating in North Shore, Boundary Bay/Delta and the Fraser Valley. Each cohort serves a variety of different school districts in a geographical region. Although each cohort operates under a partnership agreement with a specific school district, they are open to students from any district. Each cohort is accompanied by a faculty adviser who advises students on all academic matters. The Cohort Manager oversees all site-related logistic and material aspects.

The cohort program is similar to the on-campus program. As a cohort, students take their courses together in a structured and sequential format. The cohort offers the opportunity for networking within and between districts and the benefits of a support group and collaborative learning. Students complete group projects that focus on problems and issues within their own schools and school districts.

Cohort students take six of the ten courses together at the cohort site, and come to campus in the two summers for elective courses. Classes at the cohort sites meet during five Saturdays, spread throughout the semester. Generally, classes are scheduled two to three weeks apart, providing students with sufficient time to complete readings and assignments between classes. Courses are taught by university faculty and field-based instructors.

EADM-CUST Joint Program

A joint program is available to students in Educational Administration & Leadership and Curriculum Studies, jointly sponsored by the Department of Educational Studies and the Department of Curriculum Studies. The program combines requirements of the M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Leadership and the M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies in equal proportions.

Students may apply through either Department and must meet the admissions criteria for both program areas. Students should complete one application, tailored to meet the admissions criteria for the regular program in both program areas. Once admitted, students are assigned a pro tem faculty adviser in each department.

Course Description

UBC offers many interesting courses that are directly concerned with the interests of educational leaders and others that address a broad range of issues facing educators today. Here is some information on the courses that have the prefix “EADM”. Each is valued at three credits (semester hours) (Total program = 30 credit hours).

Please note that EADM 508 and 565 are omnibus numbers.

Core Courses

Leadership in Educational Organizations
EADM 532
Explores various conceptions and understandings of leadership from classical writings, through traditional leadership studies, to more post-modern conceptions. Students consider the role of objectivity, research, ethics, and values as they refine their personal approach to educational leadership.

Leadership, Administration and the Aims of Education
EADM 581
This course focuses on the particular responsibilities of Canadian schools and especially education. Students are expected to articulate their own conceptions of education and apply these conceptions to various aspects of schooling including teaching, leadership and administration

The Study of Organization in the Educational Context
EADM 582
Classical and emerging perspectives on organizations. Different ways in which schools may be conceived and be administered. Instructional strategies include seminars, discussions, hands-on activities and simulations. Application of knowledge to organizations within which students work.

Research Courses

Research Traditions in Educational Administration
EADM 501
Permits students to become informed consumers of research and to ask fundamental questions regarding claims to knowledge. Incorporates the development of strong analytic skills and the exercise at synthesizing skills needed both in the program and as educational leaders.

Review of Research Methods in Educational Administration
EADM 508
This course is designed to assist students to write their graduating paper by introducing them to various methods of inquiry, offering peer support and consultation, completing any required ethics applications, and by working through various issues associated with writing a research paper.

Group Inquiry in Educational Administration
EADM 553 (Capstone)
Team projects devoted to a substantial issue in educational administration. Students develop important research, analytic and synthetic skills. Use of data-gathering techniques and the writing of a research report.

Electives within EADM

Problem Reformulation Skills for Administration
EADM 502
The problem one thinks one has may not be the problem one really has. This course is designed to acquaint students with the theory of problem reformulation and offer hands-on practice. Problems from the student’s own work setting are used.

The Role of the School Principal
EADM 505
Concerned with understanding the practice of school leadership. The work of the principal is seen through various lenses: managerial, political and educational. Students are encouraged to integrate these views into their own conception of practice.

Personnel Administration in Education
EADM 507
An overview of staffing issues such as recruitment, placement, transfer, dismissal, appeal procedures and bargaining practices. Performance evaluation techniques. Motivation of personnel from various perspectives. Issues and cases in staff development.

Seminar on Educational Leadership in the BC Context
EADM 508
This course may only be taken in conjunction with full participation in the UBC/BCPVPA Short Course offered each summer. It provides a structured opportunity to reflect in more depth on the issues raised in the Short Course and gives students an opportunity to develop a project based on their practice. NOTE: Students pay the regular UBC course fees as well as the fee for the Short Course.

Improvement of Instruction through Supervision
EADM 517
Introduction to the philosophy and practice of supervision. Examination of literature, video-tapes, and classroom teaching. Discussion and practice of both formative and summative evaluation. The supervision cycle is studied and practiced. Students analyze teaching and are made aware of relevant political considerations.

Politics of Educational Governance
EDST 531/EADM 531
Overview of issues associated with power, influence, authority, and control in education. A review of conflict and interest groups in education based on recent actions. Micropolitics at the school level, district and board level politics, and influences of politics at the provincial level. Case studies on the politics of innovation.

Teacher Unions and Education
EADM 548
This course examines teacher unionism and labour-management relations in education within a North American historical context, within the context of the broader union movement in Canada, and within the broader economic, social, and political context nationally and globally. Teacher unions are presented as complex organizations that represent a variety of intersecting interests related to teachers’ roles as employees, professionals, and concerned citizens.

Administration and Educational Policy
EADM 554
Development of the knowledge and skills useful to the educational administrator in policy development, implementation, and analysis. Students consider ethical dimensions, formulate policies and update policy manuals, and learn processes for policy implementation. Guest lecturers and use of a journal.

Educational Finance
EADM 555
Covers an understanding of how budgets are raised, allocated, and spent for K–12 education in BC. Addresses the principles of finance and applies them to a variety of problems such as budgeting, staffing and fund-raising. The impacts of reforms such as decentralization are discussed. Guest speakers offer differing points of view on relevant issues.

Leadership and Administration of Educational Programs
EADM 556
Offers students an opportunity to explore issues related to the administration of a school-wide educational program in the context of issues of equity, excellence, and social justice. Students investigate research and popular opinion related to such topics as grouping and tracking, assessment, teaching and learning styles, multiculturalism, and ESL instruction.

School Law
EADM 560

Introduction to basic legal concepts and terminology. Students develop an awareness of the statute law and case law that pertains to education in BC. They focus on the information needed for legal action, but not on detailed legal rules. Topics include rights, special education, liability for accidents, crime, and copyright.

Practicum Simulation of School Leadership and Administration
EADM 561

Aimed at the improvement of administrators’ decision-making and communication skills, this course presents problems that elementary and secondary principals face. Using a critical strategies format with a considerable number of case studies, students’ insights and understandings of school organizations are increased.

Alternative Programs and Independent Schools
EADM 565

Students examine in depth the challenges and issues concerning mission, governance, leadership, curricular focus, funding, staffing, parental roles, and accountability. Debates, visiting speakers, presentations and critiques are used to compare and contrast both public alternatives and independent programs.

Organizational Learning in Education
EADM 565

This course aims to develop understanding and basic skills relating to the engagement of organizational members in collaborative incremental and transformational learning and change. Although the emphasis is on public schools, the theory and processes discussed are broadly applicable to a variety of other organizations.

Identity and Power in Work Organizations
EADM 565

This course will explore issues of identity and power as they apply across a variety of organizations, including K-12 schools, post-secondary education, and business. Identity is defined and examined using a variety of theoretical lenses. The central questions addressed in the course are: How do individuals come to identify, disidentify, or underidentify with organizations in which they work, and how is this process influenced by the way management treats employees, by organizational policies and practices, and by external policies that affect the organization? The course aims to develop understanding related to processes of engaging organizational learning in collaborative, incremental, and transformative learning and change.

School-Community Relations
EADM 579

The course addresses the social, political, and economic forces impacting school-community relations and the role played by educational leadership in this regard.

Independent Study
EADM 580

A student links up with a professor and investigates a problem of special interest that is not covered in depth in the course work. Some problems may be selected from the student’s place of work. The student and professor maintain contact by meeting, telephone, faxes, and e-mail. Registration is by manual methods, not on line.

Graduating Paper
EADM 590

An opportunity to focus on an administrative problem in depth that is of particular interest to the student. Often involves assembling the relevant knowledge, collecting information from the student’s school district, and submitting the results to the student’s employer. The paper may take many forms, including original research, critical literature review, a case analysis, or a proposal for educational policy.

Field Experience
EADM 598

Individually tailored, this is an opportunity to spend time shadowing an educator in a school, district office, or other workplace usually during three full-time weeks in May. Students complete a journal and assess their experience in light of what they have learned in their course work. Supervised jointly by a faculty member and an administrator. Most accessible to full-time students.

Master’s thesis
EADM 599

Consult the Handbook of Graduate Studies on the website of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at http://www.grad.ubc.ca.

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Contact Information

Dr. David Coulter, Coordinator

Educational Administration & Leadership
Department of Educational Studies
Faculty of Education
The University of British Columbia
2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Canada

E-mail: David Coulter
Office Phone: (604) 822-6196
Office: Ponderosa Annex H, Room 119

Information about tuition fees, financial assistance and scholarships is available at <http://students.ubc.ca>. It is possible for some students to study full time and graduate within 14 months. There are many options for study, including an M.A. (with a thesis), an Ed.D. and a Ph.D.

Please email the program Secretary for information about these programs at (604) 822-5374 or check <www.edst.educ.ubc.ca>.

Useful phone numbers:

EADM Secretary (604) 822-5374
EDST & EADM fax (604) 822-4244
EPLT (cohort students) (604) 822-2013
EDST Graduate Secretary (604) 822-6647

Education library (604) 822-3767
Koerner library (604) 822-2406 or
(604) 822-2725

How and Where to Find EADM on the UBC campus?

If you arrive to UBC by car, the closest entrance to campus is Gate 6, off Marine Drive. Please park in the “West Parkade” on your right. The Ponderosa Complex is one block north of the parkade. The reception desk is located in Ponderosa Annex “G” at 2044 Lower Mall.

If you arrive to UBC by bus, get off at the UBC bus loop and proceed west four blocks to the Lower Mall and the Ponderosa complex on your right.

Masters of Educational Administration and Leadership Program

Introduction

Vision

Student Representative

Administrative Team

Resident Faculty

Further Information

Application for Admission

Campus Program

Cohort Programs

EADM-CUST Joint Program