Program Overview

WSU offers two masters degree programs in Educational Leadership. The Master of Arts in Education – Educational Leadership (M.A.) is a thesis degree designed for students who wish to focus on continued study and research in Educational Leadership and who may pursue a doctoral degree. The non-thesis Master of Education (Ed.M.) degree is designed for professional educators preparing for leadership positions. The following information is for the M.A. degree.

The M.A. requires a written thesis. The purpose of the thesis is to demonstrate a student’s understanding of educational research & theory as well as a student’s ability to design & implement a research study, and synthesize the results. These hypotheses/questions should be specific, clear, and focused on some aspect of educational inquiry. The thesis includes a review of the pertinent literature related to the research hypothesis/question, a description of the methodology used to investigate the hypothesis/question, the results of the study, and a discussion of the results. The outcome of the thesis research should add to the body of research in the particular field/area.

The final examination and defense of the thesis is intended to explore your ability to integrate and interpret material in the major and supporting fields with emphasis on the work presented in the thesis.