Leadership Studies and Adult Education

The Department of Leadership Studies and Adult Education offers a Master of Science in Adult Education, Master of School Administration, and Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies.

The M.S. in Adult Education degree program prepares professionals to become leaders for adult learners in businesses, for-profit and non-profit organizations, community colleges, and four-year institutions of higher education. Our M.S. in Adult Education program also prepares candidates for doctoral programs in a variety of disciplines. Additionally, we are proud that our Adult Education degree program was ranked #13 nationally by Graduateprograms.com.

The M.S.A. degree program is designed to prepare school executives as culturally responsive leaders who are able to transform marginalized communities. These leadership roles include superintendents, central office administrators, principals, and assistant principals. The Guidelines and Competencies of the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), the National Educational Leadership Preparation Standards (NELP), the Professional Standards for Educational Leadership (PSEL), and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) serve as the template for the design of the Master of School Administration program. Coursework emphasizes the core functions of high achieving schools: challenging curriculum, effective instruction, culturally responsive pedagogy, and student achievement. Effective principals are those who are able to create educational environments that are responsive to the needs of the school community. These principals are able to validate the cultural identity of community members as well as their educational history. The N.C. A&T MSA program offers a variety of program tracks to not only accommodate the diverse needs of all candidates, but to ensure that they possess the knowledge, skills and disposition needed to create culturally responsive educational environments.

The Ph.D. in Leadership Studies program is an interdisciplinary degree designed to prepare professionals to become transformative scholars in the leadership discipline. This doctoral program intentionally seeks individuals who have excelled in formal leadership positions in their respective organizations as we strive to immerse these candidates in research inquiry that studies and examines leadership theory and promising leadership practice. Alumni from this program have attained positions as college presidents, deans of schools and colleges at institutions of higher education, and vice-presidents of programs at health, non-profit, and business organizations.

All of our degree programs provide graduate candidates with numerous opportunities to engage in research efforts alongside our nationally known faculty. Our candidates are active in professional organizations, and they conduct research presentations at various local, state, and national conferences. Additionally, our candidates have opportunities to submit peer-reviewed publications in highly regarded journals.

We encourage you to engage our website to learn more about our degree programs, our faculty and their research interests. Please contact us to schedule a visit to learn more about our academic programs. We anxiously await the opportunity to work with you to improve our communities!