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Admission Requirements

• For U.S. Citizens or Residents, a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of 2.8 or higher is required. Along with the application, please submit 2 letters of recommendation and transcripts from all former institutions (required).
• For non-U.S. Citizens, you will need to have a Bachelor's or Master's degree that is recognized by the Ministry of Education (your transcripts will also be evaluated by World Education Services). You will also need official score reports for TOEFL (iBT score of 80 or better; PBT score of 550 or better) and TWE (score of 5 or better).

Course Descriptions

EDU 506w Character and the Ethics of Leadership (3)

Organizational leadership is a social phenomenon that occurs when leaders interact with the collective values and vision of others in the organization. Candidates will explore contemporary models of ethical organizational leadership, synthesize a personal statement of vocation informed by their leadership values and assumptions, and test their synthesis against a variety of assignments and practical experiences. The course also provides a forum where candidates enjoy the opportunity to identify and consider their own character, personal values, and workplace ethics. Each will develop an understanding of the critical need for ethical leadership in one’s professional, personal and family life, and will appreciate the vital importance of living and modeling such values and, perhaps most importantly, of serving others.

EDU 535w Theories of Teaching and Learning (3)

This course is designed to provide leaders with the latest psychological research findings and guide them in exploring ways to directly apply these precepts to their current work setting. Topics will include the functions and anatomy of the brain and the fascinating arena of multiple intelligences. The course will fuse the latest biological and psychological understanding of how the brain works so candidates can harness this knowledge and apply it directly to enhancing their current work environment.

EDU 560w Human & Financial Resources (3)

This course introduces graduate candidates to the process of understanding the funding of the educational enterprise and how those funds are expended to accomplish the goals of the institution. Tracking the flow of income and expenditures per the state mandates are complicated, but vital to the educational processes. Students will become actively involved in the operational practices by means of an awareness of the documents used as tools for those actually in the field. Since human resources account for 80-85% of those expenditures, the understanding of that quantity and of the legalities of using these resources is absolutely critical.

EDU 595w Community of Learners (3)

Relationships constructed on trust are critical for an efficient, collegial, collaborative workplace. This course challenges candidates to confront the tremendous diversity in their current environment and develop strategies to build community in the midst of the social, ethnic, economic and alternative lifestyle differences that permeate today’s 21st century workplace. In sum, this course stresses the critical importance of creating community in the workplace and illustrates how that community, once established, can generate an efficient, supportive, and positive work place.

EDU 601w Educational Research (3)

This course provides students with the basic competencies necessary to understand and evaluate the research of others, and to plan and conduct their own research with a minimum of assistance. This course includes the basics of both qualitative and quantitative research.

EDU 602w Contemporary Educational Thought (3)*

Candidates identify, review, and analyze major trends and issues impacting the contemporary state and national educational scenes. Each class session provides students with an opportunity to evaluate the advantages and liabilities of current educational reforms and issues from the perspective of prevailing educational research as well as from their own personal beliefs and current work environment. Candidates will also consider how they can impact and influence change in their own workplace.

EDU 620w School and Community Partnership (3)*

This course examines principles of planning and administering a program for building a mutually supportive relationship between the school and its environment. Focus is on the development of skills and strategies for linking the school with constituents in the community such as parents, citizens, and special interest groups.

EDU 622w School Law (3)*

Law and the legal system have profoundly influenced the shaping of education in America. Many of today’s issues of educational policy (e.g., desegregation, the treatment of students with disabilities, English as a second language, religion in the schools, school finance) are also issues of law. As a consequence, we see decisions regarding our schools increasingly being made by the courts. Accordingly, it is critical for the leaders of today to have a basic knowledge of the judicial branch of our government and its impact on education. Specifically, this course encourages students to become familiar with the manner in which courts operate, how they make their decisions, and the impact of their decisions on education and educational policy.

EDU 626w Organizational Change (3)*

Organizational Change provides an introductory overview to the theoretical and sociological foundations of organizational change. Additionally, the course explores sources, processes, and outcomes of educational change and the resulting implications for teachers and administrators. Topics and activities are designed to review issues of interest and importance to those contemplating careers in educational administration or roles as lead teachers and agents of change.

Capstone

EDU 698w Action Research (3)

Action research is the capstone project for the M.Ed program. It involves the identification of a specific issue in the candidate’s work setting, researching the literature regarding the issue, designing a proposal to solve the issue, implementing the solution (after the proposal has been approved), and reporting the results. Candidates will create their proposal in EDU 601 then receive the majority of their guidance from their faculty advisor. The implementation phase of the course will last from 12 to 18 weeks at the student’s work setting. Final concentration for report writing will occur during the final three weeks of the program to meet the completion date.

* Class is taken simultaneously with EDU 698 Action Research. Students receive guidance for the implementation of their capstone project
  within EDU 698, beginning six months prior to their graduation, and receive ongoing support until their program completion.

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A national university system with 10 campuses throughout the United States, Concordia University Portland was founded more than 100 years ago and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.