Educational Leadership & Administration
The Educational Leadership & Administration (principal preparation program) is offered at the M.S. in Education and the Ed. Specialist degree levels. The curriculum in the M.S. in Education program is aligned with the NELP Building Level Standards and the OH Principal Standards. The curriculum in the Ed. Specialist program is aligned with the NELP Building Level Standards and either the OH Principal Standards or the MN Principal Competencies. Candidates enrolled in the Ed. Specialist program decide which standards they plan to follow - OH or MN.
Field Experiences
The field experience is designed to provide candidates with an opportunity to build on what they are learning in their courses and apply this learning to authentic school situations. Through a comprehensive series of field experience activities, candidates will experience firsthand the tasks and challenges today’s principals face. Through these experiences, candidates will gain the leadership skills necessary for success as a leader for learning, one of Walden University’s key philosophical tenets. The Office of Field Experiences secures all field experience placements for principal candidates. However, principal candidates may elect to assist with the process if they are employed by a district in which they hope to complete a portion of their field experience hours by using the appropriate letter below.
To help ease anxiety in the field experience process, Walden offers a 0-credit Field Experience Preparation course. The course is a structured experience that guides students through the application process and currently available readiness resources. The course is designed to complement other pre-requisite courses needed in preparation for field experiences. There may be reasons why a field experience course needs to be postponed, or the readiness course may not be needed if a field experience opportunity has already been secured. In this instances, students may opt-out of the course.
Field experience requirements are outlined in the Field Experience Handbook for the program.
Field Experience Forms and Deadlines
The Field Experience Forms are located in the candidate's ePortfolio.
1. Preferred Placement Form: The Preferred Placement Form must be completed prior to starting field experiences. The form allows candidates to note the districts and schools within their geographic region, and is due two weeks after the first course begins.
2. Ed.S. ELA Licensure Track Intent Form (for Ed.S. program only): The Ed.S. ELA Licensure Track Intent Form is required for Ed.S. candidates only. On the form, candidates will identify whether they plan to meet the Ohio or Minnesota standards during the program. The form is due two weeks after the first course begins.
3. Professional Liability Insurance Verification Form: The Professional Liability Insurance Verification Form must be completed prior to starting field experiences. The form is due two weeks after the third course begins. The candidate may need to renew the professional liability insurance during the program to ensure coverage throughout all field experiences.
4. Field Experience Log: The Field Experience Logs serve as documentation of completed field experience hours. The forms are due at the end of each field experience course.
Program Handbooks
Candidates are required to read the applicable Principal Candidate Guidebook and Field Experience Handbook for their program. The documents are located in the ePortfolio, and below.
Please be sure to review the handbooks for your degree level (M.S. in Education or Ed.S.).
- M.S.Ed. Principal Candidate Handbook (PDF)M.S. in Education - Educational Leadership and Administration program
- M.S.Ed. Field Experience Handbook (PDF)M.S. in Education - Educational Leadership and Administration program
- Ed.S. Principal Candidate Handbook (PDF)Ed.S. in Educational Leadership and Administration program
- Ed.S. Field Experience Handbook (PDF)Ed.S. in Educational Leadership and Administration program