“Skilled leadership is essential to creating opportunity and overcoming the longstanding inequities that create barriers to success. At HGSE, we are committed to helping you meet today’s complex challenges by becoming the type of leader education needs.”
Bridget Long
Dean and Saris Professor of Education and Economics
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Today’s education landscape needs leaders like you — dynamic educators and innovators committed to making sustainable and scalable change for all students by building on your professional experience in preK–12 classrooms and districts; on college campuses; or in philanthropies, nonprofits, policy organizations, and ed-tech initiatives.
That’s why the Harvard Graduate School of Education has launched an online Master's in Education Leadership, a new Ed.M. program specifically designed for working education professionals who bring at least seven years of relevant or transferrable work experience. This new graduate degree will strengthen the invaluable skills you’ve already developed and give you the tools to propel yourself to new leadership opportunities and to even greater impact.
A New Option for Experienced Educators
Our two-year, part-time program consists of a diverse cohort of professionals like you — leaders who are advancing in their careers, and who bring important perspectives grounded in real-world challenges. Our program is conducted almost exclusively online — except for one brief on-campus experience, where you'll meet your cohort in person and build community prior to the start of the first fall semester.
The online Master's in Education Leadership offers a distinctive Harvard experience — including deep engagement and interaction with Harvard faculty and talented peers, as well as a lifelong professional network — within an intentionally designed curriculum and robust opportunities for mentorship and coaching. The program is career-embedded — so you can immediately apply what you are learning, in real time, to the work you are doing on the ground.
Curriculum
Our prescribed curriculum is intentionally designed to meet your professional needs. It is anchored in both foundational knowledge and core competencies in education leadership. You will also complete pathway-specific courses to advance your leadership in preK–12 education or higher education, as well as the Foundations courses. You will also have the opportunity to select courses from a small subset of electives. A minimum of 42 credits are required to graduate with an Ed.M. degree from HGSE.
The main elements of the curriculum are:
Foundations Courses
Throughout the two-year program, you will participate in Foundations courses in four areas: How People Learn, Leading Change, Evidence, and Equity and Opportunity. In these courses, you’ll build core skills central to the profession of education.
- The online Ed.M. program commences with How People Learn, which runs online June–July and requires a time commitment of 10-15 hours per week.
- You’ll take the remaining Foundations courses during the course of the two-year program.
Professional Pathways Courses
Choose between two Professional Pathway Courses — PreK–12 or Higher Education — that align with the area of practice or the student community in which their work will make an impact.
- PreK–12 Pathway: Equips you to do change-making work within the education ecosystem on behalf of students from early childhood to secondary education levels — including in such positions as teacher leader, principal, afterschool director, education agency representative, education nonprofit/philanthropic leader, or education entrepreneur.
- Higher Education Pathway: Prepares you as a dynamic, agile leader in a diverse range of postsecondary education settings — including in college and university settings, nonprofit education organizations, state and federal government agencies, and policy organizations and think tanks. Students engage with accomplished leaders in the President-in-Residence program.
On-campus Experience
Students will convene for a brief on-campus experience the summer before the first fall semester, where you will be immersed in the HGSE community and connect with your cohort, faculty, and advisers.
Elective Coursework
Any remaining credits will be taken via elective coursework.
Note: Though some courses may include comparative and international examples, applicants should expect a focus on leadership within U.S. domestic educational institutions and systems.
Leadership Core Competencies
To help you manage, lead, and implement change in complex organizations, our curriculum explores the core leadership competencies that you'll need to elevate your skills, knowledge, and expertise, wherever you are in your career. Throughout your coursework, you will strengthen your ability to:
- Lead change and think strategically
- Foster productive organizational conditions
- Navigate politics and practice political inclusion
- Communicate effectively
- Cultivate self-development and team professional development skills
