Online program offers advanced degree for education administrators

Chadron State, founded in 1911 as a school for training teachers, has offered master’s degrees in education administration for many years, but the online component of the program has only been in place for about 10 years.

About 130 students are enrolled in the education administration master’s program currently. A majority of the students are from the region and many have undergraduate degrees from CSC, Sealey said. Because the program is online, students from all across the country and even overseas are enrolled as well, he said.

“The flexibility of our program, and the online format, makes it accessible to a wide variety of students,” Sealey said. “Almost all of our students are practicing teachers and they are scattered across the map, so it allows us to connect with a very wide audience.”

The range of students enrolled in the program includes new teachers and those with years of experience in education.

“Some students are relatively new teachers who work toward the degree to use later in their careers and others are veteran teachers who have chosen to move into a leadership role,” Sealey said. “Some students choose to use their degrees right away, while others may stay in the classroom for a period of time before moving into an administrative role.”

Many of the courses in the program, including research design, data analysis and school law, are required of all students. But the Educational Administration Practicum, a year-long course that involves working with school administrators is probably the most influential for students, Sealey said.

“During this time, students take on leadership roles within their settings and complete at least 200 hours of administrative tasks,” he said.

Practicum course requirements are tailored to the individual student’s situation.

“(Situations are tailored) so no two students have the same experience,” Sealey said. “Some students may be analyzing district assessment data while others are conducting mock classroom observations. Each opportunity is unique and still allows the student to experience situations that practicing administrators face on a daily basis.”

The flexibility of online courses allows students to take classes at times that are convenient for their own schedule.

“As most of our students are practicing classroom teachers, many of them tend to take a heavier course load in the summer when they have more free time,” Sealey said.

Since students can take courses to fit their schedules, the time needed to complete the degree program varies. While many students are able to complete the program in two years, others may take longer, Sealey said.

The program can also be customized to meet the student’s goals, with options of earning endorsements in elementary, secondary, or K-12 administration.

Providing courses entirely online does have some limitations, but CSC has found ways to overcome them.

“It can be difficult for us to personally connect to each student, but we do utilize technology to frequently video conference with students, in order to make those connections and put a personal touch on the program,” he said.

Sealey predicts enrollment in CSC’s education master’s degree program will continue to grow.

“We have a reputation of offering a quality program for preparing future administrators. We are able to deliver courses in a way that is convenient for students. Our program is very competitive when it comes to cost and there will always be a need for qualified administrators in our schools,” he said.