M.Ed. in Educational Leadership

• Complete and submit all application components including the admission application, the enrollment agreement and payment agreement.
• Submit the nonrefundable application fee. *
• Provide official transcripts from an institution that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education indicating successful completion of the level of education required for entry to the program. **
• Secure electronic transcripts can be mailed to [email protected].

*The application fee is valid for one year from date of submission.

**Additional evidence may be required to fulfill state requirements, including but not limited to verification of professional experience, test scores, or an interview.

• Bachelor’s or Highest Post-Baccalaureate degree earned
• Minimum Grade Point Average 2.75 on a 4.0 Scale for full admission
• Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.50 on a 4.0 Scale for Provisional Admission*
• Documentation of at least an initial teaching license (in the state the applicant resides), school service personnel license, or a school services certificate
• If applicants do not have a teaching certificate, they may document their teaching status by providing evidence of full-time teaching assignment from an individual in a supervisory capacity or from a human resources official of the school at their current employment

*Applicants whose overall GPA, or GPA in the last 60 hours is below 2.50 will not be admitted to the degree program

Texas Applicants: In addition to the applicable general requirements for the M.Ed. In Educational Leadership, the following are required:

• Valid classroom teaching certificate.
• Complete an interview.
• Submit an Education Leadership essay.
• Have their school district submit a sealed and signed Teacher Service Record.
• Acknowledge the requirement of having two years of creditable teaching experience as a classroom teacher under a valid classroom teaching certificate to be eligible for Texas principal licensure.

The minimum Grade Point Average on a 4.0 scale for full admission is 2.50. To comply with the Texas Education Agency requirements, provisional admission is not permitted.

Applicants to the Texas Educational Leadership program whose first language is not English must submit scores from the Internet-Based (IBT) TOEFL. A minimum scaled score of 24 for speaking, 22 for listening, 22 for reading, and 21 for writing from the Internet-Based (IBT) TOEFL. Or evidence of an undergraduate or graduate degree earned at an institution of higher education in a country outside of the United States listed in Figure: 19 TAC §230.11(b)(5)(C)

To comply with the Texas Education Agency requirements, applicants who have been admitted must confirm, in writing, acceptance of the admission offer.

Notes for Texas Educational Leadership Students

• Information about ACE’s Educational Leadership program performance over the past five years is available on the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) Educator Preparation Compliance Reports website. 
• Information about the effect of supply and demand forces on the educator workforce can be found from Texas Workforce Commission.
• Information about ACE’s Educational Leadership program accreditation status is available on the EPP website and on the TEA Consumer Information Data Dashboard
• A criminal background check is required prior to employment as an educator (Per Texas Education Code (TEC), §22.083), and candidates must undergo a criminal history background check prior to clinical teaching or practicum (Per TEC, §22.0835).
• Individuals who have been convicted of an offense as listed in Section 249.16. Eligibility of Persons with Criminal History for a Certificate under Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 53, and Texas Education Code, Chapter 21, may be ineligible for issuance of a certification on completion of an educator preparation program. An individual has the right to request a copy of the criminal history evaluation letter as provided in Chapter 227, Subchapter B (relating to Preliminary Evaluation of Certification Eligibility).
• Texas Educational Leadership Students who wish to seek principal licensure in Texas will need to achieve an 80% or better on a practice examination within six months of testing approval request as outlined in the Texas Approval to Test Policy.

Texas Principal Completion Requirements

• You must successfully complete a minimum of 200 clock hours of coursework and/or training in an approved principal educator preparation program.
• Complete 160 hours of a practicum
• Complete (3) 45-minute formal observations demonstrating Texas Principal Standards
• A criminal background check is required prior to employment as an educator (Per Texas Education Code (TEC), §22.083), and candidates must undergo a criminal history background check prior to clinical teaching or practicum (Per TEC, §22.0835).

Texas Certification Requirements

Please refer to the Map for Texas Principal Certification Requirements

All applicants must submit, to the Admissions Office, an official evaluation from a NACES-approved organization.

• Transcripts that are international and/or not in English must be evaluated through a NACES-recommended agency.
• Texas applicants for licensure programs may only submit evaluations from agencies approved by the Texas Education Agency.
• International applicants must request the course-by-course evaluation. The evaluation report must show that the non-U.S. education is equivalent to the education/accreditation level required for the program.

All applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate competence in the English language as demonstrated in one of three ways:

1. Submission of an official transcript showing a degree from a United States secondary school or regionally accredited college/university.
2. Submission of an official minimum score on the paper or internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exams.
3. The minimum TOEFL score required for the internet-based version is 80, and the paper-based version requires a minimum TOEFL score of 20 for each of the three skills: Reading, Listening and Writing.
4. The minimum IELTS score required is 6.5. Note: IELTS is not acceptable for Texas programs leading to certification.
5. The testing agency must send test scores directly to American College of Education.
6. Applicants to the Texas Educational Leadership program whose first language is not English must submit a minimum scaled score of 24 for speaking, 22 for listening, 22 for reading and 21 for writing from the Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT) or evidence of an undergraduate or graduate degree earned at an institution of higher education in a country outside of the United States listed in Figure: 19 TAC §230.11(b)(5)(C).