Master's in School Administration

WCU's Master of School Administration (MSA) prepares working teachers and specialists in other education-related fields for work in leadership roles. It provides a pathway to principal licensure to students who do not yet hold a master's degree.

Admission Requirements

Application Deadline: June 15th

• Official transcript with Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Three years of successful full-time teaching (or in a related, certified position within a school)
• Hold or be eligible to hold a North Carolina Class A teaching license or a comparable license from another state
• Three online recommendations including one from your current administrator
• Completed  district verification form noting years of school level experience
• Current resume highlighting leadership experience
• Short- and long-term leadership goals (in application system)
• Candidate Evaluation Rubric to be completed by applicant's principal or district leader

About the Program

This degree is earned through the completion of a five-semester graduate program with students taking twelve, three-credit courses, for a total of 36 credit-hours.

This graduate program utilizes a hybrid (face-to-face and on-line) course delivery model. Four hybrid courses will require face-to-face attendance at trainings sponsored by the Western Regional Education Service Alliance in addition to on-line work. The remaining eight courses will be provided fully on-line. Each course integrating face-to-face trainings will require students to attend four full days of instruction at WCU’s Biltmore Park instructional site in Asheville, NC. The schedule of classes will accommodate working students, including those who work full-time. See the table below for the program schedule.

All students are required to complete a competency-based internship that involves aspects of a principal's responsibilities, including leadership of an improvement initiative.

Program Schedule