November 04, 1998
MILLERSVILLE TO OFFER MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PREPARE FUTURE PRINCIPALS
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
The State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors has approved a new master of education degree program at Millersville University of Pennsylvania designed to prepare educators for certification as elementary or secondary school principals.
More than 100 principal vacancies are expected to occur in the region served by Millersville University in the next decade. The new program was developed to attract and meet the needs of currently employed teachers who aspire to become administrators. Courses will be offered evenings and during the summer.
In developing the program, Millersville University officials surveyed 22 districts within its service area to determine the need for the new master of education degree in leadership for teaching and learning. In addition to identifying the expected number of vacancies that will occur over the next 10 years, many school district administrators expressed concern about the size and quality of the current applicant pool for principal and assistant principal positions.
Among 745 individuals who responded to a separate survey, 149 indicated they would enroll in a leadership program at Millersville if it were offered, and 336 more said they “possibly” would enroll.
Participants in the program will have to earn 42 credits to receive the master’s degree. The requirements will include a 24-credit leadership core and a three-credit internship.
Applicants will have to provide three letters of recommendation from educators who have knowledge of their leadership potential, complete the Professional Development Inventory and be certified at the level at which they will seek principal certification.
Millersville will be the fifth university within the State System to offer a master’s degree leading to elementary and secondary principal certification. Regional, state and national data all indicate a growing needed for certified administrators.
The State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Nearly 350,000 alumni of State System universities live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers.