The Mills College School of Education offers the following credentials and degrees in our Educational Leadership Program:

Administrative Services Credential (ASC) 
Master of Arts in Education (MA)
Doctor of Education (EdD)

Each of these programs prepares students for the current challenges facing educational administrators. Our goal is to enable our students to effectively serve a diverse constituency, evaluate and implement new ideas for teaching and learning, and develop as both managers and leaders in school change.

In contrast to many traditional models, the Educational Leadership Program at Mills College emphasizes the learning needed to build and sustain the professional relationships that undergird educational leadership, reform, and renewal. Students are prepared to integrate their learning by constructing a personal framework of knowledge and skills to support effective action as administrators and leaders. The moral and ethical dimensions of educational leadership are included at the core of the program as professionals explore and come to understand interpersonal and relational aspects of leadership roles. Effective communication, conflict resolution, collaboration, consensus building, commitment to values, respect for different perspectives are part of the constructivist philosophy as developed at Mills.

Please see requirements for information about admission and degree/credential requirements.

Administrative Services Credential (ASC)

With a focus on developmental and constructivist approaches to education, the ASC program emphasizes the active role of the graduate student in testing theory in practice, thoughtfully anticipating consequences, and evaluating outcomes. It is expected that graduates will become school administrators and leaders in educational reform.

The program offers course work that supports the California Administrative Services Credentials:

Preliminary Administrative Services Credential—Tier I 

Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential—Tier II 

Professional educators who hold a valid California teaching credential (or other school services credential) and have a minimum of three years of full-time school-based professional experience may earn both the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (Tier I) as well as the Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential (Tier II). These credentials certify educators to become school administrators in California's K–12 public school system.

The Preliminary Administrative Services Credential can be earned in one year of full-time course work at Mills College. Students who earn the preliminary credential can complete a master’s degree in educational leadership by continuing their studies for an additional academic year.

The Mills College Alternative Tier II Program is a field-based program that can be completed in two years. The program provides extended time for reflection on field-based activities. The first year of the Tier II program involves part-time course work, advising, and self-assessment. The second year involves advising and self-assessment. In order to participate in the Tier II Program, candidates must hold a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential and be employed as a school administrator.

For more information about the requirements for the Administrative Services Credentials please visit the website for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Master of Arts in Education (MA)

A master’s degree in educational leadership may be earned by ASC candidates who elect an additional year of course work, by EdD candidates as they complete course work towards their doctoral degree, or by students who enroll in the MA program only. For those who enroll in the MA program only, the program is usually completed in two academic years. The curriculum includes a required two-semester course called Inquiry into Leadership, as well as a number of elective courses in topics such as school-community relations, race and ethnicity, organizational development, ethical and moral concerns, the principalship, and fiscal and business services. Students work with their faculty advisor to create a program that meets their individual needs and interests.

This program is well suited for professionals who would like additional preparation to hold leadership positions in the educational system and related organizations. 

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Designed for accomplished practitioners, the doctoral program prepares individuals for professional leadership positions within the educational system and related organizations. Applicants to this program must have a bachelor’s degree and significant professional experience in the field of education.

The EdD requires the equivalent of three full years of course work, followed by the doctoral dissertation.  Applicants may petition for transfer of up to one year of credit from relevant prior graduate-level work. Required courses include research design and methods, ethical and moral concerns in educational leadership, and directed reading in the area of one’s dissertation topic; elective courses include a wide range of topics such as school-community relations, race and ethnicity, organizational development, the principalship, and fiscal and business services.

The doctoral dissertation is a project that focuses on a topic that is of particular interest and concern to the student and is also relevant to the broader context of practitioner and educational research literature. Course work is designed to support this project by guiding students in the inception of a conceptual framework and research questions, the creation of a research design, and the development of a literature review. Students identify a group of three faculty to serve as their dissertation committee and work intensively with their committee chair to develop a dissertation proposal which serves as the basis of a qualifying exam, usually completed after the second full year of course work, proposal hearing, and final dissertation defense.