Each credential or degree program emphasizes the preparation of educational leaders with the knowledge, skills, and commitment needed to transform organizations and institutions in order to create conditions for optimal learning. The Educational Leadership Program seeks individuals with capacity, passion, and purpose who can envision and implement changes to improve our educational system or related social institutions.

Administrative Services Credential (ASC)

Professional educators can earn both the preliminary California ASC (Tier I) as well as the professional ASC (Tier II).

Credential Requirements

ASC, Tier I:

EDUC 401 School Leadership (1)

EDUC 404 Instructional Leadership (1)

EDUC 406 Fiscal and Business Services (.5)

EDUC 407 Human Resource Management (.5)

EDUC 409 Field Experience (1)

EDUC 412 School Law and Public Policy (.5)

EDUC 446 Working with Families and the Community (1)

ASC, Tier II:

Students enroll in EDUC 417A/B Individualized Professional Development Plan. In addition, students receive field supervision.

Master of Arts in Educational Leadership (MA)

Students may complete the master's degree alone or in conjunction with the administrative services credential. The master's degree program may serve as preparation for the EdD program, but completion of this program is no guarantee of admission to the doctoral program at Mills.

Degree Requirements:

A total of 10 Mills credits (40 semester units) are required to earn the master of arts degree in educational leadership. Most courses offered through the Educational Leadership Program may be applied to the MA and the course of study will be determined by a student in partnership with her/his Mills faculty advisor. Credits earned toward the preliminary ASC may be applied to the MA, and MA course work may be applied toward the EdD.

Joint MBA/MA in Educational Leadership

The joint degree is a 22-credit full-time program. This joint program enables students to reduce the time invested in securing both graduate degrees while ensuring the academic quality and standards of each degree. The actual number of credits required may vary depending on the number of foundation courses an entering student has completed. It is expected that this program will take students two and a half to four years to complete, depending on the number of foundation courses transferred into the program, the availability of summer courses, and the student's course load. Several core and elective courses for each of the degrees are double counted for both degrees, substantially reducing the total number of credits required.

The curriculum for the joint degree program draws on the foundation, core, and elective courses offered by the two programs.

Foundation Courses
(8 semester course credits)

The courses may be completed at other institutions and counted towards the joint degree requirements with the approval of the dean of the respective school.

MGMT 214 Financial Accounting (1)*

MGMT 215 Managerial Accounting (1)

MGMT 200 Microeconomic
Theory (1)*

MGMT 216 Corporate Finance (1)

MGMT 236 Managerial Economics (1)

Learning and Development (e.g., EDUC 339)**

Instructional Leadership/Curriculum Development (e.g., EDUC 404)**

Teaching for Diversity (e.g., EDUC 402)**

Core Courses
(9 semester course credits)

MGMT 263 Quantitative Methods for Business (1)*

MGMT 232 Operations Management (1)

MGMT 226 Management Information Systems (1)

MGMT 230 Marketing Management (1)

MGMT 280 Organizational Strategy (new course in 2012–13) (1)

EDUC 421A Inquiry into Leadership: Practice into Theory (1)

EDUC 421B Inquiry into Leadership: Practice into Theory (1)

EDUC 426 Ethical and Moral Dimensions in Educational Leadership (1)

EDUC 407 Perspectives on Human Resource Management (1)

Approved Electives
(4 semester course credits)
Students must take a total of four semester credits in electives at Mills with two credits from MBA offerings and two credits from educational leadership. Electives must be selected from the approved electives below:

MBA Electives

ECON 141 Economics of Education (1)

MGMT 201 Macroeconomic Theory (1)

MGMT 202 Administrative Behavior (1)

MGMT 213 Marketing Strategy (1)

MGMT 223 Advertising and Public Relations (1)

MGMT 224 Communications for Business (1)

MGMT 227 Negotiations (1)

MGMT 228 Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting (1)

MGMT 270 Nonprofit Management (1)

MGMT 271 Strategic Philanthropy and Social Enterprise (1)

MGMT 274 Innovation in Business (1)

MGMT 275 Entrepreneurship (1)

Educational Leadership Electives

EDUC 203 Public Policy: Children, Youth and Families (1)

EDUC 229 Schools, Sexuality and Gender (1)

EDUC 261 Interpersonal Communication (1)

EDUC 276A Leadership in Early Childhood
Seminar (1)

EDUC 280 Child Dev. for Early Childhood Leaders Overview (1)

EDUC 401 School Leadership (1)

EDUC 403 Administrative Leadership: Theory, Concepts, Practices (1)

EDUC 406 Fiscal and Business Services (.5)

EDUC 412 School Law and Public Policy (.5)

EDUC 427 Issues of Race and Ethnicity in
Education (1)

EDUC 480 Urban Education (1)

If interested, students will be able to complete the course work for a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential required for principals by selecting the requisite electives for that program from the approved list.

Practicum
(1 semester course credit)

MGMT 288 Management Practicum (1)

EDUC 409A or B Field experience (1)

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Designed for accomplished practitioners, the doctoral program prepares individuals for professional leadership positions within the educational system and related organizations. Students may complete the doctoral degree alone or in conjunction with the administrative services credential, Tier I or Tier II.

Degree Requirements:

Completion of the EdD requires a total of 20 Mills credits. Students who are admitted to the program may petition for transfer of some relevant prior graduate-level work. Upon admission to the program, each student develops a sequence of study in consultation with the academic advisor. This sequence will include core courses related to the theory and practice of leadership, a required set of courses in research methods and an area of specialization, and completion of the doctoral dissertation. The program generally requires three years of course work followed by the doctoral dissertation.

The required courses in research methods and specialization include the following and are listed in order of sequence:

EDUC 425 Introduction to Research Design (1)

EDUC 413 Qualitative Methods (1)

EDUC 414 Quantitative Methods (1)

EDUC 497 Directed Reading for Dissertation (.5–1)

EDUC 434 Research Methods: Proposal Design and Development I (1)

EDUC 450 Dissertation Research (.5–1, may be repeated for credit)

The remainder of the courses may be chosen, with the approval of the advisor, from the courses listed above for the preliminary ASC and from the following list:

EDUC 229 Schools, Sexuality, and Gender (1)

EDUC 230 (430) History of Education (1)

EDUC 419 Educational Technology and Information Systems (.5)

EDUC 420 Education Research Colloquium (.5)

EDUC 421A Inquiry into Leadership: Practice into Theory I (1)

EDUC 421B Inquiry into Leadership: Practice into Theory II (1)

EDUC 423 Educational Leadership and Public Policy (.5)

EDUC 424 Educational Program Evaluation (1)

EDUC 426 Ethical and Moral Considerations in Educational Leadership (.5)

EDUC 427 Issues of Race and Ethnicity in Education (1)

EDUC 428 Organizational Development and School Improvement (1)

EDUC 432 Curricular Leadership (1)

With the approval of the advisor, appropriate courses from other departments may also be included in the doctoral program.