Western New Mexico University’s Master of Arts in Educational Leadership is designed to create tomorrow’s education leaders - future literate leaders. The United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), defines futures literacy as “a capability. It is the skill that allows people to better understand the role of the future in what they see and do. Being futures literate empowers the imagination, enhances our ability to prepare, recover and invent as changes occur … The term Futures Literacy mimics the idea of reading and writing literacy because it is a skill that everyone can and should acquire. And it is a skill that is within everyone’s reach.”
Founded on dialogic organizational development principles and generative change theory, leaders will be equipped with the aptitude and skills to look forward to a future very different from the past, in an informed and balanced way.
The WNMU Futures Literate Educational Leadership Program will focus on the speed and complexity of societal change, its impact on education, and the understanding that educational leadership can no longer rely on the old tools of planning and implementation. Through innovation and systems solutions, leaders will be equipped with the skills to seize the opportunities that lie within complex challenges.
Leaders must become “futures literate” to lead their communities to a future where they will survive and thrive. Put bluntly, if we are to thrive, education needs to be ‘everybody’s business.
Educational leaders will also acquire skills to work creatively in diverse environments to engage people in accomplishing a shared vision for organizations and institutions.
Educational Leadership Concentrations
The WNMU Master of Arts in Educational Leadership offers four industry relevant concentrations that students may select from: Educational Administration (PK-12)*, Educational Teacher Leader, Leadership in Higher Education, and Leadership in Athletics.
Admission Requirements
All applicants seeking admission to the Educational Leadership Program at WNMU must submit a WNMU Graduate Division Application (
https://grad.wnmu.edu/admission/) and a WNMU Educational Leadership Program Application. Students may not register for any EDL courses without formal admission.
EDL Program Application
The Educational Leadership Program Application can be completed and submitted through the following steps:
- Create a guest account through TK20, which should be accessed at the following link: https://wnmu.tk20.com
- Once you have clicked on https://wnmu.tk20.com, click on the word “Admissions” and then click on “Click here to create your account”
- Create your account by filling in your information
- You will then be able to access the Educational Leadership Program Application through the following click sequence:
1. Home
2. Admission Applications
3. Create New Application
4. Please select
5. Educational Leadership Program Application for (semester in which you desire to begin coursework)
6. Next
- Complete the Educational Leadership Program Application
- Remember to save your work
- Submit when finished
It is important to note that although applicants may receive notification of acceptance from the EDL Program, they are only officially matriculated to the EDL Program once they have met the admission standards set forth by the WNMU Graduate Division in this catalog. Likewise, an applicant may receive notification of acceptance to WNMU Graduate Programs but may not be accepted to the EDL Program, and thereby not be able to register for EDL courses, until their Educational Leadership Program Application has been approved and accepted by the EDL Program.
Leadership Internship/Residency Requirement
EDL 581 - Leadership Internship and EDL 582 - Leadership Residency are the culminating courses in the program with a minimum of 180 hours of supervised field work under the guidance of a mentor leader. The graduate candidate must have completed/or concurrently completing the Educational Leadership Core Requirements and earned 24 credits in the EDL program to qualify for the internship/residency. Candidates must complete all coursework and complete a portfolio for EDL 581 - Leadership Internship/EDL 582 - Leadership Residency.
Transfer credit limit for the Educational Leadership M.A. program is 12 credits.
*An applicant for Educational Administration (Pre K-12) licensure in New Mexico must hold a level II teaching license and must have a minimum of three years teaching experience. In addition, applicants must complete the required coursework and pass the PRAXIS Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision Test to obtain administrative licensure. See the New Mexico Public Education Department website for more details and up-to-date requirements
https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/licensure/licensure-requirements/educational-administration-pre-k-12
.