MSc in Educational Leadership

Leadership in schools is associated with fostering an environment where students can achieve their full potential and where educational staff are supported, motivated, and can professionally develop. Effective school leaders are often described as having the capacity to transform and motivate others, they have vision, experience, and expertise. This course takes the view, however, that effective schools have leaders that can be found all across a school and are not necessarily confined only to those in senior positions. Key ideas explored in this course are leadership that is distributed, collaboration and the benefits of networks, transformational leadership, and how effective leadership can change and improve schools.

The MSc in Educational Leadership recognizes that schools and, more broadly, educational systems depend on leaders from all walks of life and all types of positions, regardless of assigned titles. It is intended, therefore, to provide leadership development for people who work in all manner of roles in the educational system: classroom teachers, formal school leaders, local authority personnel, policymakers, and any individual with a direct interest in the primary and post-primary school sectors.

The program aims to equip you with the necessary knowledge, skills, and creative capacity to respond to a variety of leadership challenges faced in contemporary educational institutions. We will challenge traditional notions of 'leaders' and 'leadership', pointing to new, more collaborative, and more organic models of leading.

It is expected that graduates will be able to inform their professional practice with the latest research evidence in the field to nurture meaningful relationships in educational communities, address issues of equity and diversity, support teaching and learning, and ultimately ensure quality outcomes that are tailored to contextual needs. We seek to develop in students the ability to critique current leadership practices and to enact changes that will improve education for all.

Educational Leadership highlights

Student Experience

• Students are actively involved in sessions (student-led), and there are opportunities for small group work and presentations.
• Assignments are tailored to topics of interest to each individual student.
• There is an international outlook on leadership issues.
• The international mix of students enables exchanges of knowledge, experience, and perspectives.
• Credit transfer students who have completed other master's-level awards, e.g. PGCE or Professional Qualification for Headship (PQH), within the last ten years are eligible for credit transfer. The credit transfer application must be submitted at the same time as the online program application, as retrospective applications are not accepted.
• The program is tailored to working professionals, and as such, a blended learning approach is used. Modules are made up of face-to-face lectures and online sessions. Lectures at Queen’s take place in the evenings, and online sessions can be completed off-campus. Part-time students can remain in their workplace during their studies and directly apply new knowledge in their settings.