Strategic Educational Leadership, Graduate Certificate

The Certificate in Strategic Educational Leadership is for candidates with an accredited bachelor’s degree and a career aspiration to earn a graduate credential in Educational Leadership. The Certificate in Strategic Educational Leadership seeks to develop the program candidate’s graduate-level knowledge and skills in Leadership Theory & Practice; Curriculum Design and Data Fluency; Cultural Proficiency in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Resource Use in Education. The program offers a wide range of elective course choices from NLU’s broad array of professional disciplines, enabling candidates to customize and personalize their advanced leadership credential. Completion of this program enables program completers to document a certificate-level graduate leadership micro-credential on their resumes.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Upon completion of the Strategic Educational Leadership certificate, candidates will demonstrate mastery of the following forms of knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

PLO-1 Content Knowledge. Candidates acquire specialized content knowledge in leadership to understand learning communities and organizations with educational components within their missions.

PLO-2 Leadership Dispositions in Action. Candidates show understanding of leadership dispositions to articulate and model cognitive habits of mind and social-emotional habits of heart to promote safe and stimulating learning cultures for learners, staff, faculty, and community stakeholders.

PLO-3 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Capacities. Candidates comprehend concepts of diversity, educational equity, inclusion, and social justice through development of cultural proficiency.

PLO-4 Engagement and Networking. Candidates recognize an organization’s need for development of collaboration among stakeholders to develop effective learning communities and promote academic success.

PLO-5 Scholarly Proficiencies. Candidates articulate scholarly habits as they apply theory, research and practice to their coursework and leadership project.

PLO-6 Self-Directed Learning. Candidates develop and meet one or more personalized learning objective/s tailored to achieving the individual’s professional goals and a one term leadership project related to program pursuit at the certificate level.

Program Details:

  • Requires minimum of 12SH for completion
  • Maximum of one course may be transferred with approval from the Office of the NCE Dean

Note: The Strategic Ed Leadership certificate courses may be applied to the M.Ed. and Ed.S. degree programs in Educational Leadership with major in Strategic Ed Leadership. Please speak to your Academic Advisor about the details. 

Required Courses

Strategic Educational Leadership - 12 SH

Foundational Courses - 8 SH

EDL 517Leadership Concepts and Applications in Education

2

EDL 520Leading Diverse Schools

2

EDL 525Decision-Making for Educational Systems and Organizations

2

EDL 526Realizing Vision through Technical, Human, and Financial Resources

2

General Electives - 2-5 SH

Choose 2-5 SH of NLU graduate courses in consultation with the Academic Advisor. 

Leadership Project - 2 SH

EDL 573Educational Leadership Project

1 TO 4

Note: EDL 573 must be completed for 2 SH.