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Welcome to the postgraduate program in Educational Leadership! This innovative postgraduate program is offered by the Australian Centre for Educational Studies to support the needs of those in, or aspiring to, positions of leadership and management in a range of educational settings and contexts.
Today's dynamically changing environments pose a broad range of challenges to our current and future educational leaders and managers. These include:
- changes in community and students expectations with regard to the roles and practices of our educational institutions (school education and early childhood education)
- increasing calls for quality and accountability in relation to all aspects of our educational institutions' practices
- rapidly changing means of creating, transmitting and communicating knowledge and information through more sophisticated and powerful information and communication technologies
- increasing legislation and regulation in the areas of workplace practice and industrial relations, financial management and accountability
- the need to develop new markets locally, nationally or internationally for the educational programs and services that our institutions provide
- the need to operate within an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Leaders of our educational institutions require a deep understanding of their roles as leaders and managers. The knowledge and skills necessary to address the complex array of challenges that confront leaders on a daily basis will not necessarily be developed through experience alone, nor through participation in a narrowly focussed educational administration program.
For this reason, Macquarie University has drawn upon its long history of interdisciplinary studies to create an exciting postgraduate program in Educational Leadership.
This program offers participants the opportunity to work with outstanding scholars from across a range of disciplines to develop their knowledge and skills in:
- educational leadership
- policy development and implementation
- organisational improvement and effectiveness
- curriculum innovation and program evaluation
- leading and managing change
- human resource management
- management and governance
- educational research
- legal requirements and compliance
Delivered in flexible modes, the program has been specifically designed for busy professionals in, or aspiring to, leadership positions within schools, early childhood centres, TAFE Colleges, or work place training units.
On-campus classes provide participants with opportunities to work with colleagues from within their own sector and across different sectors to explore new theories and ideas and to use these to address real life, work-place leadership and management problems. Online activities ensure that all students have opportunities to participate with their colleagues. Reading and assessment tasks enable participants to examine issues that are specific to their particular sector or institution. The core and elective structure enables participants to focus their studies on areas that are of interest to them, while ensuring that they develop the advanced knowledge required for effective research and practice.
If you are seeking a new and exciting way to develop your professional knowledge and skills in educational leadership and management, Macquarie University's postgraduate program in Educational Leadership should be your choice!
Program Structure
Unique in its design and composition, the postgraduate program in Educational Leadership offers both coursework and research options delivered through face-to-face and online delivery modes.
The awards comprise:
- Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Leadership
- Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership
- Master of Educational Leadership
- Master of Philosophy and
- Doctor of Philosophy.
within two areas of specialisation:
- School Education, and
- Early Childhood Education
The program aims to provide participants with a deeper knowledge of the broad areas of leadership and organisational theory. Participants have the opportunity to develop their understanding of the key areas of their specialisation, including approaches to governance and organisational structure, educational program management, human resource management, education and the law and effective administrative leadership and management.
Coursework Programs
The postgraduate coursework program in Educational Leadership comprises three awards within each area of specialisation (School Education and Early Childhood Education):
- Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Leadership,
- Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership and
- Master of Educational Leadership
The program is fully articulated, so that with satisfactory performance students may progress from the Postgraduate Certificate to the Postgraduate Diploma and Masters programs.
- The Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Leadership comprises three core units.
- The Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership comprises six units (the three core units of the Certificate plus three additional units).
- The Master of Educational Leadership comprises eight units (the six units required for the Diploma plus two additional units).
The program is offered in internal or external modes, making it accessible to students nationally and internationally. Teaching methods used are designed to provide participants with stimulating, challenging, and flexible learning experiences that recognise and respond to the needs of busy professionals.
Specialising in school education offers a means attaining advanced knowledge in diverse areas of professional practice such as organisational development and renewal, school improvement and effectiveness, program innovation and evaluation, assessment and reporting, policy, school governance, compliance and accountability. There are opportunities to pursue individually tailored, school-based projects which permit exploration of hot topics such as mentoring, middle years of schooling, gender or environmental education.
Specialising in early childhood education assists participants to develop their understanding of the nature of, and relationships between educational and administrative leadership and management, the skills of effective educational and administrative leadership and management, and the challenges facing, or likely to face, the leaders and managers within the early childhood sector today.
Research Programs
Macquarie University offers a range of postgraduate research opportunities in Educational Leadership and Management in the areas of school education and early childhood education.
Research programs available are:
- Master of Philosophy and
- Doctor of Philosophy.
Students enrolled in the Master of Educational Leadership coursework program may also complete a small project as part of that degree.
For further information please see the appropriate Educational Leadership program specialisation.
Modes of Study
Educational Leadership coursework programs are available for study in internal or external modes, making it available to students nationally or internationally.
Each mode of study requires significant online participation. Internal students also attend on-campus sessions; external students are encouraged to join these wherever possible.
Further Information
For further information on any aspect of the Educational Leadership program please contact: