Accredited educational leadership degree programs in North Carolina go beyond what students would learn in a basic education program. Bachelor’s degree programs often include a teaching experience that lets students see what teachers do in the classroom. Those undergrad programs also allow students to pick an emphasis are of a subject they want to teach. Graduate programs in educational leadership teacher students how to act as leaders among other teachers and how to both lead and inspire their own students. North Carolina offers several programs that are suitable for those who already work as teachers and those who need a teaching license.
Appalachian State University
Reich College of Education
Established in 1899, Appalachian State University is one of the few colleges in North Carolina that started as a teachers college. BB and DD Dougherty were two brothers who founded the college after noting the lack of teaching programs in the state. Appalachian State would use different names over the years, including the Appalachian Training School for Teachers and Appalachian State Teachers College. It earned university status in 1967 and adopted the Appalachian State University name that same year. Most call it either ASU or Appalachian State today. ASU ranks as one of the top schools for graduate and post-graduate education majors.
Educational Leadership: Doctor of Education
One of the accredited educational leadership programs in North Carolina that appeal to students today is the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership that Appalachian State offers. This program hosts a symposium every year where professors and others working in the college hand out awards. Students also have the chance to present their dissertations and to answer questions from the audience during the event. The dissertation is one of the requirements of the program. Students have several years to work on their dissertations, but they must defend their work at the end of March in the year they want to graduate. This program teaches students the leadership skills they need to work with students as young as kindergarten and preschool as well as with students in community college and vocational school. It includes concentrations in educational administration, higher education, instructional technology leadership and expressive arts education, leadership and inquiry.
Accreditation
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
Contact
151 College St.
Boone, NC 28608
(828) 262-2232
East Carolina University
College of Education
Established in 1907, East Carolina University started as the East Carolina Teachers Training School. The main goal that the school had was to educate students on how to work with the children in need of trained teachers across the southern US. It would earn college status in 1920 and university status in 1972. Though it adopted the name East Carolina University to show that it offered more than just education and teaching programs, it still has one of the best teaching programs in the country. Now called ECU and East Carolina, it has an enrollment of nearly 6,000 post-graduate students.
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership
A top choice for students looking at accredited educational leadership degree programs in North Carolina is the one offered by ECU because it has two concentrations. Students can choose from concentrations in K-12 administration or higher education administration. The first program focuses more on working in schools suitable for younger children and teenagers, while the second program prepares majors for working in tech, vocational and community schools and colleges. Students can also earn certificates through the university to become school principals or superintendents. Both degree programs require that students do service leadership programs in a volunteer capacity. Each one also includes courses such as Advanced Research in Educational Leadership, Educational Planning, School Business Management and Cases and Concepts in Educational Leadership. ECU allows students to start at the beginning of the fall or spring semesters or during either of the summer sessions. Students will need to take three years of classes.
Accreditation
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
Contact
154 Speight Building
Greenville, NC 27858
(252) 328-4260
Western Carolina University
College of Education and Allied Professions
Western Carolina University is one of several campuses that are in the University of North Carolina school system. Established as the Cullowhee Academy in 1888, it served as a post-secondary school for high school students and as a learning academy for young children. This would change around the turn of the century after it became an industrial and mechanical college and then a teaching college called Cullowhee State Normal School. It also served as a college and a state teaching college before earning university status and becoming Western Carolina University. The university now has some of the state’s top teaching programs.
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership
A Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership is available from Western Carolina University for students who want to work in administration roles. It ranks among the best of the accredited educational leadership degree programs in North Carolina. Students will join a cohort in the summer and follow that cohort through nine semesters as they complete 52 credits of work. They will typically complete the university’s curriculum through a course guide they receive in the first semester. The program features 19 credits of educational leadership courses and 16 credits of research classes. Students will also take at least nine credits from a concentration. The university offers a general concentration and one for those who want to get their superintendent licenses. Though the courses in those concentrations will vary, students will take some of the same required classes, including Leading Institutional Improvement, Leadership of Complex Educational Organizations and Leadership for Equity and Social Justice.
Accreditation
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
Contact
1 University Way
Cullowhee, NC 28723
(828) 227-7211
https://www.wcu.edu/learn/departments-schools-colleges/ceap/
Related Resource: Top 20 Best Master’s in Educational Leadership Online
Students today can study many different roles within the education field, including math and science. They can also study more advanced subjects at the graduate level that will prepare them for more jobs. Some of the top choices include the accredited educational leadership degree programs in North Carolina.
