An educational leadership degree opens up a lot of career options in the modern world. Thanks to the rapid pace of technological advancement today, a strong primary education is increasingly vital. More and more fields rely heavily upon specialized academic training to succeed, but fewer people than ever are pursuing educational leadership as a career path. Many people aren’t even familiar with the concept, which relates to training for roles such as school principal, superintendent, guidance counselor, and other increasingly underrated functions.
Here are five great careers which either require, or are strongly reinforced by, a degree in educational leadership.
1. Principal
At every level of the American public education system, the principal is the chief administrator within a given school. They oversee staffing concerns, assist with the organization of student events, and generally perform a wide range of functions to help ensure that everything runs smoothly. A principal is also, quite frequently, the liaison between parents and faculty members. The job requires patience, diplomacy, and no small degree of administrative skill — as well as a love of learning!
2. Dean of Students
The Dean of Students is the individual, at most colleges and universities, whose authority covers matters of day-to-day student life. They are invested with the most authority, with regard to campus administrators, over student concerns outside of the classroom, and are often required to represent (in particular) students who reside on campus, in dealings with other members of the administration. The reverse also applies.
3. University Registrar
Few things are more critical to the success of a college student than the accuracy, security, and (selective) accessibility of their personal student records. On a college campus, the individual who is in charge of maintaining, updating, and securing student records is the university registrar. One of the less well-known, but no less important career options unlocked by an advanced degree in educational leadership, the registrar’s position entails involvement in every step of the academic process, from enrollment, to graduation. It also involves interacting with multiple departments of the US federal government, such as the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for students who have served in the armed forces.
4. Instructional Coordinator
Particularly within a larger school system, the instructional coordinator is that individual who is responsible for ensuring the quality and coordination of different subjects’ curriculum, as well as their school’s teaching standards. In smaller school systems, multiple schools may share a coordinator, while the opposite is true in some of the country’s largest metropolitan school districts. Considerable administrative skill is necessary for the position, as well as a fundamental understanding of educational theory, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
5. Department Chair
In high school, but particularly at the college level, most schools and universities have department chairs. These individuals are certified educators within their field, but they share the responsibility of the instructional coordinator — helping to oversee the curriculum, and the teaching style, of their particular area of expertise. A degree in educational leadership adds itself immeasurably to the qualification for this role, which is otherwise frequently filled with someone who has a background in education — and seniority. Even in accredited, for-profit institutions, individuals are often grandfathered into the role due to a scarcity of qualified applicants!.
Related Resource: 50 Most Affordable Small Colleges for a Master’s in Education 2016
America Needs Leaders in the Field of Education
Demand for qualified educators is currently on the rise; with that, the need for graduates from accredited educational leadership programs is also increasing. Depending upon where it is acquired from, an educational leadership degree can often be conveniently pursued online. Once obtained, it makes a prospective job applicant stand out from a pool of less well-credentialed individuals. Many primary school positions, in particular, are more often filled by people whose certification lies more in the realm of teaching than it does in filling an administrative capacity.
