The Graduate Certificate in Global Education and Leadership is a stand-alone certificate made of four courses (or 12 credit hours).
This unique, fully online certificate prepares and positions educators to develop, sustain, and lead globally-minded schools (from preschool through high school). Regardless of geographic location, educators and students are growing and learning in a transnational world. Examining global and local contexts, this certificate will provide the theories, tools, and resources for aspiring principals, curriculum leaders and other educators to successfully lead colleagues and students to be critical, reflective, and inquiring global stewards with refined intercultural skills.
The required four courses each take an inquiry approach that allows educators to question and examine locally-relevant and globally-minded leadership principles and practices. The program as a whole expands upon ELPA’s commitment to developing equitable and inclusive leadership by bridging best practices in school leader development with the underpinning values of the International Baccalaureate (IB) organization and the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
In turn, the core value underlying the certificate is to develop and enhance intercultural understanding and global-mindedness in each of these critical aspects of educational leadership:
- Effective curriculum and instruction
- Collaborative teamwork
- Risk-taking and innovation
- Reflective practice
- Leadership development
- Systems of continuous improvement
Required Courses
- ED_LPA 7151 Leading Educational Organizations in Global Contexts
- ED_LPA 7152 Leadership for Student Learning in a Global Context
- ED_LPA 7153 Leading Professional Development in Global Contexts
- ED_LPA 7154 Leadership for School-Community Partnerships in a Global Context
Courses will typically be offered as 8-week modules, so students may finish the four required courses in one academic year, if they desire.
Application and Admissions Process
Applications will be reviewed three times each year, allowing students to begin the program in either the fall, spring, or summer semesters, with respective deadlines for application of 7/1, 11/1, and 4/1, at 12 pm midnight CST. If students want to join with a cohort from the same school or country, please contact the program coordinator (see email below) to discuss options.
Admission Guidelines and Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- Relevant educational experience
- Strong communication skills
- Evidence of an interest to grow in intercultural understanding and global-mindedness
- For non-native English speakers, minimum scores accepted by the MU Graduate School for TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Cambridge C1 Advanced exams, or Duolingo English Test.
Application Requirements
- Unofficial transcripts
- See the Graduate School’s discussion of the Application Process for more information; you will be asked to submit official transcripts if admitted.
- Résumé or CV
- Be sure to account for all relevant organizational and educational leadership experiences.
- Statement of purpose/response to this query:
- ELPA’s Graduate Certificate in Global Education and Leadership prepares and positions educators to develop, sustain, and lead globally-minded schools (especially preschool to high school). Please describe your context (where you live & work) and what you hope to gain from this certificate. In your answer, please consider what “intercultural understanding” and “global-mindedness” mean to you.
Click here to begin an application.
Contact Us
For more information about the Graduate Certificate in Global Education and Leadership, please contact us at 573-884-2163 or globalELPA@missouri.edu.