Professional Degrees in Education

Educational Leadership Program (Ed.D.)

ELP brings together mid-career professionals from the PK-16 educational pipeline: K-12, CC, 4-year, non-profits/informal spaces. This unique model positions leaders to broaden their understandings of the educational trajectory in order to deepen impact within respective organizations and beyond. ELP is guided by a nationally acclaimed faculty who not only develop theory but also work in the multicultural urban settings close to UCLA. ELP Adjunct and Clinical Faculty ensure the meaningful intersection of research and practice.

Principal Leadership Institute (M.Ed. and Preliminary Administrative Credential)

The Principal Leadership Institute trains and supports a diverse group of individuals committed to the principles of academic excellence, equity, and integrity as a way to maximize achievement and opportunity for students in urban schools.

PLI has designed a rigorous 14-month program aligned with the California Administrative Professional Expectations (CAPEs) that will prepare the next generation of urban school leaders. The PLI utilizes the Reciprocal Learning Partnership Equity Framework.

UCLA’s Principal Leadership Institute program prepares educators to be social justice leaders in Los Angeles schools.

Student Affairs (M.Ed.)

In the Student Affairs program, students experience the challenges and opportunities of a world-class research university while meeting the important need of preparing student affairs professionals for positions in public and private colleges and universities as well as community colleges. The program is designed for students whose primary career interest is in student affairs in institutions of higher education. The Student Affairs program is a one-year cohort-based M.Ed. (scholar-practitioner focused) housed within the Higher Education and Organizational Change (HEOC) graduate division. The program is offered as a collaboration between UCLA Ed&IS and the UCLA Division of Student Affairs.

Teacher Education Program (M.Ed. and Preliminary Teaching Credential)

In the Teacher Education Program, students are prepared to become social educators in urban settings. The program is designed for students whose primary career interest is in teaching in low income, low performing schools in California, and Los Angeles in particular. TEP is housed in Center X at UCLA Ed&IS. The program offers an M.Ed. and teaching credentials for various subjects. 

Transformative Coaching and Leadership (M.Ed.)

The degree program is informed by an ethic of social justice, where teaching and coaching in various contexts — collegiate sports, professional sports, K-12 schools, Boys and Girls Clubs and other community sports programs — are analyzed through the lens of equity, access, diversity, and human dignity. We aim to contribute to the creation of a more just, equitable and humane society through enlightened and socially conscious sports education and leadership.

The program is undergirded by an understanding that “teaching” and “coaching” are sister disciplines born of a common parentage whose goals are nothing other than educational excellence and execution, in the classroom and on the court. Faculty of the program consists of experts and practitioners in the field of sports including legendary coaches and seasoned athletic directors as well as renowned faculty from the field of Education.