Educational Leadership & Higher Education (ELHE)
Educational Leadership & Higher Education (ELHE)
ELHE
Fulfilling our social justice mission, our Educational Leadership and Higher Education programs develop agents of cultural change—reflective practitioners committed to making schools more equitable.
Internationally recognized faculty integrate interdisciplinary theory with the most current evidence-based practices. Students develop the skills and perspectives to thrive in administration, public policy, and research positions while transforming outcomes across settings, from pre-K through post-graduate.
Scroll down to read more about our program offerings and our faculty.
The department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education prepares administrators and leaders of educational institutions ranging from pre-schools, to K-12, public, Catholic, charter schools to universities, to post graduate institutions.
Graduates are prepared to bring perspectives from sociology, psychology, history and philosophy, as well as social justice and public policy to their analysis and articulation of educational issues.
Course work and field-based learning experiences develop reflective practitioners who integrate theory with practice.
Courses in the department encompass these primary themes:
- Social Justice
- Diversity
- Reflective practice
- Partnerships and collegiality
Courses in the various programs of study explore how economic, societal, political, and global forces change the way people think about schooling, educational leadership, and post-secondary administration.
To keep up with the constantly changing world there have been broad shifts in the knowledge and skills required of educational leaders today:
- from technical skills to interpersonal skills
- from command and direction to consensus building and motivating
- from resource allocation to being accountable for learning processes and outcomes
- from campus administrators to coordinator of institutional and community services
- from policy recipient to shaping and informing policy
These shifts have been reflected in courses throughout the Educational Leadership and Higher Education programs.
Students engaging in Educational Leadership and Higher Education programs benefit considerably from the location of Boston College. Boston as a city is one of the richest post-secondary environments in the world, and offers a diverse range of educational environments.
The Boston College O'Neill Library has an excellent collection of books and journals in higher education and educational leadership resulting from decades of focus in the field. The university offers strong supporting faculty in education, management, and the social sciences, and a strong tradition of collaborative scholarship.
Close relations with other academic institutions in the area mean extensive opportunities for internships and research around the metropolitan area. Boston College's Jesuit identity also offers an underlying concern with social justice issues that is unique among education programs, and of course the program benefits from the Jesuit tradition of rigorous intellectual discourse.
Program Offerings
Master's
Aspiring educational leaders can choose from three programs that help them pursue careers in student affairs, residential life, administration, Catholic school leadership, and other fields:
Doctoral
With two doctoral options, experienced practitioners prepare to assume more senior positions as superintendents, senior administrators, and researchers in specific areas of interest:
Joint Degrees
- Dual Degrees in Law and Education
- Curriculum and Instruction, J.D./M.Ed.
- Educational Leadership, J.D./M.Ed.
- Higher Education, J.D./M.A.
- Higher Education and Business Administration, M.A./M.B.A.
Certificates
The Lynch School offers specialized certificate programs for teachers, administrators, and other professionals seeking to hone their skills with guidance from expert faculty:
Apply a Global Lens to Higher Ed
The 10-course Master of Arts in International Higher Education features faculty and guest lecturers from around the world, online and on-site coursework options, and a rich variety of placement opportunities.