Educational Administration and Policy

Master’s Degree Portfolio Requirements

PROCEDURES for the MASTER’S DEGREE PORTFOLIO

First, students are reminded that an Application for Graduation must be submitted electronically and an approved Program of Study must be submitted to the Graduate School.  Please refer to http://www.gradsch.uga.edu:5080/forms/newgradms.htm for these forms and to http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/academics/deadlines.html for deadlines of the Graduate School. 

Students in the Master’s Degree (M. Ed.) in Educational Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia sustain the comprehensive exam consisting of a two-part process:

1. the presentation of the portfolio; and,
2. the oral defense of the portfolio to a committee of three faculty members from the Program in Educational Administration and Policy.

At the time of admission, a student is assigned a faculty advisor, and it is the responsibility of the student to remain in contact with his/her faculty advisor. Students need to begin developing and refining the portfolio beginning with the very first course as the process of portfolio development and the philosophy of educational administration and policy ongoing.  

Preparing the Portfolio

The artifacts within the portfolio should draw on all courses sustained to complete the Master’s Degree in the Program in Educational Administration and Policy.  The student should consult with each professor and/or the syllabus for each course for remarks that will assist in the development of the portfolio.

Procedurally  

1. You will be notified of the date and time of the defense of the portfolio, and you will be expected to work with your advisor to set up the oral exam (defense of the portfolio). Typically, the oral defense is scheduled at the mid-point of the last semester of study.   
2. The portfolio must be turned in to your advisor a minimum of two weeks before the date of the scheduled defense.
3. The contents of the portfolio and the defense of the portfolio will be evaluated by a committee of three faculty members. The composition of the committee will include the advisor and two other faculty members from the Program in Educational Administration and Policy.
4. The portfolio and the defense will be evaluated according to the rubrics developed by the faculty in the Program in Educational Administration and Policy.

The Content of the Portfolio

The content of the portfolio consists of three sections, which should be placed in ONE, three-ring binder. Following is a framework for each of the sections.

SECTION ONE: Resume and Professional Goals

The Masters' Degree candidate should include an up-to-date resume that reflects Professional Goals, Education, Employment History, Awards and Recognitions, Leadership Roles (e.g., chair of SACS, membership on a school and/or county-wide committee), Professional Experiences (e.g., workshop and/or conference presentations, publications), and Professional Development and Learning Activities (conferences attended, participation in professional development).

SECTION TWO: Personal Philosophy of Educational Administration and Policy

Format
The student will explain his or her personal philosophy of educational administration and policy, demonstrating how the philosophy emerged from the experiences in the Program in Educational Administration and Policy courses and by citing (and including) artifacts from each course bundled in a portfolio. Students will then use the portfolios in the following manner:

Procedures

• Students prepare a written statement of their philosophies of educational administration and policy, citing theory, research, and artifacts contained in their portfolios. This written statement is to be presented to the examination committee.
• Students explain how their philosophies were developed through the analysis and synthesis of course work, citing artifacts included in their portfolios.
• Students provide examples of how their educational administration and policy philosophies translate into practice.

Developing the Personal Philosophy of Educational Administration and Policy

Students are to use the following questions to develop their written personal philosophy of Educational Administration and Policy:

1. What is educational administration and policy?
2. What is educational leadership?  
3. What is the relationship between leader and follower?
4. How are leaders different from managers?
5. How best are school goals developed and achieved?
6. How does leadership impact students learning?
7. How do leaders mobilize others to achieve tasks?

SECTION THREE: Portfolio Artifacts

Students will compile artifacts from coursework that support the personal philosophy of educational administration and policy. Assignments, projects, research papers, videotapes, and any other materials that assist in supporting the personal philosophy of educational administration and policy should be included in the portfolio. Remember that only ONE, three-ring binder may be used to store the contents of the portfolio (Sections 1, 2, and 3).

The Presentation of the Portfolio-The oral portion of the M. Ed. exam.

The oral portion of the exam will last 30 minutes. During the oral exam, the M. Ed. Candidate will:

• make a 15 minute presentation; and then,
• answer questions for approximately 15 minutes.

Final Assessment

Final assessment of the candidate will be based on the:

1. written philosophy of educational administration and policy;
2. supporting artifacts; and,
3. oral presentation.

Consult the rubric as a guide for preparing for the written (personal philosophy of educational administration and policy).  The oral presentation includes a presentation of the philosophy and the portfolio that consists of three sections: 1) Resume and Professional Goals, 2) Personal Philosophy of Educational Administration and Policy, and 3) Portfolio Artifacts.

Last updated on May 29, 2007