You don’t work in education because it’s easy – you do it because it matters. You want to be an educator who makes a difference in people’s lives. That’s what we want, too.
At PLNU, we are here for the same reasons you are: We truly believe in the power of education, and we care deeply about individuals — including you — who are living out their call to teach.
When you join PLNU’s Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in leadership in learning, you will challenge yourself to become a more effective teacher or workplace trainer. You will be prepared to advance your career and live out your calling to the fullest.
Everyone you encounter here will share that goal with you, from your admissions counselor to your professors. Rest assured, PLNU’s School of Education will take a personal interest in you and care about your concerns, experience, beliefs, and goals.
Relevant Topics to Meet Real Needs
District partnerships ensure PLNU’s curriculum addresses current needs and topics facing educators. In addition to offering accredited programs grounded in research, PLNU equips you to integrate your beliefs, values, and goals with your teaching practice.
Customizable, Deep, and Achievable
Whether you are a classroom teacher, or in a workplace or nonprofit teaching or training setting, this program can be tailored to meet your needs. Six certificate options allow you to specialize in an area of interest while developing transferable, employer-desired abilities and skills. Choose from multiple locations, full- or part-time schedules, and face-to-face, online, and hybrid course options.
Lifelong Network of Support
PLNU’s education alumni network, Education Associates, keeps you connected long after graduation. Faculty members have a reputation for staying in touch and continuing to mentor students. Career counseling and additional professional development opportunities are always available to you.
Spotlight
Jill Hamilton-Bunch, Ph.D.
Dr. Jill Hamilton-Bunch graduated from PLNU in 1990 with the desire to be a teacher, and that’s exactly what she’s done for the past 22 years — plus much more.
Read More
The Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in leadership in learning is designed to equip you to significantly improve student learning in diverse settings. You will learn to apply best practices and benefit from the latest research on effective teaching.
This program substantially builds on the foundation of initial teacher preparation and the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP). Outside the traditional education system, PLNU's program is also an ideal place to advance your teaching and learning practice with families, churches, businesses, or community entities.
PLNU's M.A. in Education with a concentration in leadership in learning is highly customizable to meet your specific interests and goals. You will choose one focus area as part of the program. Additional certificates and authorizations may be earned as stand-alone programs. Options for fulfilling the program elective requirements offer an in-depth emphasis/authorization to be chosen from a variety of areas, including:
- Reading and Literacy Added Authorization
- Diverse and Cross-Cultural Environments for Leaders
- Instructional Leadership
- Instructional Design with Technology
- Leading Instructional Design for Professionals
When you and your classmates complete PLNU's M.A. in Education with a concentration in leadership in learning, you will be prepared to:
Equip
- Engage in lifelong learning in an information-based, interactive society and explore the major classical and modern philosophies as they relate to contemporary educational theories and practices.
- Develop and internalize the essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions to conduct research that transforms teaching and significantly impacts learning in educational settings.
- Communicate a cohesive personal educational philosophy, an educational mission, core values, and vision of teaching and learning as a servant leader.
Transform
- Demonstrate evidence of an applied understanding of the five propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, including a commitment to students and learning and distinguishing cultural and familial differences from one another to inform their practice.
- Reflect on learning throughout the program and develop a professional development and research plan to continually extend and refine a philosophical, technological, and research application and orientation to teaching and learning.
Empower
- Work within a professional educational learning community reflecting and contributing to instructional improvement within diverse educational communities.
- Extend and refine the understanding of current challenges and trends in education, developing a response plan aligned with personal philosophy in addressing these situations.
Professional Licensure or Certification
This program is approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and meets the requirements for educator certification in the state of California, where Point Loma Nazarene University is physically located. PLNU cannot confirm whether or not specific programs meet out-of-state requirements for Professional Licensure or Certification. Information about out-of-state requirements in teacher credentialing is available on this website.
