Education, M.A., Leadership in Learning

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
• Clear Multiple or Single Subject Teaching Credential

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. 

Detailed course information is available on the course catalog: 

Education, M.A., Leadership in Learning

Are you ready to take the next step and apply?

We're here to make the entire process a simple one. We'll walk you through the application process, answer your questions, and get you one step closer to earning your degree.

Program Start Date(s):

• Spring 2021 Quad I – January 11, 2021

• Spring 2021 Quad II – March 15, 2021

• Fall 2021 Quad I – August 30, 2021

• Fall 2021 Quad II – October 25, 2021

Application Deadline(s):

• Spring 2021 Quad I – November 23, 2020
  All returning & exceptions students - November 9, 2020  

• Spring 2021 Quad II – February 15, 2021
  All returning & exceptions students - February 1, 2021

• Fall 2021 Quad I – August 2, 2021

• Fall 2021 Quad II – September 27, 2021

Note: Not all programs offer entry for new students each quad. Check with your enrollment counselor for programs and start dates.

Start Application

The Selection Process

The educational context at PLNU will challenge you to live a full life that integrates the pursuit of knowledge with beliefs, values, and actions. While honoring diverse perspectives and beliefs, Christian values and principles are woven into the educational experience. We understand your application is not only a reflection of you as a student; it reflects you as a person. At PLNU, we holistically evaluate your academic history, work and life experience, background, and circumstances to determine admission into a graduate program. Your undergraduate GPA is an important piece of your application, but if you do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of a 3.0, you may still be eligible for admission based on your application package as well as the exceptions policy per your particular program.* Therefore, we strongly encourage you to contact your enrollment counselor, who will advise you regarding your qualifications and provide specific information about the admission under exceptions process.

To be admitted into PLNU's Master of Arts in Education program, you must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, as evidenced by an official transcript.

If you have any questions about your qualifications or the program in general, we encourage you to contact your enrollment counselor.

Application Checklist

Note: The application is completed entirely online with the exception of transcripts, which can be submitted electronically or directly to PLNU, and test scores, which should be submitted electronically.

1. Submit an online application for admissions (including $50 non-refundable application fee, which is waived for PLNU alums, current or former military and their dependents, and PLNU employees).
2. Submit official transcripts with proof of earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution. (If you are a PLNU alumnus, please notify your counselor to have your transcripts retrieved. You do not need to request transcripts from the PLNU Office of Records.)
   
   Official transcripts must be sent to:
   Point Loma Nazarene University
   Office of Graduate Admissions
   3900 Lomaland Dr.
   San Diego, CA 92106
   
   Official electronic transcripts must be emailed to:
   gradprocessing@pointloma.edu
3. Submit a personal essay, 2-3 pages in length and double spaced, that addresses the following topics:
   • Describe your professional career goals for the next five years.
   • Describe the variety of experiences that helped you determine these goals.
   • Explain what motivates you to work in California’s diverse schools.
   • Explain why you are applying to PLNU, a private Christian university.
4. Provide two professional recommendations. You will be asked to register your recommenders by providing their names, titles, and email addresses.
5. For credential seekers only: Submit basic skills exam (CBEST or equivalent) scores. This can be demonstrated by taking the CBEST exam
   • OR Multiple Subject CSET plus writing skills examination
   • OR CSU Early Assessment Program or the CSU Placement Examination
   • OR providing proof of a valid California teaching credential

Start Application

*Exceptions Policy: If you have below a 3.0 GPA in your baccalaureate degree, you will need to speak with your enrollment counselor for more information on the exceptions materials needed for your particular program.

The Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in leadership in learning is designed to help you advance your teaching career.

The program is ideal for:

• Elementary School Teachers
• Middle or High School Teachers
• Corporate or Workplace Trainers
• Nonprofit, Church, or Organizational Instructors, Teachers, or Trainers