Curriculum & Courses - MSA - UNC School of Education

Program of Studies

The program of studies, i.e., the courses and curriculum for the Master of School Administration Flex, is made up of 4 parts:

21 hours in educational leadership courses;
6 hours in instructional leadership courses;
12 hours in a paid, field-based, internship + associated internship seminar;

Your academic coursework (27 hours) will take two years (including summer sessions) to complete. Courses are designed to accommodate working professionals from across the state, usually occur within concentrated time blocks of five to six weeks, take place on Wednesday evenings (online) and some Saturdays (online and face-to-face).

Students move through the program as a cohort with classes beginning in July.

Internship

Students may choose to complete a full-time or part-time internship. Internships may only begin in the fall semester, although some districts and schools welcome interns to engage in leadership activities during the summer. You must also be enrolled in the accompanying internship seminar. Full-time interns work as assistant principals for 10 months, earning a stipend from the state of North Carolina commensurate with the base salary of a beginning assistant principal.

Part time interns must complete 360 contact hours per year (about 180 hours per semester) at the internship site.

Licensure Portfolio

If you are seeking North Carolina licensure, you will also complete a series of artifacts that are aligned with the state’s school executive standards. These artifacts are compiled to form an electronic portfolio that is submitted to the state’s licensure division for review.