The M.S. program requires 36 hours of course work. Evening and summer classes are combined with on-the-job internship activities organized around real school problems. The school principal and a faculty representative of the Educational Administration and Supervision program together supervise the internship.

The desired outcome of the program leading to licensure as a school administrator is to produce thoughtful principal and supervisory practitioners with the skills and scholarship to provide quality leadership to the organizations they serve. Graduates are expected to have a vision of quality education combined with good leadership skills to lead our schools in the twenty-first century.

The program leading to licensure as a school administrator is designed around the standards developed by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) for the knowledge and skills required today for a school principal. It meets the certification requirements of the Tennessee State Board of Education. The program is also accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and recognized by the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) indicating national recognition as a quality program.

Courses for this degree are offered online through Distance Education.