Admissions Requirements
Admission to Eastern's Graduate School
To be granted admission to a graduate program in Educational Leadership, the student must first be admitted to the Graduate School at Eastern Illinois University. Thus, a student seeking admission should complete a graduate application online. Questionsin reference to the application may be directed to the Graduate School at 217-581-2220. Additional information may be found in the Graduate Catalog.
The Graduate School requires that the student must have obtained a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited four-year college or university, must have achieved a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale for that degree, and must complete other requirements as specified by the department.
A student achieving a 3.00 GPA on the last 60 hours of graded academic work may substitute that criterion for the requirement of achieving an overall 3.00 GPA. Course work taken as a post-baccalaureate student may be considered in the computation of the GPA.
Students who do not meet the requirement for full admission may be granted provisional admission upon recommendation by the department.
International students must, in addition, score at least 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL and at least score a 79 on the Internet-Based TOEFL. Students who do not meet the minimum TOEFL scores cannot be admitted into the Graduate School or into the program.
Once the student is admitted to The Graduate School, the student's records are forwarded to the designated department (Educational Leadership).
Admission into the Department of Educational Leadership
Admission Requirements outlined in the 2009 - 2011 Graduate Catalog for the Educational Leadership program can be found here.
Master's Program or Type 75 Certification: To be granted admission into the Educational Leadership program for degree candidacy,a student must first be admitted to the Graduate School at Eastern Illinois University. The Department of Educational Leadership requires that a student must have obtained a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited four-year college or university, must have achieved a cumulative minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 (2.75 for provisional admission) on a 4.0 scale or 3.00 (2.75 for provisional admission) on the last 60 hours of coursework to become fully admitted to the program, submit a writing sample demonstrating experience and interest in leadership, and have at least two years of teaching experience with a valid K-12 teaching certificate or two years of experience as a counselor, psychologist, social worker, or nurse with a valid school service personnel certificate. Full time is defined by the Illinois School Code 105 ILCS 5/24-11.
Educational Specialist Program: To be granted admission into the Educational Leadership program a student must first be admitted to the Graduate School at Eastern Illinois University. The Department of Educational Leadership requires that a student must have obtained a master's degree from a regionally accreditedcollege or university, must have achieved a cumulative minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale, submit a writing sample demonstrating experience and interest in school administrationand have at least two years of teaching experience with a valid K-12 teaching certificate or two years of experience as a counselor, psychologist, social worker, or nurse with a valid school service personnel certificate. Fulltime is defined by the Illinois School Code 105 ILCS 5/24-11.
Extenuating circumstances may be appealed to the Department Faculty for consideration. Based on application materials supplied, applicants will be screened for admission to the specified program.
Required Documents for Admission
- Application to Eastern's Graduate School.
- Departmental application to Educational Leadership with supervisor signature, copies of teaching certificate and short paragraph on professional goals and why the student is interested in the Educational Leadership Program.
- Completion of Principal Style Profiler (online). The link will be sent to the student's e-mail address listed on the Graduate School application once student's records are received in the department.
- Students wanting to participate in an off-campus cohort program must submit additional documentation. Please visit the Cohort Information page for other admission requirements.
Application Process
- After student is admitted to the Graduate School, the student's records are forwarded to the Educational Leadership Department.
- The department will forward an email asking student to complete the Principal Style Profiler (online) and the departmental application. A separate link will be sent from a styleprofile@humanexventures.com e-mail address entitled "Eastern Illinois University, IL (P) Principal StyleProfile" so that the student may complete the online profiler. If the e-mail isn't found in your inbox, please check the junk mail folder.
- After completion of Profiler and Departmental Application, members of the department will review the student's records and make an admission decision. Upon admission, the student is assigned an advisor and a study plan is developed. The Welcome Letter and Study Plan will be mailed to the student at the address listed on their application. The entire process can take up to 45 to 60 days to complete.
Applicaton Process for Students Who Have Been Previously Admitted Into the Program or to The Graduate School
- If a student has been previously admitted to the program and has had a break in semester enrollment, a student must complete Graduate Re-admission Form and send it to the Graduate School. The fax number is 217-581-6020.
- If a student is already enrolled at Eastern and wishes to change programs (i.e., Master's in Educational Administration to Educational Specialist in Educational Administration, or another department to Educational Leadership), the student must complete a Change of Status Form and send it to The Graduate School. Once a student completes a Change of Status form, the application process will begin at No. 1 under Application Processes above.
