In Fall 2002, in response to a growing shortage of K-12 administrators in the state of Massachusetts, the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Lowell Continuing Studies, Corporate and Distance Education Department and the UMass Lowell Graduate School of Education launched an Online Master’s Degree Program in Educational Administration.

The program, which was UMass Lowell’s first online graduate degree, was modeled after the university’s on-campus degree program in Educational Administration, which is designed around the frameworks required for earning Massachusetts state certification for principals, assistant principals, supervisors, and/or directors.

Initially there were some tentative feelings about whether or not the program would succeed. There’s a significant number of competing schools and colleges of education in Massachusetts offering master’s degrees. Plus, the online program’s tuition was increased by about $88 per credit above the on-campus program. However, "from the beginning we have not only sold every class we have offered, but in many cases we have had to add extra sections," says Jacqueline Moloney, dean of Continuing Studies, Corporate and Distance Education. During the program’s first year of operation, approximately 300 students, about 75 percent of whom were already enrolled in the on-campus program, took online courses, despite the tuition increase.

"We have had very high levels of satisfaction and high return rates," says Moloney. "We have students who are enrolled in this program who are ten miles away and never came to school here" because they could not fit face-to-face classes inside their already busy schedules.

Additionally, a unique, customized online Master’s in Education Administration was launched to help the Lawrence School District, a local district experiencing a shortage in qualified principals and assistant principals. A cohort of 25 internal candidates from Lawrence schools, who are a combination of principals, financial specialists, counselors and technology managers, are currently enrolled in this special program, which combines online courses with monthly on-site workshops.

"We have invested a lot of support in Lawrence schools, trying to help the administration with a variety of issues, including teacher development," says Moloney. "There is a lot of content in our program that can help these administrators, who are in a very stressed school system. They need this support and information on how to manage the many challenges they face on a daily basis. And they love the fact that our courses are asynchronous, because they could not attend our classes otherwise."

UMass Lowell Ed Admin Program