Career Advantage
Mission and Highlights
- The mission of Soka University of America’s Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Societal Change program is to provide graduate-level students with the broad interdisciplinary knowledge, research skills, and practical experience for cutting-edge leadership in the all-inclusive world of education, locally, nationally, and internationally.
- Program Highlights
- Analyze past and present models of US and international administrative leadership for their effectiveness in promoting equality of educational opportunity and greater workplace democracy;
- Gain foundational knowledge of the philosophical, and theoretical pedagogies of education;
- Learn to utilize networks and partnerships for broad-based, popular initiatives and reforms;
- Learn to promote meaningful collaboration among and between education and community leaders; and
- Develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to create and maintain learning environments that value diversity, continual knowledge acquisition, instructional leadership, innovative and ethical decision-making, and the successful achievement for all students.
Curriculum, Research, and Pedagogy
- Curriculum Overview - The Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Societal Change will prepare you to:
- Critically reflect on educational issues and develop strategies to create social change.
- Think strategically and use theoretical research to evaluate effectiveness and improve practice for all learners.
- Foster global citizenship to improve educational law and polices.
- Theory & Research Courses
- EDU 503 – History and Philosophy of Education and Leadership
- EDU 505 – Leadership: Theory and Practice
- EDU 502 – Qualitative Methods in Educational Settings
- EDU 508 – Quantitative and Mixed Methods in Educational Settings
- EDU 520 – MA Thesis
- Summer Research (non-credit bearing international and domestic research travel).
A Story of Engagement
Where is she now? A demonstration teacher at the UCLA Lab School.
I gained essential research skills that I gave me the opportunity to dive deep into theory while empowering me to use research as a tool for social change.
Student Profiles: Outcomes
Aditi Lal | Class of 2019
My greatest accomplishment at SUA has been to rediscover myself and my passion for women’s and children’s rights and well-being. This is the reason I dedicated my thesis to the strong women of the world who stand up and speak out against injustice and abuse directed either towards them or another. I also dedicated it to the innocent children of the world who hope to make their dreams come true. I think the cohort-based model of this program supported me in going beyond my comfort zone in classrooms, exploring my strengths and weaknesses, and polishing my leadership skills. I believe that my cohort, the Great 8, has motivated me to become a self-reflective, self-aware and compassionate human being.
Cierra Mantz | Class of 2019
In March I moved to Minnesota and started working as an associate designer at Fielding Nair International, an architecture firm with the mission to transform education and improve learning through innovated school design.
Prince Heto | Class of 2016
Through my experience at Soka, I have acquired a foundational knowledge and deeper appreciation of the power of education as a force for lasting and effective societal change. I am leaving Soka with the determination to help develop innovative and humane policies.
Vicki Mokuria | Class of 2016
After graduating, I attended Texas A&M and earned a doctorate degree in education. My goals include: using my education to teach future educators, based on principles of Soka Education, collaborating with other educators to imbue principles of Soka Education in schools, working with others to develop a “culture of peace towards global citizenship” curriculum that can be used with educators and parents; and polishing my own life and heart so I can be a warm and supportive educator, mother, grandmother, and friend!
Bhavana Rani | Class of 2018
The education that I received at Soka held me in such good stead throughout a very comprehensive and competitive job selection process. Not only did the knowledge that I gained at Soka equip me with the necessary depth and expertise that was required for this role; the humanistic education and the relentless support that the faculty and staff lent me throughout the last one year, post-graduation, egged me to stay put and persevere and opened a significant opportunity to work as an educational leader in one of the biggest K-12 public school systems in the United States.