Foundations, Leadership and Policy Studies (FLPS)

Chair's Welcome

Our department offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs in Foundations of Education and Educational Leadership. While there are different options, tailored to your needs, you can be confident that each will give you a stimulating, challenging, and rewarding learning experience. Let me tell you a little bit about each of our programs.

• Minor in Educational Studies
  Education is one of our basic and most critical social institutions. The quality of education, as it takes place in the home, in schools and in our communities, affects every person, shaping the ability to participate in society and influencing the nature of our society. Understanding education and the many forces that shape it is intriguing and important. Undergraduates who are not enrolled in a pre-service teacher education program but want to explore these important issues from philosophical, historical, sociological, political, and cultural perspectives will enjoy adding this minor to their undergraduate liberal arts program.
• MA Foundations of Education
  This program enables students to develop deeper understandings of and critical perspectives on education. It is ideal for anyone who wants to explore education through historical, sociological, political, and cultural lenses. Teachers with initial certification may also satisfy requirements for professional certification as part of the degree. Students in this program enjoy the intellectual stimulation and feel that it broadens their understanding in important ways. "Before, I learned how to teach," one graduate commented, "but now I know why I teach."
• MS Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
  This program provides an introduction to educational leadership, as well as an exploration of important foundational perspectives. Students choose a concentration in K-12 or Higher Education Leadership. The Higher Education concentration is a new addition and one of the few such programs in the metropolitan area. This combination of courses appeals primarily to educators in areas other than the public schools.
• Certificate of Advanced Studies
  Our department offers two certificate programs. The CAS in Educational Leadership leads to dual certification as School Building and School District Leader. The second leads to certification as School District Business Leader. Educators who apply for admission to these programs want the best and realize that the quality of their leadership preparation actually makes a substantial difference in their ability to be successful as they enter administrative careers. With faculty support, graduates get jobs and feel that rigorous course work has been meaningful and prepared them well for new leadership positions. An important point: Committed to excellence, we offer scholarships to exceptionally qualified candidates with a strong commitment to student learning.
• Ed.D. in Educational and Policy Leadership
  Arthur Levine, former President of Columbia University, decried the declining quality of doctoral studies nationwide. In contrast, the Hofstra program stands out in the national landscape. Like our other leadership programs, the curriculum is rigorous but at the same time, it is enjoyable, mind-stretching, and worthwhile. Our students explore issues relevant to school and district leaders and, through their work, they develop new insight and new strategies that will ultimately enhance student learning. "Hard work, but worth it," they say. "One of the best learning experiences in my life." Making the work easier is a collegial environment where students enjoy support, encouragement, and guidance from faculty and peers. Our graduates hold school and district leadership positions throughout the region; and, as a recent study indicated, more superintendents on Long Island had completed their doctoral work at Hofstra than at any other institution in the metropolitan region.

If you want the best, please call us for more detailed information. You won't be sorry!