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Graduate & Professional | In-Person, Hybrid

Master of Education, Teacher Leadership

Stay in the classroom while expanding your portfolio of leadership.

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College of Education

Hallie Caddy
Admissions Coordinator
615.460.5505
Email Hallie

Why Get a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Teacher Leadership? 

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Teacher Leadership is a non-licensing track that prepares professionals working in the field of Education for enhanced leadership opportunities. Responsibilities such as instructional coaches, mentors, team leaders and other roles are increasingly offered to outstanding classroom teachers who want to take on more leadership experience.

Belmont's program is applicable to those who are seeking opportunities in leadership, policy or advocacy. An emphasis on organizational and instructional leadership prepares candidates to be collaborative leaders who enable others to flourish.

Teacher Friendly
Classes in the M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership are taught on weekends, evenings and/or during the summer and as online-hybrid courses. This allows the working practitioner to attend classes and complete the program within 18 months. All individual course assignments are directly related to the work of the teacher in the role they serve.

Emphasis on Engaged Leadership
Belmont’s M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership is an innovative approach to organizational change, strengthening the voice and impact of teacher leaders and giving them opportunities to collaborate with other entrepreneurial leaders in the field. Our candidates look at change mindsets as mechanisms of advancing public good while probing what has limited positive change in the past.

Emphasis on Advocacy
Belmont’s M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership starts with the premise that effective leaders must first be culturally responsive to the organizations and communities in which they serve. Equally important is the need to be advocates for students, families and the profession of education. Therefore, every candidate in our program will be challenged to look at educational policy and structures from the lens of an advocate looking to create opportunities for others to flourish while simultaneously using data and informed professional experience to shape policy and curriculum change.

Career Possibilities

  • Instructional Coach
  • Mentor
  • Team Leader
  • Add-on licensure

"Belmont's College of Education was exceptionally inclusive and flexible with my unique student-athlete schedule! Through in-person classes and independent studies with Dr. Lunsford, Dr. Nelms and Dr. Insana, I was able to maximize my learning experience and many form connections along the way!"

Jackie Verseman, MEd Teacher Leadership, '23

Program Details

Leadership Core

  • Leadership in Organizations
  • Cultural Responsiveness and Diversity in Organizations
  • Assessment and Data for School Improvement

Emphasis Courses

  • Educational Policy and Advocacy
  • Collaboration and Engagement for Families and Communities
  • Leading Professional Learning Communities in Educational Organizations
  • Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
  • Portfolio Leadership: Branding, Communication and Impact
  • Organizational Culture Change and Human Flourishing
  • Applied Learning in Leadership

English as a Second Language (ESL) Add-on Endorsement

Are you interested in finding out more about how to support the English learners in your school or district? An ESL endorsement makes you even more marketable.

  • ESL endorsement coursework is 12 credit hours and can be completed in a year.
  • Candidates must also pass the ESL Praxis to apply for an ESL endorsement.
  • Interested in finding out more about the ESL endorsement? Click here to view the catalog or contact Dr. Amanda Nelms.

View program requirements here.

Application Deadlines

Fall: August 1
Spring:
November 15

Admissions Checklist

    • Application Form: Apply Online from the BU4U application portal.
    • Application Fee: A $50 non-refundable application fee is required.
    • Official Transcripts: Request official transcripts from previous colleges. You may request official hard copies to be mailed, or they may be sent using a secure third-party electronic service, if your institution participates (i.e. parchment, student clearing house, etc.). Please allow 4-6 weeks for all official transcripts to be received and processed. Official copies should be mailed to: Belmont University, Office of Admissions, 1900 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37212. Electronic copies should be sent to belmontadmissions@belmont.edu.
    • Recommendations: Contact two individuals for professional recommendations. These are completed after the application fee has been submitted and are listed under the Supplemental Items section. Recommendations are done entirely through the BU4U portal through email.
    • Resume: A professional resume is required and is uploaded through your BU4U portal as a supplemental item.
    • Interview: You may be contacted for an interview with a faculty member from the College of Education.

International Students

This program does not meet Visa requirements for International students.

Application Status

Applicants are admitted on a rolling admissions pattern and will be notified of the admissions committee's decision shortly after the admissions requirements are completed. To check on the status of your application, check your BU4U account.

  • Tuition Information: Determine the total cost per semester on our Graduate Tuition & Aid website
  • After being offered admission to Belmont, you may secure your enrollment with a nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $150. This deposit will be applied to first-semester charges.

Application Status

Applicants are admitted on a rolling admissions pattern and will be notified of the admissions committee's decision shortly after the admissions requirements are completed. To check on the status of your application, check your BU4U portal.

Tuition & Financial Aid Information

You can determine the cost per semester for courses in the Master of Arts in Teaching program by visiting the Graduate Tuition & Aid website.

After being offered admission to Belmont, you may secure your enrollment with a nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $150. This deposit will be applied to first semester charges.

Questions?

Contact Hallie Caddy, Admissions Coordinator for the College of Education, if you have questions or need assistance.

Belmont Teacher Education candidates have many opportunities to practice their advocacy, leadership and teaching skills through participation in Belmont’s service-learning and volunteer opportunities as well as education department-specific opportunities.

Candidates should explore coaching, teaching and tutoring opportunities, as well as create their own opportunities as they engage in service in their new home community of Nashville.

Our community partners include area charter, independent and public schools, as well as nonprofit and for-profit community agencies serving Nashville’s families. Belmont University requires all students to be engaged in community and service-learning opportunities but it is not uncommon for teacher education candidates to go beyond the required hours and in a number of opportunities take leadership roles.

Below are some of the opportunities in which our candidates engage:

Belmont’s Service-Learning and Volunteer Opportunities
Through Get Connected, Belmont’s online volunteer service directory, our candidates can connect with more than 70 area organizations where they can connect and serve. Our teacher candidates take seriously the opportunity to serve the greater Nashville community and volunteer in programs such as English Language Tutors with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, athletic coaches with area middle schools, tutoring programs with the YMCA, Martha O’Bryan Center and area faith-based programs.

Best Buddies©
BESTBUDDIES® builds one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), through school and community friendship programs that provide socialization opportunities to help erase the invisible line that often separates students or adults with and without IDD. Best Buddies at Belmont is an active student organization where Belmont students and community members with IDD become friends and hang out together with a focus on reducing barriers and building inclusive communities focused on strengths and relationships.

Homework Hotline
Homework Hotline is the largest provider of tutoring in Tennessee, the only service available by phone, and the only program that provides tutoring in six languages. Belmont University candidates serve as a volunteer satellite of Homework Hotline, housed on the Belmont campus. In this way, Belmont University students practice teaching techniques while providing one-on-one tutoring to at-risk children.

Kappa Delta Pi National Education Society
Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), International Honor Society in Education, fosters excellence in education and promotes fellowship among those dedicated to teaching. Belmont’s Nu Phi Chapter is additionally, concerned with assisting the community and has been involved with food drives, raising funds for local literacy programs, as well as helping with Homework Hotline.

Student Teacher Education Association
Through its affiliation with the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) and the National Education Association (NEA), our student program leads tomorrow's teachers to a bright professional future. STEA exists to help our members move smoothly from students on campus to beginning teachers. This is achieved through a variety of avenues including organization meetings with speakers who highlight opportunities at Belmont and beyond to broaden understanding of what it means to be an educator, discussion of issues and trends in education, conference attendance for members to network and develop professionally and a focus on service to communities and families.

STEA is proud to work with Belmont University for Annual Family Literacy Day each spring by forming a reading circle where we read aloud books around a theme with children from the community. We also collect canned goods for local food banks as well as school supplies for teachers and children in Nashville Public Schools. Each spring we also host a campus-wide Valentine’s Day card-making event for the children and families of the Ronald McDonald House and residents of local nursing homes.

Belmont University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. Questions about the accreditation of Belmont University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

Belmont’s Teacher Education Program is approved by the Tennessee Department of Education and accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) legacy site visit of 2021.

Click here for full accreditation, licensure and annual reporting information

Request Information

Contact Us

College of Education

Hallie Caddy
Admissions Coordinator
615.460.5505
Email Hallie