Executive Masters in Educational Management

The Executive Masters in Educational Management (EMEM) Programme provides the human, technical administrative and organizational skills and values necessary for versatile leadership in various organizations. The curriculum exposures participants to the foundation and advanced courses in management, leadership and education. The Programme meets the needs of (incumbent) school administrators such as principals, vice principals, senior personnel in schools, colleges and universities and classroom teachers with aspirations in management. The Programme also meets the needs of leadership personnel in government and corporate agencies. Participants become leaders who can think independently, inspire teams, contribute to human knowledge and adapt to the world’s ever-changing landscape.

This Graduate Programme is also comprised of a practicum component, referred to as the Capstone-Leadership Project. The rationale for including a Leadership Project in the degree was out of a  recommendation from the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ), in a bid for leaders and managers to hone their skills and apply relevant theory into practice.  With the emergent complexities facing learning institutions and shifting cultural dynamics, the Executive Master in Educational Management aims to provide an avenue for senior administrators to be suitably equipped with the leadership, managerial and communicative competencies to lead the transformation of the educational sector in alignment with new global imperatives. This general goal is brought out in the Capstone-Leadership Project which offers students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with tasks typical for their field of interest during the course of their studies. Additionally, the Leadership Project helps students to get a better idea of their future employment opportunities and establish meaningful connections in the working world. 

A Leadership Project in an organization is a good way for aspiring leaders in education to get to know their field of interest and learn to work in an organization’s culture while enhancing their proficiency.  Furthermore, the theory learned in the programme builds the capacity to put theory into practice which makes content more applicable. 

The Leadership Project is a 45-hour course in which successful students earn 3 credits following its completion. This is the maximum credit score that is achieved by any student completing the Capstone-Leadership Project. These credits will directly be counted towards the student’s Master’s degree. In terms of the requirements and breakdown of the Capstone Leadership Project (CLP), the 3 Credits are allotted accordingly:

• 1 credit is awarded to students who have spent 45 Hours on their Written Report, while,
• 2 credits are awarded to students who have spent at minimum 90 Hours of Fieldwork Experience and Implementation (Uninterrupted). 

This means that there are 135 hours in total allotted for the completion of this critical aspect of the EMEM Programme, with the written component taking place in Semester 2 of the Academic Year. The Assessment/Evaluation of the Project is based on Fieldwork- valued at 50% and a Written Report valued at the same percentage. 

It is important to note that the Graduate School of Education must approve the Leadership Project. This is done through a committee, which includes the Dean and the Programme Coordinator. A  supervisor must be assigned to the student. The responsibility of the Supervisor is to visit the student during the Leadership Project including observation, meeting with the student’s supervisor, and completion of an Evaluation form at the end of the Leadership  Project. The student is responsible for documenting their duties while on the Leadership  Project along with producing a Reflective Observation and Leadership Project Report.  

The purpose of the reflective observation is for the intern to reflect on what they learned in the organization and how that enables them to achieve a higher level of self-efficacy (Kolb, 1984). This reflection allows the intern to recognize his/her personal weakness and then address these downfalls so that they can focus on positive personal development. The  Reflective Observation and Leadership Project Report will be guided by a rubric and include information reflecting activities over 135 hours. The Leadership Project is ultimately evaluated on the basis of the Leadership Project Report and  Leadership Project Field Component.