Welcome to Educational Policy and Leadership Studies

 The Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies (EPLS) comprises three graduate degree programs that prepare education leaders, teachers, professors, and researchers in the fields of Educational Leadership, Higher Education and Student Affairs, and Schools, Culture, and Society. The department houses twenty full-time faculty members.

EPLS programs enroll approximately 150 graduate students.  These students come from dozens of U.S. states as well as countries around the world.  EPLS faculty members are recognized nationally for their scholarly productivity. For example, both the Schools, Culture, and Society and Higher Education and Student Affairs programs were ranked among the top 10 nationally, in terms of faculty productivity, by Academic Analytics. The Higher Education and Student Affairs program was also ranked #9 nationally among all public universities by USNews.

EPLS faculty and graduate students regularly publish their work together in leading academic journals.   Our diverse community provides a uniquely supportive environment.

Enjoy your virtual visit and don't hesitate to contact us our program coordinators with your questions. Go Hawks!

Cheers,
Christopher C. Morphew, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair

Educational Leadership

The Educational Leadership program offers degrees and licensure for pre K-12 school leadership. Three graduate degrees are available: Master of Arts, Specialist, and Doctor of Philosophy in educational leadership. We also provide licensure for pre-K-12 principals, superintendents, and special education administrators. We welcome students from other disciplines who are interested in pursuing administrative licensure or would like to enroll in our courses as electives.

Higher Education and Student Affairs

The academic programs in Higher Education and Student Affairs encompass the extensive and complex set of phenomena as seen and represented in postsecondary and continuing education in the United States. Degrees in Higher Education and Student Affairs are offered at all levels (M.A. and Ph.D.), with emphasis on both research and practice. Preparation for either teaching or administration is available. The teaching, research, and service activities of the faculty and the work of graduate students in Higher Education and Student Affairs degree programs illustrate that education beyond high school continues in a variety of ways for people of all ages and in diverse contexts.

Schools, Culture, and Society

Schools, Culture, and Society is an interdisciplinary program designed to enable students to better understand the influence of social, historical, and philosophical forces on the formal educational enterprise. Major areas of specialization are comparative/international education, history of education, philosophy of education, and sociology of education. Both Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy programs are offered.

Spotlight

Get to Know...Megan Schwalm

Read the Iowa Now interview with Megan, a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies and a program coordinator at the Women’s Resource and Action Center.

Spotlight

International School Leadership Summit

More than 20 Indian educators visited the university and local community for the first International School Leadership Summit. The summit provided a professional development program in K-12 leadership and encouraged collaboration between India and Iowa.

In the News