Master of Science in Education

Instructional Leadership:  This is an online program. This emphasis prepares leaders for roles as school principals and superintendents. Courses meeting the requirements for the NAD Principal Endorsement are also offered online.

Literacy Education:  This is an online program. This emphasis prepares teachers to engage and empower students to be strong communicators and critical thinkers.

Outdoor Education: More information about Outdoor Education »
Offered during Summer Field Schools, teachers, youth leaders, camp directors and others learn how to meet a variety of educational and emotional needs through God's book of nature.

Eligibility and prerequisites

• Bachelor's degree:  A bachelor’s degree (in any area) from an accredited program
• GPA requirement:  A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.00
• Certification:  Current NAD Basic certification or state initial certification, or proof of past NAD Basic or state initial certification.
• Instructional Leadership emphasis:  Applicants must have two years of teaching experience.

Admission process

1. Graduate application:  Submit a graduate application (with non-refundable fee of $40). Apply now
2. Transcripts:  Submit official college and university transcripts. Many institutions subscribe to the convenient transcript-request service at National Student Clearinghouse, or you may also contact your institution directly. Have transcripts sent to the Graduate and Professional Studies office (gradtranscripts@southern.edu). If you earned your prerequisite degree at Southern, you do not need to complete this step.
3. Recommendations: Submit two recommendation forms (completed by work supervisors or professors). This should be done as part of the online application process.
4. Statement:  Submit a statement of purpose. View guidelines 
5. Resumé:  Submit your current resumé through your Application Status Page.
6. Background check:  Successfully complete an approved background check. (Alternatively, verification may be submitted by your current employer.) Download form
7. Criminal-Record Release and Declaration:  Submit the Criminal-Record Release and Declaration. Your signature on this form gives the School of Education and Psychology permission to retain your criminal-history record and affirms that you are not a registered sex-offender.  Download form

Application deadlines

Term	U.S. Residents	International
Fall	July 1	May 1 (Instructional Leadership emphasis only)
Winter	October 1	September 1 (Instructional Leadership emphasis only)
Summer	April 1	Not applicable

Adventist Teacher Certification

Get information and register for online teacher-certification classes »

Housing

Dormitory housing is available at a rate of $18 per night.  Payment must be made upon arrival, and any arrangements for reimbursement must be made directly with your Conference Education Office. Reservations are required and may be made by contacting Mrs. Lisa Patterson at 423.236.2990. Married student housing also available upon request.

International students

Applicants who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States are considered international students and must meet additional requirements for admission.

• View international-student admission requirements »

  1. All non-U.S. transcripts must be submitted through one of the following approved credential evaluation agencies:
     • SpanTran: use this link to send to Southern
     • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc (ECE): www.ece.org
     • World Education Services: www.wes.org
     Evaluations are to be sent directly to Southern, Graduate Studies, by the service. All evaluation reports are considered to be advisory. Southern reserves the right to make final equivalency decisions.
  2. Certification of English proficiency.
     See School specific requirements in the Graduate Catalog. Scores are valid for two years from the test date. Learn more at:
     • ets.org/toefl »
     • englishtest.duolingo.com/en »
  3. Submit Declaration of Finances.
     International students must have financial resources sufficient to support themselves for the calendar year, in addition to an international-student deposit of $3,000 (USD). Download Form

  • • To be issued an I-20 Form, students must also provide a letter from financial sponsors (including their name and address), as well as copies of bank statements for the last three months showing the balance history for the student's account or the financial sponsor's account.

International students who will be coming to Southern's campus need some additional information about travel documents and living on campus.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the International Student Services Coordinator at 423.236.2845 or internationals@southern.edu.

More Information

Note for international applicants

Since the Literacy Education and Instructional Leadership emphases are offered online, the part-time schedule does not meet student-visa requirements for international students. Courses are offered year-round with 3-6 credit hours available each term.

Faculty