Career Advantage
Mission and Highlights
- The mission of Soka University of America’s Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Societal Change program is to provide graduate-level students with the broad interdisciplinary knowledge, research skills, and practical experience for cutting-edge leadership in the all-inclusive world of education, locally, nationally, and internationally.
- Program Highlights
- Analyze past and present models of US and international administrative leadership for their effectiveness in promoting equality of educational opportunity and greater workplace democracy;
- Gain foundational knowledge of the philosophical, and theoretical pedagogies of education;
- Learn to utilize networks and partnerships for broad-based, popular initiatives and reforms;
- Learn to promote meaningful collaboration among and between education and community leaders; and
- Develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to create and maintain learning environments that value diversity, continual knowledge acquisition, instructional leadership, innovative and ethical decision-making, and the successful achievement for all students.
Curriculum, Research, and Pedagogy
- Curriculum Overview - The Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Societal Change will prepare you to:
- Critically reflect on educational issues and develop strategies to create social change.
- Think strategically and use theoretical research to evaluate effectiveness and improve practice for all learners.
- Foster global citizenship to improve educational law and polices.
- Theory & Research Courses
- EDU 503 – History and Philosophy of Education and Leadership
- EDU 505 – Leadership: Theory and Practice
- EDU 502 – Qualitative Methods in Educational Settings
- EDU 508 – Quantitative and Mixed Methods in Educational Settings
- EDU 520 – MA Thesis
- Summer Research (non-credit bearing international and domestic research travel).
A Story of Engagement
Where is she now? A demonstration teacher at the UCLA Lab School.
I gained essential research skills that I gave me the opportunity to dive deep into theory while empowering me to use research as a tool for social change.
Student Profiles: Outcomes
![Aditi Lal - Class of 2019](/sites/default/files/styles/generic_block_sm/public/images/2021-11/Aditi%20Lal.jpeg?h=1d066890&itok=fkYScTim)
Aditi Lal | Class of 2019
My greatest accomplishment at SUA has been to rediscover myself and my passion for women’s and children’s rights and well-being. This is the reason I dedicated my thesis to the strong women of the world who stand up and speak out against injustice and abuse directed either towards them or another. I also dedicated it to the innocent children of the world who hope to make their dreams come true. I think the cohort-based model of this program supported me in going beyond my comfort zone in classrooms, exploring my strengths and weaknesses, and polishing my leadership skills. I believe that my cohort, the Great 8, has motivated me to become a self-reflective, self-aware and compassionate human being.
![Cierra Mantz – Class of 2019](/sites/default/files/styles/generic_block_sm/public/images/2021-11/Cierra%20Mantz.jpeg?h=3bed0729&itok=8t5VyJVi)
Cierra Mantz | Class of 2019
In March I moved to Minnesota and started working as an associate designer at Fielding Nair International, an architecture firm with the mission to transform education and improve learning through innovated school design.
![Prince Heto – Class of 2016](/sites/default/files/styles/generic_block_sm/public/images/2021-11/Prince%20Heto_0.png?h=212703ff&itok=ia1Nk9H9)
Prince Heto | Class of 2016
Through my experience at Soka, I have acquired a foundational knowledge and deeper appreciation of the power of education as a force for lasting and effective societal change. I am leaving Soka with the determination to help develop innovative and humane policies.
Vicki Mokuria | Class of 2016
After graduating, I attended Texas A&M and earned a doctorate degree in education. My goals include: using my education to teach future educators, based on principles of Soka Education, collaborating with other educators to imbue principles of Soka Education in schools, working with others to develop a “culture of peace towards global citizenship” curriculum that can be used with educators and parents; and polishing my own life and heart so I can be a warm and supportive educator, mother, grandmother, and friend!
![Bhavana Rani - Class of 2018](/sites/default/files/styles/generic_block_sm/public/images/2021-11/Bhavana%20Rani.jpeg?h=0bc8bfcd&itok=eJpxTY1O)
Bhavana Rani | Class of 2018
The education that I received at Soka held me in such good stead throughout a very comprehensive and competitive job selection process. Not only did the knowledge that I gained at Soka equip me with the necessary depth and expertise that was required for this role; the humanistic education and the relentless support that the faculty and staff lent me throughout the last one year, post-graduation, egged me to stay put and persevere and opened a significant opportunity to work as an educational leader in one of the biggest K-12 public school systems in the United States.