What you’ll learn in this article…
- Matching course titles don't guarantee a DESE administrator license pathway.
- Fitchburg State runs separate general and School Principal M.Ed. tracks.
- Harvard, BU, and BC median earnings run 2.6 to 3.2 times debt.
Massachusetts treats a principal license and a leadership master's as two separate credentials, and the programs here are not interchangeable. A DESE-aligned track, such as the school principal option at Fitchburg State, builds toward administrator licensure, which also requires qualifying school experience. A career-advancement M.Ed. can carry a similar title and still stop at the degree.
Cost, format, and the license you need should settle the choice before reputation does. Every ranked entry lists tuition, format, and license pathway, so the shortlist rests on facts.
A higher price rarely buys a license the cheaper program would not also deliver.
Massachusetts Educational Leadership Master's Programs Ranked: Our Top 10
Massachusetts has no single template for a leadership master's. Some programs are built around the principal license, others deliberately sidestep it, and several now run online with rolling starts. The ten below show how differently the state's colleges answer the same question: how does a working educator fit graduate study around a classroom schedule and a licensure goal?
- Graduation and program completion rates
- Licensure alignment with state requirements
- Practicum hours and field placements
- Online and hybrid scheduling flexibility
- Graduate tuition adjusted for local costs
- Program-level records maintained in house
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering graduate tuition — nces.ed.gov
- Federal College Scorecard outcomes data — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- State cost-of-living adjustment from BEA Regional Price Parities — bea.gov
- Independent editorial research
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Fitchburg State University | Fitchburg, MA | ~$6,000/yr (est.) | Teachers unsure whether they want licensure | |
Fitchburg State runs two parallel leadership degrees: a 30-credit online management master's for teachers who want leadership skills without a license, and a 42-credit principal track that does prepare candidates for Massachusetts licensure. The university also partners with ACCEPT's Educator Leadership Institute, so principal candidates can fold the master's into a state-approved cohort that starts each January. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 55%. Rolling admissions
Rolling admissions
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| #2 | Worcester State University | Worcester, MA | ~$7,000/yr (est.) | Working educators wanting a one-year online master's | |
Worcester State offers two clearly different routes. The online Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration is a 12-month, 33-credit program with 7-week terms and six start dates a year. The campus Master of Education in School Leadership and Administration is the licensure route, with a practicum in PreK-8 or grades 5-12 and a teaching license required for admission. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 61%.
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| #3 | Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, MA | ~$9,000/yr (est.) | Cost-conscious educators pursuing principal licensure | |
Bridgewater State's Master of Education in Educational Leadership is a DESE-approved route to administrator licensure: 33 credits, a 6-credit practicum, and a School Business Administrator concentration for candidates eyeing principal, supervisor, or director roles. Admission requires the MTEL Communication and Literacy test plus three years of professional experience, and the program closes with an electronic portfolio and comprehensive exam. The university also advertises an affordability program that can cover tuition and mandatory fees for families earning $125,000 or less. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 53%.
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| #4 | Gordon College | Wenham, MA | ~$9,000/yr (est.) | ||
Gordon College is the small private option on this list, and its Public School Administration concentration is aimed at licensed teachers and administrators moving into principal, director, special education administrator, or superintendent roles. The college runs the same program on campus and fully online, with M.Ed., Ed.S., and licensure-only paths, so a candidate can stack a degree onto an existing credential or stop at the license. Faculty are practicing administrators. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 69%. Fully online option
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| #5 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | Amherst, MA | $15,000 – $20,000/yr (est.) | ||
UMass Amherst houses educational leadership in its Department of Educational Policy, Research and Administration, alongside a Ph.D. in the same field and a graduate certificate, so a master's can be a stepping stone rather than a terminal stop. As a public research university, it also carries lower in-state graduate pricing than the private campuses here for Massachusetts residents. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 83%.
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| #6 | Endicott College | Beverly, MA | $15,000 – $20,000/yr (est.) | ||
Endicott College's Master of Education in Administrative Leadership runs as a cohort, mostly online, and prepares candidates for principal or assistant principal licensure or for special education administrator licensure. The program spans 36 to 39 credits depending on track and bundles the state leadership assessment workshops at no extra cost, with faculty drawn from sitting school and district leaders. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 76%.
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| #7 | University of Massachusetts-Boston | Boston, MA | ~$20,000/yr (est.) | ||
UMass Boston's MEd in Educational Leadership for Social Justice is built around equity work: 36 credits, a 500-hour practicum, and a portfolio capstone, all framed by anti-racist and culturally responsive leadership. Graduates satisfy Massachusetts requirements for principal, supervisor or director, and special education administrator licenses and add the SEI endorsement for administrators. The Boston campus puts students close to the urban districts where that lens matters most. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 49%.
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| #8 | Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | ~$38,000/yr (est.) | ||
Boston College offers a 30-credit Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy with a strong policy and equity orientation, available online or hybrid with fall, spring, and summer entry. Applicants should note one important 2026 change: the school principal licensure track is described as paused indefinitely, and only non-licensure study is currently enrolling. Tracks include social justice leadership, educational policy development, and a Catholic leadership cohort. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 91%.
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| #9 | Boston University | Boston, MA | $65,000 – $70,000/yr (est.) | ||
Boston University's EdM in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies is the broadest degree here, covering PreK-12 schools, higher education, and community organizations in one structure. The PreK-12 licensure track is built to make graduates eligible for a Massachusetts DESE administrator license, while the nonlicensure track requires only two core courses and lets students build the rest from electives. Online and on-campus formats and a dual degree with social work add flexibility. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 89%.
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| #10 | Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | $55,000 – $60,000/yr (est.) | ||
Harvard's online Master's in Education Leadership is a part-time, two-year program for mid-career educators, with PreK-12 and higher education pathways and coursework designed to be applied in a current job. It is the least traditional option on the list: career-embedded rather than practicum-driven, and fully online with a cohort of peers from varied education settings. Its institution-wide graduation rate is 98%.
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How We Scored Massachusetts Leadership Programs
Four signals drive the scores, and each answers a different question about cost, completion, and fit.
- Graduate tuition: What a school charges for graduate study, which separates lower-cost options from premium ones.
- Institution-wide context: Graduation rate, net price, and 10-year earnings describe the whole university, not the leadership program. Read them as background on the school, not as results you should expect from this degree.
- Program-level earnings and debt: Included where the federal data reports them for the program itself, and weighed more heavily than the institution-wide figures when present.
- Format availability: Whether a program runs on campus, online, or in a hybrid schedule, since working teachers often need evening or flexible options.
Licensure Is Checked Separately
Licensure details do not come from these numbers. We verify them against each program's own page, so confirm the current principal license track directly with the school before you apply.
Principal License or Not? What DESE Actually Requires
A licensure-track master's and a non-licensure M.Ed. can carry identical course titles and lead to very different credentials. One is built around the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requirements for an administrator license; the other is not.
Licensure track vs. non-licensure
A licensure-track program includes supervised field experience in the role you are seeking, mentored by a trained Professional-license holder, and prepares you for the state's Performance Assessment for Initial License. If you want to become a principal, this is the version you need. A non-licensure M.Ed. in educational leadership suits teachers who want deeper grounding in curriculum, policy, or school improvement for roles such as instructional coach, department head, or private school leader. It does not, by itself, qualify you for a Massachusetts administrator license.
What DESE requires across the five licenses
DESE issues five administrator licenses, and the field hours differ by role: - Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent: 500 hours - Principal/Assistant Principal: 500 hours - Supervisor/Director: 300 hours - Special Education Administrator: 500 hours - School Business Administrator: 300 hours
Every Initial license other than Temporary requires passing the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills Test (vocational-technical applicants take the PreK-12 version), completing one of three routes (an approved preparation program, an administrative apprenticeship or internship, or panel review), and passing the Performance Assessment for Initial License. The apprenticeship and panel review routes call for documented prior employment, typically including three years in the role sought. Field hours must be completed in Massachusetts settings: a public school, an approved private special education school, an EEC-approved preschool, an educational collaborative, or another school requiring state educator licensure.
Initial to Professional
The Professional license builds on the Initial one. Candidates for Principal/Assistant Principal and Special Education Administrator can generally meet the requirement with three full years under a valid administrator license or a 300-hour role-specific practicum.
The rule of thumb
If a principal job is the goal, confirm before you apply that the program is DESE-approved for the Principal/Assistant Principal license, not simply labeled "educational leadership."
Which License Each Program Prepares You For
Some of these programs lead to a Massachusetts administrator license; others only award the degree. The rows below mark each license area as Yes, No, or Not confirmed, in this order: Principal/Assistant Principal, Supervisor/Director, Superintendent, Special Education Administrator, School Business Administrator.
Programs With Confirmed License Pathways
- Boston University: Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Not confirmed. The program page lists 32 to 36 credits, though another catalog lists 36 to 40 depending on the license. Typical length: Not confirmed (full- or part-time study).
- Bridgewater State University: Yes, Yes, Not confirmed, Not confirmed, Not confirmed. Its licensure options also include post-baccalaureate, post-master's, and EdS routes, so check which credential carries the license. Credits: Not confirmed. Typical length: Not confirmed (courses run in 7 to 8 week quarters, 15-week semesters, and summer intensives).
Programs Where Licenses Are Not Yet Confirmed
- Fitchburg State University: Yes for Principal/Assistant Principal; Not confirmed in the other four areas. Credits: 42. Typical length: 24 months.
- Worcester State University: Not confirmed in all five areas; its online M.Ed. is a non-licensure track. Credits: 33. Typical length: 12 months.
- Gordon College: Not confirmed in all five areas. Credits and length: Not confirmed.
- UMass Amherst: Not confirmed in all five areas. Credits and length: Not confirmed.
- Endicott College: Not confirmed in all five areas. Credits and length: Not confirmed.
- UMass Boston: Not confirmed in all five areas. Credits and length: Not confirmed.
- Boston College: Not confirmed in all five areas. Credits: 30. Typical length: 24 months, with an 18-month accelerated option.
- Harvard University: Not confirmed in all five areas. Credits and length: Not confirmed.
How to Read the Rows
A license listed for a school is a pathway, not a promise that every master's track carries it. Superintendent and special education administrator licenses in particular often attach to a separate credential. Ask each admissions office which exact program earns the DESE license you want, how many practicum hours it requires (500 for Principal and Special Education Administrator, 300 for Supervisor/Director and School Business), and whether a non-licensure track exists.
Schools in Massachusetts
Explore other Massachusetts related topics
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How Do Graduates' Earnings Compare With What They Borrowed?
Harvard, Boston University and Boston College each report program-level median earnings five years after finishing alongside median debt at completion, and earnings at all of them run roughly 2.6 to 3.2 times that debt. Other schools post strong early earnings: Endicott College graduates report $92,863 and Bridgewater State graduates $80,124 one year after finishing, while Fitchburg State graduates report $89,717 four years out. These schools do not report a program-level median debt figure, so they are left off the chart rather than paired with campus-wide numbers.
What Massachusetts School Leaders Typically Earn
This is occupational pay for working school leaders, separate from the graduate earnings figures above.
Admission Requirements and Practicum Prerequisites at a Glance
Entry rules split along one main line: whether you want a Massachusetts administrative license or a leadership degree without one. Use this checklist to sort the programs below before you request transcripts.
- Teaching licenseWorcester State's licensure track requires an initial or professional teaching license in a non-administration field. Fitchburg State's online Educational Leadership and Management M.Ed. does not require a teaching license.
- Years of experienceWorcester State asks for at least two years of teaching to enroll, but the administrative license itself requires three. Applicants who are not teaching may qualify with three full years of executive or leadership employment, with coordinator approval and documentation. Its online non-licensure track asks for two years of instructional or related preK-12 work.
- GREBoston College does not require the GRE, though applicants may submit scores. Confirm testing policy directly with other schools.
- DeadlinesBoston University lists December 15, 2026, January 15, 2027, and August 1, 2027. Boston College lists September 24 (preferred), October 29 (priority) and December 3 (final rolling) for spring entry.
- Licensure availabilityBoston College has paused its principal licensure pathway and is not accepting 2027 applications for it. Its other concentrations remain open.
- Practicum accessLicensure tracks center on field experience. Confirm before applying that you can complete placements in a PK-12 school.
The cheapest program is only a bargain if it leads to the license you actually need. Decide first whether your goal is a Massachusetts principal license or a non-licensure leadership role, then compare price.
Educational Leadership Master's in Massachusetts: Reader Questions
These answers draw on program pages from the schools ranked here. Requirements and formats change by track, so confirm details with each admissions office before you apply.
Which educational leadership master's in Massachusetts is the strongest overall choice?
No single program is best for everyone. For principal licensure, American International College stands out because its School Leadership program builds in MA-PAL preparation and a final practicum. If you want a flexible online degree without initial licensure, Worcester State and Boston College are worth comparing. Match the program to your license goal and budget.
Is it possible to complete an educational leadership master's fully online while living in Massachusetts?
Yes. Worcester State, Fitchburg State (100% online principal licensure track), and Boston College (fully online or hybrid) all offer online formats. Licensure tracks may still require field experiences or a practicum in a school, so ask each program how those components are completed before you enroll.
Do I need a teaching license before applying to an educational leadership master's?
Not always. Worcester State's online M.Ed. is a non-licensure degree, and its description does not state that a teaching license is required.2 Licensure tracks differ: American International College requires an Initial License plus at least three years of teaching or district leadership experience, or comparable experience in an educational setting.1
How many credits and how many months should I plan for?
Plan for roughly 30 to 45 credits. Boston College lists 30, Worcester State 33, Stonehill 30 to 39, Fitchburg State 42, and American International College 38 to 45. Timelines run from as few as 12 months at Worcester State to about two years at Boston College, Fitchburg State, and AIC, depending on course load.
