Cal Poly College of Education to Offer 'Fast Track' Master's Degree, Administrative Credential In Educational Leadership

Beginning fall 2005, Cal Poly's College of Education will offer a "fast-track" master's degree in educational leadership and administration (ELAP) and a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential as a low-residency, 11-month program that can be completed on weekends and in the summer.

The program, which targets adult students across the state, combines on-campus seminars and online coursework.

According to a study by College of Education faculty members Jim Gentilucci and George Petersen, California's population is "graying," particularly in coastal counties like San Luis Obispo. As a result, declining enrollment is becoming a serious problem in almost all school districts in San Luis Obispo County. At the same time, K-12 enrollment is increasing in southern Monterey County, the Central Valley, and northern Santa Barbara County.

To meet the needs of highly qualified school leaders in these growing school districts, Petersen and Gentilucci developed an instructional model that replaces the College of Education's traditional weeknight course offerings.

The fast-track program will enable students from outside the San Luis Obispo area to earn a Master of Arts degree in educational leadership and the Administrative Services Credential from Cal Poly by attending 15 weekend seminars (Friday evenings and Saturdays) and one intensive summer session on campus in an 11-month period from August through June. Program coursework will be conducted online between the weekend seminars.

"The curriculum for the fast-track program will be organized and integrated around significant themes of leadership and administration, with field experience based on each quarter's course content and student expertise," Gentilucci said. "Instructors will include Cal Poly's nationally recognized faculty as well as outstanding practitioners, including area superintendents and principals."

For more information, contact Jim Gentilucci at (805) 756-5373 or email jgentilu@calpoly.edu.