Empowering educators and leaders to make a difference inside and outside the classroom.

Focused primarily on K–12 populations, the Teaching, Learning, and Leadership master's program is designed for individuals who wish to work in educational and leadership capacities both in and outside of formal classroom settings. You will choose one of two areas of specialization: Teaching & Learning or Educational Leadership.

Program Details

  • Fall Entry Term

  • Full or Part-Time Enrollment Format

  • 1 or 2 Years Full or Part-Time Duration

  • On Campus Modality

*Program length is flexible. Students can work with program leadership to determine an alternative plan of study.

Overview

The Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, M.S.Ed. program offers a broad and flexible foundation for understanding how people learn, how education systems function, and how thoughtful leadership can create positive change.

Students examine teaching and learning as deeply cultural and context-dependent processes. Courses explore how educational policies are formed, how curriculum is designed and implemented, and how learning takes place not only in schools but also through families, communities, media, and technology.

This program is highly student-driven, and you will work closely with your academic advisor to tailor your particular program of study to your interests.

Take the Next Step

Application Requirements and Deadlines     Tuition and Fees     Financial Aid

Hear From Our Alumni

“Through a mix of thought-provoking coursework and collaborative learning, I was able to explore real challenges and design practical, equity-driven solutions alongside peers who were deeply committed to making a difference.”

Rina Madhani, M.S.Ed., GED'19 | Co-founder & Executive Director of Start Lighthouse

Hear From Our Alumni

Rina Madhani, M.S.Ed., GED'19 | Co-founder & Executive Director of Start Lighthouse

Admissions Events

View More Events

Curriculum

The master's degree in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership requires completion of 10 course units (7 required, 3 electives) of approved graduate-level work, and a final Master's Capstone Project. For more information on courses and requirements, visit the Teaching, Learning, and Leadership M.S.Ed. program in the University Catalog.

Do you have questions about the plan of study?

We're happy to help! Contact the Program Coordinator, Kate Moran, moranka@upenn.edu.  

Outcomes

The Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, M.S.Ed., program prepares graduates for a variety of careers. Recent graduates from our program have found employment in after-school programs, museum settings, and educational nonprofits.

Alumni Outcomes

  • Associate Director of Online Learning, University of Pennsylvania
  • Co-founder, Zuable.com
  • Curriculum Manager, Moving Traditions
  • Director of Admissions, Commonwealth School
  • International Student Advisor, Green River College
  • History Teacher,  Greenhill School
  • Teaching Artist, Artwell  
  • Teacher, Radnor Middle School
  • STEM Education Consultant

Apply Now

A graduate degree from Penn GSE opens up whole new worlds, intellectually as well as professionally. If you are a passionate, innovative, impactful leader—or aspire to be one—Penn GSE is the place for you.

Application Requirements and Deadlines

Program Faculty

Our faculty are valued members of the Penn GSE community and are leaders in their fields and disciplines across higher education and in the private sector. In addition to teaching students, many of our faculty also contribute to curricular development, research, and serve as student advisors.

Contact Us

Do you have questions about the application, financial aid, or requirements? We're happy to help!

Office of Admissions and Financial Aid

Penn GSE

215-898-6415

admissions@gse.upenn.edu

Apply Now
Request Info

Related News

Michael Golden talks with the Philadelphia Inquirer about the impact of Penn GSE's PASS Program

Michael Golden says that by equipping educators with the tools, knowledge, and ethical frameworks they need, the PASS program is helping to shape a future where AI enhances learning and promotes equity in every classroom.

Penn GSE’s PASS Program Receives $1 Million from Google to Expand AI Education in Schools

With this new funding, the Pioneering AI in School Systems (PASS) program will expand to five school districts or regions across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware in December and will be offered free of charge to participating districts.

Incorporating arts-based inquiry into literacy classrooms

Lecturer in Literacy Studies Jessica Whitelaw, a literacy coach and former middle school teacher, shares how to combine art with texts to maximize critical inquiry and the imagination.

Peter Eckel and Kandi Wiens discuss burnout in higher education

Peter Eckel and Kandi Wein discuss their views on why university leaders are burning out and how to reverse it in a joint op-ed

Michael Gottfried emphasizes the importance of bilingual teachers to the success of English learners to Education Weekly

Michael Gottfried says that students have more academic success when they have a teacher who matches their racial/ethnic/linguistic background

Community-Centered

Seeking the best way to conduct research that would support Latinx students, Professor Nelson Flores has made a career of studying bilingual education.

Penn GSE Study Finds Students Benefit Most When Teachers Share Both Their Background and Language Skills

A new study coauthored by Penn GSE’s Michael A. Gottfried is the first to show that teachers’ ability to teach in students’ home language, combined with a shared racial or ethnic background, drives greater academic gains.

Homeroom: J.F. Trey Smith, GED'09

The alum and digital literacy specialist at Philly's Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy gives us a tour of the multidisciplinary makerspace where he works, using its technology and tools to involve students in hands-on learning.

How to harness AI in language education

Professor of Practice Anne Pomerantz, an applied linguist, teacher educator, and longtime language teacher, provides advice on how best to employ AI in teaching languages—and when human instruction works best.