The MBA for a new type of school leader.
The MBA for a new type of school leader.

Online MBA in Education Leadership

MSOE’s Rader School of Business MBA in Education Leadership (MBA EL) is the first program of its kind in the U.S., combining a rigorous MBA curriculum with unique courses tailored to school principals and aspiring school leaders. This program applies traditional business principles to advance education. This is the only MBA that gives you the ability to earn multiple Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction licenses.

The program serves the needs of public, private, charter and choice school emerging leaders and blends the best of leadership development, business and educational administration into one unique educational experience. Two key themes woven throughout the program are the elimination of the global student achievement gap through targeted school leadership, and the development of school cultures that cultivate positive character education.

Upon successful completion of this program, you will receive an MBA and be eligible to pursue Wisconsin State Principal Licensure.

Program Overview

  • Offered 100% online
  • Full-time track
  • 37 credits
  • Complete in 18 months with full-time study or 2 years with part-time study
  • Pathway to a Wisconsin principal licensure
  • Diverse cohorts—urban, suburban, rural, private, choice, charter, public
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MBA in Education Leadership Program Outcomes

The MSOE MBA EL is designed to develop competencies in a broad range of topics. Through this program, you will:

  • Lead educational change efforts to raise the achievement of all students, with a focus on eliminating and preventing the global achievement gap in PK–12 education
  • Demonstrate the ongoing integration of effective leadership traits and ethical principles into personal and professional personas
  • Build and sustain relationships among diverse constituents, stakeholders and policymakers that foster a culture conducive to high student achievement
  • Develop the next generation of educators who will continue to pursue global excellence in student achievement
  • Manage school environments to foster student achievement, realize staff development, and nurture the public trust while creating and sustaining an ecology that fosters positive character formation

What Our Students Are Saying

Hear directly from our students how MSOE’s MBA in Education Leadership is building leaders and transforming futures.

Video Transcript

Sapphire Canser:
I joined MSOE's MBA EL program because I was ready to grow as a leader. I needed the guidance from the course work, from the professors, the support for my cohorts. I knew that I had some of the skillset, but I also knew that I needed to acquire more of some of the intricate pieces that I wouldn't have known as a teacher.

The program has helped to provide me with perspective, and I am able to utilize the tools and the resources that I've learned in the course work that is provided, to carry out my day-to-day... Both my day-to-day work, but also helping to inform the superintendent of the strategic vision.

Even though I am a baby into this program, I can already tell that it's already setting me up for success. I'm learning things that I know I'm going to be applying when I'm in my leadership role.

I knew myself that I had leadership characteristics, but didn't know how to implement them. And in this program, I'm learning everything that I need to know in order to be the best leader possible.

What I would say to anybody who is going to join the MBA EL program here at MSOE is that your cohort, you are gonna develop such fantastic relationships. I often, to this day, one, am still connected with many of them. But two, think back to some of the wonderful friendships and collegial relationships that I was able to make.

Peter Reynolds:
The program makes me feel valued because there's this continuous ask for feedback. And it's not just feedback that gets listened to, it's feedback that then gets implemented into our courses or anything that's happening with our program.

My biggest take away from the MBA EL program is that there is power in collaboration. There was no part of anything that I did throughout the entire program that I couldn't have done without the cohort, without my coaches, without my site-supervisor. You're not alone in the program and you're with the cohort for a reason. And so, it's best to utilize those people around you as best as you possibly can.

I really believe that this program is the key for every school leader out there. Like, if you are looking for a program that will enhance your performance as a leader and increase student achieve more things at school, I know that this, well, is the program.

More than half of the MSOE MBA EL graduates take on leadership roles within the first year of graduation. (source 1)
More than 50 percent

Is the MBA in Education Leadership Right for You?

This program is recommended for:

  • K-12 administrators and business managers who wish to enhance their leadership skills through a specialist MBA
  • K–12 educators with a minimum of three years of successful, full-time classroom teaching experience, who are eager to advance their careers to become school principals
  • Teachers, school principals, associate principals and other school leaders who aspire to transform their skills as highly effective leaders

MBA in Education Leadership Full-time Track

The full-time curriculum track requires you to be employed full-time in an approved teaching or leadership role in a school, district, charter organization or other approved education-related entity throughout the two-year program.

Pathway to Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Licenses

The MBA in Education Leadership is a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction approved program for principal licensure (5051) that offers educators an alternative to traditional Master of Education Administration degree programs.

You may also add the Director of Instruction (5010) and School Business Administrator (5008) licenses by enrolling in additional course work.

Our program is based on a school partner model that involves existing school leadership and MSOE program faculty in the definition of field projects that will advance important school initiatives and provide you with an authentic embedded learning experience.

MBA in Education Leadership Curriculum Overview

MBA Required Courses (19 credits)


  • BUS 5700 Marketing (3 credits)
  • BUS 6000 Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
  • BUS 6100 Ethical Leadership (3 credits)
  • BUS 6151 Data Visualization (3 credits)
  • BUS 6400 Economics (3 credits)
  • BUS 7921 Applied Project Management I (1 credit)
  • BUS 7922 Applied Project Management II (1 credit)
  • BUS 7923 Applied Project Management III (1 credit)
  • BUS 7924 Applied Project Management IV (1 credit)

Education Leadership Specialization Courses (18 credits)


  • BUS 6112 Global Achievement Gap-Education Leadership (3 credits)
  • BUS 6202 Finance and Accounting-Education Leadership (3 credits)
  • BUS 6302 Statistical Thinking and Data Analytics-Education Leadership (3 credits)
  • BUS 6602 Human Resource Management-Education Leadership (3 credits)
  • BUS 6802 Innovation and Entrepreneurship-Education Leadership (3 credits)
  • BUS 6902 Strategy-Education Leadership (3 credits)
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Faculty

Get to know the Rader School of Business online MBA faculty members. Benefit from a 5:1 student to coach ratio.
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Admissions

Learn more about the admissions requirements and process to apply to the MBA program.
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Tuition & Financial Aid

Review the competitive tuition costs and your financial aid opportunities for the MBA programs.

Admissions Dates and Deadlines

Jan
17
Application Deadline
January 17
Spring 2024
Jan
21
Term Start
January 21
Spring 2025
Sources:
  1. Based on self-reported data from alumni of MSOE’s hybrid and online MBA in Education Leadership program from cohorts graduating between 2015-2022.

Milwaukee School of Engineering has engaged Everspring, a leading provider of education and technology services, to support select aspects of program delivery.