Adult Learning and Leadership Master's Degree

The 33-credit hour Adult Learning and Leadership master's degree helps working adults from a wide variety of professions become better educators, trainers, facilitators, program planners, managers, and leaders.

33 credit hours

Online

Olathe

ILE/CGSC

See the Cashiers and Student Accounts website for tuition and fee schedules.

To learn more about the program, check out this video:

Master's Program booklet (PDF)

Request to speak with the Adult Learning and Leadership Program Coordinator

Testamonials

Scott Craig

" The MS in Adult Learning and Leadership program enhanced my teaching skills and ability to engage students. I was impressed with the practical application of adult education theory and the responsive support from faculty and advisors." - Scott Craig

Admission Requirements

All students are required to meet the general university admission requirements.

Additional Documentation
Your application must include the following:

Statement of objectives – State your academic objectives in one to two pages and include the following information:
- career and professional goals and aspirations and how being accepted to the program will specifically benefit your goals and aspirations
- description of relevant professional experience within education or a related field
- future professional plans
Resume/curriculum vitae

Required Courses (15 credit hours)

Core coursework examines characteristics of adult learners, explores motivational, social, and cultural differences, develops skills in planning and evaluating programs for adults, and helps professionals better understand how adults develop and learn.

Sample Electives (18 credit hours required)

Students can customize their program to meet professional needs by choosing electives from among over 25 electives to provide a broad perspective or narrow focus area. The Adult Learning, Leadership Dynamics, or Social Justice graduate certificates can be used to satisfy the elective requirement.

Portfolio Requirements

The culminating project of the Master’s degree program is development of a learning portfolio, which is submitted during the final semester of enrollment.

The K-State Graduate School requires comprehensive examinations. In order to fulfill this requirement, the Adult Learning and Leadership master's degree adopted a Program Completion Portfolio as the final examination. The portfolio is a collection of artifacts from assignments completed while in the program and reflections on the learning and why the artifact demonstrates mastery of the student learning outcome (SLO). An artifact and reflection will be completed for each student learning outcome for the M.S. in Adult Learning and Leadership program.

A learning portfolio emphasizes students' knowledge and, more significantly, their understanding of how and why this knowledge fits into a larger framework. An important component to this portfolio is the reflection on each artifact.

Entries in the Program Completion Portfolio

Assessment Forms

At the appropriate time, students will be sent links to the following assessments:

Complete Master of Adult Learning and Leadership Student Learning Self-Assessment.
A link will be sent to the student one month prior to the Portfolio Due Date.
Complete Master of Adult Learning and Leadership End-of-Program Survey.
A link will be sent to the student one month prior to Commencement.

Procedures

Once students are admitted to the degree program and begin their first course, they should email Dr. Royce Ann Collins (racollin@k-state.edu) and request to be added to the Portfolio Canvas course. Throughout the courses, students can gradually build the portfolio. Documents will be uploaded into each SLO assignment area in K-State Online during the month prior to the due date. Within K-State Online, there are discussion board posts and FAQs for the Portfolio development. The Portfolio must be complete during the last semester of enrollment in the program.

Presentation and Quality

The Portfolio is to be completed as a Word or PDF file. For Word documents, one-inch margins, double spacing, and at least 12-point font are to be used as well as APA style guidelines. Graduate quality writing is expected for the portfolio documents.

Evaluation

The entire portfolio will be reviewed by the adult learning and leadership faculty. The portfolio will be evaluated for the thoughtfulness and conceptualization; substantive and relevant content; demonstration of knowledge; and technical presentation (e.g., writing style, organization and flow, APA style, grammar). The evaluation rubric will be used by the department only for program improvement. The student will be notified of "Pass" or "Fail."

Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

If you have any condition, such as physical or learning disability, which will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as outlined or which will require academic accommodations, please notify your advisor before creating your portfolio.

Academic Honesty

Kansas State University has an Honor System based on personal integrity, which is presumed to be sufficient assurance in academic matters one's work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. All students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning. To find more information and examples of actions that would be considered academic dishonesty, check out the K-State Honor and Integrity System website.