Educational Leadership: Collaborative Leadership Advancing School Success (CLASS)
Program Overview
This master’s degree program is designed to prepare New York State-certified teachers and pupil personnel service providers for roles in administration and supervision of preK to grade 12 educational settings.
Coursework and Clinical Experiences
Collaborative Leadership to Advance School Success (CLASS) is a non-traditional, research-based approach to school and district leadership development. It is grounded in a proven model of equity-focused improvement (strategic inquiry) in which participants improve performance for historically underserved students and re-design systems to better serve these and all students. The program is hands-on (participants learn leadership by leading), within an integrated set of courses led by an instructor who is an experienced leader and an expert in our model who comes to know you, your school, and the cohort well. Graduates are prepared to successfully inhabit a wide variety of leadership roles. Classes meet one evening per week either in-person or online.
Upon completing the two-year program, graduates will receive a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and recommendation for New York State School Building Leader (SBL) and School District Leader (SDL) certifications.
In addition to our Classic CLASS cohort, we run specialized CLASS cohorts each year. We are recruiting for the following cohorts:
Spring 2026 Cohorts
- Classic CLASS
Fall 2026 Cohorts
- Classic CLASS
- CLASS – Structured Literacy
- CLASS – Special Education
- CLASS – Career & Technical Education (CTE)
- CLASS – Arts
Credits
32
Certification
School Building Leader and School District Leader
Eligibility and Admission Requirements
This program is designed for applicants who possess a master’s degree and hold permanent or professional New York State (NYS) certification as a teacher or pupil personnel service provider within grades PreK to 12.
- A master’s degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0
- Permanent or professional NYS certification as a teacher or pupil personnel service provider within grades PreK-12
- A minimum of three years of approved teaching and/or school service within grades PreK to 12 under regular appointment (or its equivalent for counselors, social workers, and school psychologists) or two years of approved teaching and/or school service and at least one year of relevant management/leadership experience
- Two letters of recommendation, including a letter of support from your current principal
- An interview with faculty may be required
- A statement of purpose.
To Apply
This program accepts applications each fall and spring semester.
Create your Hunter College Graduate Application and select the program “Educational Leadership (SBL/SDL) CLASS, MSEd”.
Application Deadlines
Fall Start
- March 15
Spring Start
- October 15 – Priority Deadline
- November 15 – Extended Deadline
Related Programs
If you are interested in the ADSUP program, visit the ADSUP admissions page.
If you already hold New York State SBL certification, consider applying for our Advanced Certificate program in School District Leadership.
Contact an Admissions Advisor
Program Advisor
Kathleen Smith, ks286@hunter.cuny.edu