These cohort programs began in 1999 with 30 students each. The need for school administrators in North Carolina is every bit as great as the highly publicized need for teachers, Haley says, because of the retirement of administrators and the influx of newcomers to the state. As you build more schools, you need more administrators. Administrators are a very important element, as they set the direction and the objectives at schools. NC State College of Education faculty travel to the rural counties to administer classes.
Students take two classes per semester.
Classes begin in late afternoon and extend into the evening. After four semesters of class work, students serve a year-long internship. The three-year program culminates with the mandated state licensing exam and conferral of the master s degree in school administration. This distance education program was developed in response to a request made to NC State by the University of North Carolina General Administration. An assessment by the NC State Department of ACCE and the AGC demonstrated a considerable interest in and need for a doctoral study program in adult and community college education accessible to professional educators, especially those responsible for providing leadership for community colleges, four-year institutions, the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service and others engaged in the education of adults.