Degrees · Ohio
Master of Education Pathways in Ohio
Master of Education in Ohio is a graduate award, not Professional Principal License. This table lists 33 institutions with matching IPEDS completions. Completions are not approval to recommend candidates for the license. Use the Ohio principal checklist for the credential.
A Master of Education (M.Ed.) is the common graduate entry point for licensed educators advancing into leadership or specialist practice. Many M.Ed. programs offer an educational leadership concentration, but the degree title alone is not a principal credential. Confirm whether a program is approved to recommend you for an administrative license in your state before enrolling.
Reviewed by Brittnie Vargas, School principal, M.Ed.Editorial processHow this degree relates to the Ohio principal credential
The Ohio license is Professional Principal License. Read the principal checklist for steps, exams, and the board source — this page is the IPEDS inventory for Master of Education, not a second copy of that checklist.
Ohio’s principal license is grade-banded, which is the detail that most often undoes an otherwise complete CORE application. The State Board of Education of Ohio issues a Professional Principal License tied to early childhood, middle-level, 5–12, or related bands that match the ages and grade levels of the candidate’s qualifying teaching. Two years of successful high-school teaching under a standard or professional license supports a 5–12 principal license; those same years do not automatically unlock an early-childhood principal license. Professional pupil-services experience can substitute for teaching when it is the professional pupil-services license and the ages align, but a pupil-services role in a high school does not, by itself, create a PK–6 principal license.
Preparation is an approved principal program plus a dean’s recommendation, not a self-assembled transcript of leadership electives. The State Board’s principal-licenses page treats the recommendation as a required element. Candidates who finish coursework, pass OAE 015, and then wait months for a dean’s letter are not “done” in CORE until that recommendation posts. OAE 015 Educational Leadership is the examination the pathway names; other Ohio Assessments for Educators content tests used for teaching licenses do not replace 015.
Institutions with Master of Education programs in Ohio
Rows come from IPEDS awards by CIP and award level. This extract reported no completion counts, so none are shown. An institution that conferred awards is not automatically approved to recommend candidates for Professional Principal License.
| Institution | CIP | Award level |
|---|---|---|
| Ashland University (Ashland, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, OH) | 13.0406 Higher Education/Higher Education Administration | Master’s |
| Bowling Green State University-Main Campus (Bowling Green, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Capital University (Columbus, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Franciscan University of Steubenville (Steubenville, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Heidelberg University (Tiffin, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| John Carroll University (University Heights, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Kent State University at Kent (Kent, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Kent State University at Kent (Kent, OH) | 13.0406 Higher Education/Higher Education Administration | Master’s |
| Miami University-Oxford (Oxford, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Muskingum University (New Concord, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Muskingum University (New Concord, OH) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Master’s |
| Notre Dame College (Cleveland, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Ohio Dominican University (Columbus, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Ohio University-Main Campus (Athens, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Ohio University-Main Campus (Athens, OH) | 13.0406 Higher Education/Higher Education Administration | Master’s |
| Tiffin University (Tiffin, OH) | 13.0406 Higher Education/Higher Education Administration | Master’s |
| University of Akron Main Campus (Akron, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Akron Main Campus (Akron, OH) | 13.0408 Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship | Master’s |
| University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (Cincinnati, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (Cincinnati, OH) | 13.0406 Higher Education/Higher Education Administration | Master’s |
| University of Dayton (Dayton, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Dayton (Dayton, OH) | 13.0406 Higher Education/Higher Education Administration | Master’s |
| University of Mount Union (Alliance, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Toledo (Toledo, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Toledo (Toledo, OH) | 13.0406 Higher Education/Higher Education Administration | Master’s |
| Ursuline College (Pepper Pike, OH) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Master’s |
| Wright State University-Main Campus (Dayton, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Wright State University-Main Campus (Dayton, OH) | 13.0404 Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision | Master’s |
| Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Youngstown State University (Youngstown, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
Frequently asked questions
Is an M.Ed. the same as an MAT?
No. An MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) is usually oriented to initial teacher preparation. An M.Ed. more often serves already-licensed educators advancing in leadership or specialization, though some M.Ed. programs are licensure-leading. Read the program's published licensure statement and confirm with your state board.
Does an M.Ed. in educational leadership make me a principal?
Not by itself. Most states require an approved principal preparation sequence, documented teaching experience, and any required leadership exams in addition to the graduate degree. Use the principal credential hub and your state board checklist.
Should I pick the M.Ed. or go straight to an EdS or EdD?
Start with what the state board will accept as administrator preparation. Many building credentials sit inside an approved M.Ed. Use an EdS when you need post-master’s hours. Use an EdD when you need a terminal practitioner degree. None of those titles is the license.