Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Societal Change
As a Soka graduate student, you’ll explore how educational leadership can confront injustice, foster human connection, and move society toward greater possibilities for everyone.
At Soka University of America, learning is a practice in courageous inquiry. Through a research-driven, graduate-level curriculum rooted in ethics and equity, you’ll build the skills to question systems, redefine and practice leadership, and design more just and inclusive learning environments. And when you earn your master’s degree, you’ll have the insight and experience to turn your convictions into real-world change.
Through our intentional curriculum, you’ll develop a strong foundation in research and explore ideas across disciplines —preparing you to lead in education at every level, from local communities to global initiatives.
Your curriculum includes:
Educational Leadership
History and Philosophy of Education
Law, Policy, and Ethical Decision-Making
Societal, Organizational, and Institutional Change
International and Comparative Education
Following your first year, you’ll have the option to take on a one-month research project locally or internationally where you’ll begin shaping your thesis and examining how educational leadership can respond to the world’s most pressing challenges.
Students have completed summer studies in places like Kenya, Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and Pakistan.
Summer research grants are available.
Learn directly from inspiring voices in education: teachers, researchers, and leaders who bring their real-world experience into classroom conversations. You’ll study influential educational thinkers and explore foundational philosophies that expand your perspective on the purpose and practice of education. And you’ll meet and learn from a variety of visiting distinguished scholars and practitioners.
All classes are held during the day, on campus and in person. You’ll be an integral part of a small, select international community of inquiry that’s diverse in age and experience.
At Soka, research is a way to deepen your understanding of people and the world around you. As an academic scholar, you’ll practice observational and inquiry skills as you learn to ask meaningful questions, explore diverse contexts, and solve problems with curiosity and care. As Paulo Freire reminds us, “There is no such thing as teaching without research and research without teaching.” The same is true for leadership. Real change begins with the courage to look closer.
studentfaculty ratio 4:1
Being an effective educator is about more than developing subject matter expertise. It requires making connections across disciplines and cultures to see the bigger picture. From the global history of education to the policies and pedagogies that have shaped classrooms around the world, you’ll explore diverse ideas to be able to lead with wisdom and integrity.
Live where the learning happens.
For single students, SUA offers graduate housing designed to immerse you in community. Located just steps from your classes, our suite-style units offer a peaceful home base where you can focus deeply, rest fully, and connect meaningfully with peers who share your sense of purpose. And if you have dependents, limited on-campus family housing is available as well.
At Soka, we offer financial support including scholarships and grants up to full tuition for admitted students who apply for aid.
Types of funding include:
Merit Scholarships
Soka Graduate Grants
Outside Scholarships
Federal Loans for Domestic Students
Soka Graduate Loans for International and Dreamer Students
100%
of graduate students received grants and scholarships in 2024, with the average award covering full tuition
Our graduate students pursue research that crosses borders, challenges norms, and envisions new possibilities for education and leadership. Here’s a look at some of their recent thesis topics:
• Global Citizenship: Fostering Global Leaders Through the Power of Education
• Climate Justice, Indigenous Liberation, and Right of Nature
• Intercultural Dialogues in War History Curriculum: Promoting Peace
• The Integration of Refugees into the German School System: Challenges and Barriers
• Financial Literacy and Poverty Reduction in Ghana: A Comparative Study
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Sports and Educational Leadership: Representation of New York Asian Americans in School Sports
Whether you’re building toward a Ph.D., stepping into leadership in a school or community setting, or creating your own platform for change, this program gives you the tools and support to move with purpose.
You’ll leave ready to lead and ready to keep growing.
“Being a student at SUA was the most self-transforming process I have had in my whole life. Through an intimate setting and small cohort system, I could overcome my fear of raising questions in classrooms and engage in dialogue on sensitive topics I usually avoid. At SUA, I truly felt valued by each one of the professors, and I could authentically be 100% myself.”
Felipe Ken Iti Iwahashi da Silva Class of 2025
A
few places our alumni have gone after graduation.
District Assessment System Architect at Chicago
Public Schools
Co-founder and Chief Education Officer of an NPO in Nepal
Full fellowship to a Ph.D. program in education policy and planning at a large U.S. university
Director of Curriculum Innovation, National Geographic Society
