Invest your summers in an intensive and impactful educational experience that prepares you for a lifetime of leadership.
The Klingenstein Center's Two-Summers Master's Degree Program is a five-semester graduate program that allows you to maintain your current employment in your independent or international school while earning your degree. Modeled on executive professional learning programs, you'll attend five weeks of intensive, all-day classes in each of your two summers at Teachers College, Columbia University. During the school year you will work individually on a projects strengthening your independent learning muscles and putting into practice what you have learned the previous summer.
As part of a diverse cohort of aspiring leaders you'll engage in classes, case-studies, affinity group work, and peer-coaching and mentoring in a supportive community.
Each summer, you'll explore meaningful coursework with renowned faculty, as you examine the practice of leadership through an interdisciplinary approach that centers social-emotional learning, the science of learning, and diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and belonging. The carefully-curated core curriculum examines key aspects of independent and international school leadership such as change leadership, systems thinking, organizational psychology, research methods and data-informed decision-making, ethics in education, non-profit finance, school marketing and communications, education law, educational technology, and mind brain education.
During the year between the two summers, you'll conduct applied research to address a problem of practice in your current school as your practicum project. Supported by a small group of your classmates, a Klingenstein alum mentor, and a Teachers College faculty member, you'll employ the theories you've learned, learn about a new aspect of your school, and give back to your school community while completing this coursework.
You'll engage in a transformational journey as you synthesize what you've learned in your courses, through interview school leaders, in conversations with your cohort and with alumni, and through ongoing guided reflection about your own leadership and philosophies. You'll capture this in your Capstone, a learning e-portfolio that is both a tangible artifact of your learning and a guide for your future practice.
As you graduate, you'll have built new capacities for leadership and gained new connection to a worldwide network of Klingenstein Center alumni who are dedicated to making a positive impact on the world through education.
Applications for the 2023-2025 cohort are now closed. To be notified when applications open for the 2025-2027 cohort, please complete our Contact Us form and indicate the Two-Summers Master's Program as your area of interest.
Associate Director of Admissions & Enrollment Management
Connect with Latoya to learn more about Klingenstein programs and application processes via the Contact Us Form or at 212-678-6666.
The Summer 2023 session will meet Tuesday, June 20 through Friday, July 21 at Teachers College. Reservations for summer housing on campus will open on April 12 at 10am EST.
The next cohort will be the 2023-2025 cohort and the admission process for this cohort is complete. The program will begin in mid-July of 2023 and conclude in December of 2024. Students will graduate in February 2025 and will be able to participate in the May 2025 commencement ceremony at Teachers College.
The next cohort after that will be the 2025-2027 cohort.
The dates for summer 2023 are Tuesday, June 20 through Friday, July 21. The Two-Summers Master's Degree Program is a modeled as an executive professional learning program. Students are expected to attend all classes and cohort meetings throughout the summer session. There are both morning and afternoon classes, along with reading, assignments, group projects, cohort meetings and occasional evening class meetings. Each of the two intensive summer sessions carries 12-15 graduate-level credits.
Candidates must
Candidates with questions about their eligibility should contact the Klingenstein Center.
The program awards a Master of Arts in Private School Leadership (32 credits) from Columbia University's Teachers College. Students with previous master's study may be able to apply transfer credits to earn a Master of Education degree (60 credits).
The Klingenstein Center is part of Teachers College, Columbia University. Candidates who wish to apply to master’s degree programs submit an application via the Teachers College Admissions Office. Applications require an application form, transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate level studies, a resume, essays, two letters of recommendation, and payment of an application fee.
Applications for the 2023-2025 Two-Summers Master's Degree are closed. Complete the Contact Us form to be notified when application open for the 2025-2027 cohort.
Priority deadline: November 1, even-numbered years
Final deadline: January 15, odd-numbered years
The GRE is not required. However, students who plan to apply for the Dual-Degree MA/MBA program will be required to take the GRE or GMAT for admission to Columbia Business School or INSEAD.
The cost of tuition and fees is for the 2023-2025 is estimated at approximately $65,000. This cost is divided into five equal installments for each semester of the program. This cost does not include housing, travel, books, or other incidentals.
Yes. Teachers College offers grants, scholarships, federal loans, and federal work-study programs.
As part of the application for admission, students are able to request to be considered for scholarship funding. All applicants are encouraged to apply online for financial aid through the Teachers College Office of Financial Aid. Eligible students may also apply Federal Financial Aid through Teachers College.
Thanks to alumni support of the annual Scholars Fund and the generosity of foundations and the Klingenstein family, many students receive aid from scholarship funds earmarked for Klingenstein Center students. Klingenstein Scholarships are merit-based. To gain access to the Klingenstein Center funding, you must complete the Teachers College Financial Aid application.
Yes. Housing is available for full-time summer graduate students through the Office of Residential Services, Teachers College, Columbia University. Applicants are encouraged to apply for on-campus housing as as the application opens. Visit the Summer Conference Housing page for more information about applying for on-campus housing. Visit our Living in NYC page for information about the Morningside Heights neighborhood and campus resources.
Yes. International applicants are encouraged to carefully review the International Applicants section of the Teachers College Admissions website.
Yes. It is fine to submit additional letters of reference from colleagues and Klingenstein alumni who know your work from a variety of perspectives. You are required to submit two letters with your application and may send a third letter through the online application system.
No. An interview is not a part of the application process.
An M.A. degree is awarded upon completion of a 32-credit program at Teachers College. No transfer credits from previous graduate work outside Teachers College can be applied to the M.A.
Students with previous graduate work can earn an Ed.M. degree by transferring a maximum of 28 qualified credits. Students are required to complete the Teachers College process for review and approval of transfer credits. Please note that only graduate courses which have been (1) completed with grades of B or higher, (2) submitted on an official transcript from a regionally accredited institution, and (3) granted/assigned credit on the transcript of that institution, may be considered for transfer credit.
Priority application decisions (November 1 deadline) are generally released in January and final application decisions (January 15 deadline) are generally release by early March. Notifications of admissions decisions are sent via email by the Teachers College Office of Admissions. If you have questions or concerns about the timing of your admissions decision, please contact the Klingenstein Center.