FAQ: Master's in Public Education Management

The Master’s program has an application process that includes both a written application and interviews. For the 2025-26 cohort, the online application opens August 27, 2024 and closes October 29, 2024. The application asks you to submit information about your recent job history, four short essays, unofficial academic transcripts, two professional recommendations, a form collecting information about the demographics of your school system, and an approval form for time away from the office from the organization at which you currently work.  

Selected candidates will move to an individual virtual interview phase in December 2024. A final group of candidates will be invited to complete a final virtual interview in February 2025. Final decisions are released in late February 2025 and the program begins in June 2025. 

Once your completed application is submitted, it will be reviewed by The Broad Center admissions team. If selected, you will move onto the next phase, individual virtual interviews, held December 2-20, 2024. Candidates selected to move onto the final interview phase will join one group interview day in early February 2025. 

Our application process has three phases before final decisions are released: the online application, individual interviews, and a final interview day. During the application phase, prospective students complete an application including information about recent job history (previous three roles)​, four short essays, unofficial academic transcripts, two professional recommendations, a form with demographic information about your current organization, and an approval form from the school system at which you currently work.  

A selected number of applicants will be invited to conduct an individual virtual interview; and a final group of applicants will be invited to virtual interview days. Learn more about our application requirements on our Admissions page.  

Scores from these assessments are not required and will not be considered as part of the admissions process for TBM.

Yes. Prospective students who are invited to do so after submitting the online application will advance to an individual virtual interview in December 2024. A final group of prospective students will be invited to a virtual interview day in February 2025. 

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide unofficial transcripts for all degree-granting programs you have attended. Professional and personal development activities not taken for university-level credit, such as CPA, CFA, and online classes for which you did not receive course credit, do not require transcripts. If admitted, we will require receipt of official transcripts in order to enroll at Yale SOM. All offers of admission are conditional until the official transcripts and degree certifications are received and verified.
 

As a re-applicant, you are required to submit a new application and complete the re-applicant essay. 

We encourage recommendations from individuals in your professional network who can speak to your leadership potential and management style, including current and former supervisors, peer colleagues, and direct reports. At least one of the recommenders should be in a position to assess your performance at your current job. Please note: recommenders will complete a form inside our application system, so while we encourage you to identify these individuals, they should not prepare a recommendation outside of The Broad Center system. 

After submitting your application, any changes or updates – such as a change in employment – must be reported as soon as possible through the form on your application status page.

Check out our Admissions page for resources to support your application. You can reach our team at broadcenter.admissions@yale.edu with questions.

There are four core eligibility requirements for the Master’s program: 

• Bachelor’s degree: The Master’s is a Master of Management Studies (MMS) graduate degree program and qualified applicants must hold a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution or the international equivalent. 
• Work experience: Must have at least five years of professional work experience  
• Eligible role: Must currently work at the time of their application in a large, urban school system in the United States, with a role based in a school system's central or network office supporting multiple schools. Must be directly supervising at least one direct report and/or spending a majority of time coordinating projects across teams within the organization​. 
• Eligible organization: Must serve in a large urban K-12 public school system currently serving significant number of students from historically underserved communities.  
  • Large, urban school districts serving 15,000+ students​ 
  • Public charter networks with 5 or more campuses, located in areas that would otherwise qualify under the district size eligibility requirements ​ 
  • State education agencies 

In addition to the eligibility requirements, TBC at SOM seeks students that show strength across five competency areas and demonstrate capacity in six personal traits we believe are necessary for success in K-12 education leadership. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to TBC’s mission of empowering school system leaders to achieve the dual goals of excellence and equity, therefore our admissions team looks for evidence of a commitment to equity across the other competency areas and traits.  

Competencies and Traits of Successful Master’s Candidates:  

• Equity​: Demonstrates a commitment to improving outcomes for historically underserved student groups and communities through specific actions across other competency areas and traits​ 

• Strategy​: Holds a role that requires designing strategy beyond own direct contribution; Makes connections and synthesizes data and evidence to successfully translate vision into specific actions​ 

• Management​: Holds a role of significant scope and complexity with management and coordination responsibilities, such as managing a team or coordinating a strategic project across teams​ 

• Navigation​: Identifies individuals, external stakeholders, and organizational units that are important to accomplish goals and works with them to move work forward​ 

• Communication​: Communicates clearly verbally and in writing, including with stakeholders outside of K-12 education; Builds relationships across lines of difference​ 

• Personal Traits for K-12 Success​: Demonstrates self-awareness, development orientation, flexibility, empathy, optimism, and courage​ 

While we believe deeply in the important roles of educators and school leaders in driving results for students within their classrooms and schools, our programs are focused specifically on supporting individuals in management or coordination roles in a school system’s central office or in a position impacting multiple schools. 

No, TBM is designed to support individuals currently working in a public school system in the United States.

No, TBM is structured so that students in the program continue working full-time in large, urban K-12 school systems and roles in post-secondary education organizations are not eligible. 

Currently our education leadership programs are only for individuals working in large, urban public education systems at the time of their application. Although TBM is a successor program to The Broad Residency in Urban Education, the program does not currently assist with placement or matching of individuals into new roles in school systems.

We require that students are in full-time employment during the program. Students apply learning to their professional environments throughout the program and contribute real-time, on-the-ground knowledge to class discussions.

Students should expect to spend a significant amount of time dedicated to the program outside of their full-time professional role. Throughout the 14-month program, students will travel to the Yale SOM campus in New Haven, CT for five residence weeks. Each week consists of five days of full-time teaching and activities, and students should expect to dedicate their full time to the program during these weeks.  

In addition, students must attend monthly online sessions and virtual colloquia throughout the program and complete an individual capstone project.  

Please visit our Curriculum page for more information about curriculum for the Master's in Public Education Management.  

Each cohort of Broad Master’s students is made up of approximately 30 emerging leaders from large, urban school systems across the country. Cohort members will connect deeply with one another during the five residence weeks and throughout the program to share experiences, reflections, and tackle tough and persistent challenges in public education. Powerful connections and enduring peer-to-peer learning are hallmarks of the Broad experience. Diversity of background and experience is critical for The Broad Center, and each cohort will reflect a wide range of lived experiences, functional strengths, geography, roles, and school systems. 

Master’s students travel to the Yale campus for five residence weeks over the 14-month program. Attendance is mandatory. The dates of the sessions in 2025-26 are: 

• Virtual Orientation: May 29, 2025
• Residence 1: July 14-18, 2025
• Residence 2: October 20-24, 2025
• Residence 3: February 23-27, 2026
• Residence 4: June 1-5, 2026
• Residence 5: August 3-7, 2026

In addition, students must attend monthly virtual sessions, with dates to be decided.

The Broad Center at Yale SOM’s two talent development programs are both tuition-free programs designed to support individuals working full-time in large, urban public school systems. The  Fellowship for Public Education Leadership is an executive leadership program for senior-level public education leaders, particularly school district superintendents, heads of public charter networks, and the leaders of state education agencies, as well as cabinet-level leaders in these organizations. The Master’s in Public Education Management is a degree program leading to a Master’s of Management Studies degree. The Master’s is designed for emerging early- to mid-career leaders working full-time in school system central or network offices who have a minimum of five years of professional working experience.

It’s critical that TBC at SOM’s programs reach individuals who are poised to make the greatest impact for students in large urban public school systems – regardless of financial resources. TBC at SOM’s leadership programs are tuition-free, covering the cost of the program as well as room and board during the five in-person residency weeks throughout the program.  

Cost of travel to and from the Yale campus for residency weeks is the responsibility of the student, who may seek funding support from their employing school district, public charter organization, or state education agency, similar to how they might support travel costs for other professional development. Master’s students must continue to work full-time in eligible roles throughout the duration of the 14-month program.