EĞİTİM YÖNETİMİ LİSANSÜSTÜ PROGRAMLARINA YÖNELİK ÖĞRENCİ GÖRÜŞLERİNİN İNCELENMESİ: NİTEL BİR ARAŞTIRMA

This research examines the current status of educational administration graduate programs in Turkey considering the experiences and evaluations of graduate students who attend these programs. In the study, which was structured according to the qualitative research design, criterion sampling and snowball sampling strategies were used together, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 educational administration graduate students. The data were analyzed using the content analysis method. Five key themes emerged: purpose and expectations; challenges, needs, and solutions; evaluations; impacts; and recommendations. Overall, the program received positive evaluations, and participants noted developments in leadership, digital literacy, and a scientific perspective. However, students also reported facing challenges like work-life balance, bureaucratic hurdles, and infrastructural shortcomings. The findings indicate that educational administration graduate programs are crucial in training school administrators. However, improvements are necessary at both the policy and practice levels.