Undertaken in part to provide information to be used in comparative international studies of educational administrator preparation programs, this study of programs in the United States provides descriptions of typical programs, departments, and students; an analysis of current training trends; illumination of significant social forces affecting program revision; and recommendations for program change and additional research. Rather than describing particular programs, the study summarizes the general characteristics of the nation's programs. Questionnaires were returned by 258 department chairpersons. One chapter summarizes characteristics of departments of education, including institutional setting, sources of funding, degree offerings, staff, distribution of professors by sex, and student role and placement. The following three chapters look at master's degree programs, certification and specialist degree programs, and doctoral programs, including purposes and objectives, student admissions, program content and requirements, program experiences, research experiences, funding, facilities, student placement, and governance. One chapter compares masters, certification, specialist, and doctoral programs, and concluding chapters summarize trends in program development and some areas of concern in administrator preparation. The appendix reproduces all instruments used. (Author/JM)