Principal Preparation Post-Master's Certificate
The post-master’s certificate is available to students who already have a master's degree. This option leads to the principal endorsement on an Illinois professional educator license.
Required Credit Hours/Tuition and Fees
- 30 credit hours
- Visit the paying for college website for detailed tuition information
Certificate Format
Courses for this certificate are completed online.
Admission Requirements
- Graduate School application and $40 fee
- Submission of all postsecondary academic transcripts
- Completion of a master’s degree with a GPA of 3.0 (A=4.0) or higher on graduate work
- Proof of Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL) or out of state equivalent
- All applicants must show they have at least two years of full time teaching experience on a professional educator license or out-of-state equivalent.
- Applicants must hold or have held a pre-K-12 teaching position for four years to qualify for licensure.
- International applicants: Proof of English proficiency, minimum requirements are TOEFL (79), IELTS (6.5) or equivalent.
International students cannot receive a visa to pursue this certificate and are only eligible to apply to this program if concurrently completing a face-to-face graduate program.
Program application materials may be uploaded during the application process, but official transcripts must be sent directly from the school attended, and test scores must be verifiable with the appropriate testing service. Please contact the graduate admissions office with questions regarding the application submission process at [email protected].
Candidate Requirements
Students meeting the admission requirements will be given provisional admission allowing them to enroll in EDAD 500: Organization and Administration of Schools. During EDAD 500, students complete the candidate selection process. This process includes:
- Completion of a leadership portfolio summarizing leadership experience and potential for instructional leadership
- Identification of a qualified mentor for internship experiences
- Participation in a selection interview
- An assessment of written communication skills based on a response to a case study
Upon successful completion of EDAD 500 and selection as a candidate, candidates receive full admittance to the program.
Curriculum
The curriculum consists of six lecture courses and four field-based internship elective courses for a total of 30 credit hours.
Lecture Courses (18 hours)
- EDAD 500 (3) – Introduction to School Leadership
- EDAD 520 (3) – School Law
- EDAD 525A (3) – Instructional Leadership and Supervision: Theory and Research
- EDAD 530A (3) – Data Driven School Improvement and Accountability: Theory and Research
- EDAD 535A (3) – Curriculum Leadership: Theory and Research
- EDAD 545A (3) – The Principalship: Theory and Research
Field-Based Internship Courses (12 hours)
- EDAD 525B (3) – Instructional Leadership and Supervision: Field Experience
- EDAD 530B (3) – Data Driven School Improvement and Accountability: Field Experience
- EDAD 535B (3) – Curriculum Leadership: Field Experience
- EDAD 545B (3) – The Principalship: Field Experience
Graduation Requirements
Students must complete the required coursework with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
All candidates must complete a four-course field-based internship which is aligned with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education standards, the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards, the 36 critical success factors outlined in the Southern Research Education Board’s “The Principal Internship: How Can We Get It Right?”, the Educational Leadership Constituents Council standards, and the Illinois State Board of Education general administration endorsement standards.
The internship is supervised and evaluated by an administrator in the field and an educational leadership faculty member from SIUE.
Review the SIUE graduation policy for more information.
Enrollment in this program does not qualify for federal financial aid.
