Principal Certification Program

Degree Conferred: Certification only

The Program

The Principal Certification program in Educational Leadership offered at the University Park campus includes the option of pursuing the majority of the required courses at Penn State Harrisburg. This program is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and training to be effective administrators.

Participants in the certification program will be part of a cohort that will take courses in a specific sequence.

Admission Requirements

Enrollment in the Principal Certification program requires admission to Penn State’s Graduate School and to the program in Educational Leadership in the College of Education.

To be admitted students must:

• hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university;
• hold and submit a valid Pennsylvania public school teaching certificate or professional certificate;
• schedule a personal interview with the program coordinator prior to submission of application materials;
• complete a writing sample;
• submit an online Graduate School application and application fee;
• submit two official transcripts from each college and university attended;
• obtain three references using the forms provided; (at least two of these letters must be written by individuals holding supervisory or administrative positions in a school district);
• have achieved a minimum GPA of 3.25 in previous graduate work and/or a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last two years of undergraduate work;
• submit an affidavit of experience documenting five years of teaching by completion of the program;

Application Deadline

Candidates may enter the program at the beginning of the fall semester; however, all information must be received by July 1, since students are admitted on a rolling basis. Enrollment will close when the maximum of 25 participants has been reached. Additional accepted applicants will be wait-listed and their acceptance for the next cohort will be confirmed.

Academic Requirements

Penn State will make an institutional recommendation to the Pennsylvania Department of Education when a candidate shows evidence of satisfactory completion of the requirements listed below. It is important to note that Penn State endorses successful candidates for certification; the Pennsylvania Department of Education officially grants the certification.

Candidates must complete at least 30 credits in an approved graduate program with at least a 3.0 GPA and hold either a master’s or master’s equivalency.

The credits shall include:

• 24 credits in educational leadership and a 3-credit internship;
• 3 credits in curriculum;
• Successful completion of the School Leaders Licensure Examination.

Core Course Requirements

3 credits in each of the following subject areas: Leadership; Principalship; Politics, School, and Community; Law and Education; Fiscal Operations; Instructional Leadership; Microcomputer Applications; Contemporary Curriculum; Inclusive Education; Internship.

Academic Calendar

Courses will be scheduled in cooperation with the Educational Leadership Program at University Park. For the convenience of participants, there will be evening and weekend courses varying in length from six weeks to 15 weeks. Within the cohort, scheduling will allow students to focus on one course at a time.

Cohort Groups

Students will be admitted in the fall semester only as part of a cohort group and take all required courses with their cohort.

Faculty

All faculty in the Principal Certification program have excellent credentials as scholars, practitioners, and researchers. Their backgrounds, active involvement, and continuing research ensure that participants will be exposed to the most current practices.

Advising

Each participant will have an adviser at Penn State Harrisburg. Those considering future enrollment in the doctoral program at University Park will be assigned an additional adviser at that location.

Principal Certification Core

• EDLDR 480EDLDR 480EDLDR INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP (3). Prerequisite: 3 credits in social science, sociology, anthropology, community development, business administration or political science
• EDLDR 568 THE PRINCIPALSHIP (3)
• EDLDR 560 INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION (3). Prerequisite: teaching or school administrative experience; 18 credits in education, at least 5 of which are methods of teaching
• EDLDR 576 THE LAW AND EDUCATION (3). Prerequisite: EDLDR 480, or teaching, administrative, or supervisory experience
• EDLDR 533THE POLITICS OF LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS (3)
• EDLDR 597 LEADERSHIP FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION (1-9) **
• EDLDR 579 PUBLIC SCHOOL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (3). Prerequisite: EDLDR 480, or teaching, administrative, or supervisory experience
• EDLDR 540 MICROCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP (3) **
• CI 550 OVERVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM (3). Prerequisite: 12 credits in education and psychology, or teaching experience **
• EDLDR 595 INTERNSHIP FOR PRINCIPALS (1-15). Prerequisite: EDLDR 480, teaching experience, and a professional certificate

** Online courses from University Park. All other courses are taught at Penn State Harrisburg.

Persons completing the certifi cation program and receiving PDE approval will be certified K-12 Principals.

MASTER’S DEGREE – it is possible to complete the 36-credit master’s degree program in Teaching and Curriculum in combination with the K-12 Principal’s Certifi cate. Those interested in doing so would need to be admitted to both the Teaching and Curriculum program as well as to the Principal Certification program. Core course requirements in Teaching and Curriculum include 18 credits. The other 18 required credits are electives all of which are fulfi lled in the Principal Certification program.

For a list of courses, visit the web.

Please note: This page is not a part of the official Penn State Graduate Bulletin.