Educational Leadership Certificate

Program Coordinator: Danielle Maxham
Email: gallagda@jmu.edu
Phone: (540) 568-3298

Program Description

The graduate certificate program in Educational Leadership is intended for practicing school personnel who aspire to be educational leaders such as assistant principals, principals, or district level instructional leaders. Students must have a teaching license or be eligible for a teaching license at the start of program enrollment. The program includes 18 graduate credit hours and is broken into two components: a set of key leadership courses and a practicum or internship experience.

Licensure Requirements

A candidate who has the appropriate teaching license, who completes the aforementioned program and who achieves a passing score on the School Leader's Licensure Examination is eligible for endorsement in PK-12 administration and supervision in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification in the Commonwealth of Virginia. While it might meet requirements in other U.S. states or territories, JMU makes no guarantees or promises that it does and thus cannot enroll a prospective student who intends to seek licensure and employment outside of Virginia. However, per Federal Department of Education regulation 34 CFR 668.14(b)(32), if you will be located in a state other than Virginia while participating in the program, and attest that upon successful completion of this program you plan to pursue licensure and employment in Virginia in a related field, you will be eligible for enrollment.

Application and Admission Criteria

The certificate program in educational leadership is designed for practicing school personnel who aspire to be educational leaders.

Candidates who already have a master's degree and seek to add the Virginia Endorsement as a school administrator to a teaching certificate, may apply through The Graduate School for the Educational Leadership certificate. Additionally, candidates must secure a passing score on the SLLA, Virginia's administrative licensure examination, to gain the administrative licensure from the DOE.

To apply to the certificate program, students must:

• Submit a completed application and the application fee
• Be a licensed teacher in Virginia
• Have at least three years of preK-12 teaching experience
• Possess a master's degree in an education-related field
• Submit official transcripts for all coursework in higher education
• Students who did not complete an M.Ed. degree as their master's program must take EDUC 641 or equivalent as a prerequisite prior to admission

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and are typically due in December for Spring semester admission and July for Fall semester admission. For specific information about the application process and deadlines, visit this program's Application Deadlines and Requirements web page.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
ADSU 640	Leadership Fundamentals and School-Community Relations	3
ADSU 641	School Law	3
ADSU 643	The Principalship	3
ADSU 644	Supervision and Development of Personnel	3
ADSU 652	School Finance and Business Management	3
Subtotal		15
Internship
ADSU 668	Internship for Principals	3
or ADSU 678	Full-Time Internship for School Administrators
Subtotal		3
Total Credits		18