MED Ed Leadership PK-12 Principal Certificate

The Masters of Education in Educational Leadership for Pennsylvania PK-12 Principal Certification seeks to recruit individuals who are proactive in meeting the diverse needs of students. We pride ourselves with the ability to provide job embedded learning through various situations and settings. We also strive to constantly integrate present principals and administrators into our program to create meaningful learning experiences to our future school leaders.

Program Admission

• Complete a graduate school application
• Submit all official undergraduate & graduate (if applicable) transcript(s). Minimum undergraduate GPA of a 3.0 required.
• Submit a Statement of Goals that explains the applicant’s reasons for pursuing a principal certification
• Submit a current resume
• Submit a copy of a current PA Instructional Certificate
• Submit three letters of recommendation that address the applicant’s leadership ability, capacity to be a successful school principal, academic suitability, and professional demeanor

Academic Requirements

Practicing educators with proven satisfactory experience apply to the MEd in Educational Leadership: PK-12 Principal Certificate Program. Candidates are typically required to complete 33 credits in order to earn their Masters degree.

Classes are typically offered during the evening 5 to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

• PDE Approved for PK-12 Principal Certificate.
• Online classes are available and growing! A student can earn their certification online with the exception of the required practicum/internship.
• You are required to have a seasoned (at least three years’ experience) principal act as your mentor throughout the program.

Retention

Graduate students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students who do not take classes in either the Fall and/or Spring semester(s) will be considered inactive in MyHusky. Students are required to contact their Academic Advisor or Graduate Program Coordinator with their request to be reactivated. Their request is then forwarded to the Graduate Office, who will process the reactivation. Students have six calendar years to complete their chosen degree or certification program.

Transfer Credits

Upon acceptance, students desiring to transfer credits may make this request upon application to their chosen program. Upon approval, degree students may transfer up to a maximum of nine semester hours or parallel courses (determined by BU) from accredited institutions. These courses will be applied towards completing the degree requirements of the program. However, no courses will be transferred in which a grade less than a B was earned. Pass/fail grades are not acceptable.

Pennsylvania Requirements for Certification

(As taken from the PDE website *)

• Provides verification of three years of relevant professional experience. For the purpose of this section, relevant professional experience is “professional experience in an educational setting that is related to the instructional process.”
• Completes a Pennsylvania-approved, graduate-level principal certification program that includes an internship/practicum or an equivalent out-of-state program. A 3.0 program Grade Point Average (GPA) is required.
• Provides evidence of satisfactory achievement on the Pennsylvania required test.

(*) Please see the PDE website for additional requirements for PDE certification and for any updates as certification requirements may change over time.

Important note regarding out-of-state licensure/certification:

Bloomsburg University is approved to offer Education programs that lead to certification in Pennsylvania. While we regularly monitor licensure/certification laws in each state, state requirements are subject to change without notice. If you are interested in certification outside of Pennsylvania, we encourage you to contact the appropriate state licensing agency to seek guidance and verify requirements before beginning a program and during your program of study. Please visit http://intranet.bloomu.edu/state-authorization and http://www2.ed.gov for more information. If you are planning to teach in New Jersey, please note that you may be required to complete the edTPA, a performance based assessment. It is strongly recommended that you contact the school district(s) of interest and the New Jersey Department of Education for more information specific to New Jersey.