K-12 Principal Certification

If you aspire to a career as an elementary or secondary school principal, our 27-credit K-12 Principal Certification program will prepare you for taking on an essential leadership role within your district.

Program Snapshot

Program Type Format Credit Hours
Certification Online 27

Why Study Educational Leadership at Wilkes?

The Wilkes program is designed to be challenging yet practical for working educators who wish to pursue career paths as administrators within their districts. Our program’s mission is to prepare visionary leaders with demonstrated potential to fill the need that exists within public schools for qualified principals to improve the achievement of all students. We believe that a strong foundation in educational leadership and implementation of research-based practices in curriculum, instruction, and assessment can lead to better educational outcomes.

What Will You Learn as an Educational Leadership Student?

  • You’ll explore essential administrative skills needed to make decisions, and
  • After building upon a foundation of the principal’s role as an educational leader, you’ll take courses in school law, school management and communications, and staff development and supervision.
  • You’ll have the ability to apply your knowledge and gain experience as part of an administrative internship and applied research project.

Thank you for your interest in Wilkes University's Graduate Education programs! To learn more about our program please complete the form. If you have questions, or wish to discuss your education goals, please contact:

Tori Reigle
tori.reigle@wilkes.edu
(570) 408-4311

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Program Highlights

Convenient Online Learning

All coursework is online, giving our students the flexibility they need to complete the program while actively working in their districts. Field work will be completed within your own district under the supervision of your instructor and a mentoring principal.

Learning from Education Leaders

All of our program instructors are also practitioners who can offer real world experiences and actionable insights you can begin applying in your current position.  In your field experiences, you’ll get actionable insight into what it’s like to work at a higher level of administration.

Complete Your Master's Degree

With only three additional courses in intercultural communication, educational research, and technology leadership, you can earn your master’s degree in Educational Leadership alongside your K-12 Principal certification.

Tuition & Aid

Tuition for graduate programs in education for the 2023-24 academic year is $554 per credit, or $1,662 per course. Deferment is available for employers who reimburse tuition and financial aid is available for those who qualify.

Careers & Outcomes

Graduates of our K-12 Principal Certification program are well prepared to take on principal and assistant principal roles within their districts while applying research-based best practices in curriculum, instruction, and assessment to better serve the needs of their students.

Job Titles: Principal, Vice Principal, Assistant Principal, Building Principal

Certification and Program Completion

Consistent participation in the cohort will enable students to become eligible for PA K-12 principal certification. Should you wish, you may pursue a Master of Science in Educational Leadership degree, which consists of 36 credits, by taking an additional 9 credits within the program.

Candidates will be recommended to the PDE for K-12 principal certification upon the completion of the 27-credit certification program as listed below:

  • Successful completion of the EDLS Online Program of study, which includes fulfilling the required 360 hours of supervised field and intern experiences in K-12 schools as embedded in the program of study
  • A passing score on the School Leadership Licensure Assessment for principal certification (Praxis 6990- Passing Score is 151)
  • Three years of professional school experience at the time of application for certification
  • Submission of completed TIMS online application for certification