Licensing for educational administrators

Program requirements

Curriculum

For students accepted into the certificate in PK-12 administration program summer 2006 or later, 20-22 credits are required for each license. The program offers a variety of courses specifically designed to address the competencies required for each license. Evening courses are available to accommodate the schedules of practicing administrators. On average, most students complete the program in one to two years. To view a full listing of the courses scheduled, please go to Class schedules and course descriptions.

Required for all licenses

• EDPA 5385—Licensure Seminar (1 credit)
• EDPA 5386—Portfolio Seminar (1 credit)
• EDPA 5324—Financial Management in Secondary-Elementary Education (3 credits)
• EDPA 5344—Legal Aspects of Elementary & Secondary Education (3 credits)
• EDPA 5348—Administration of Human Resources (2 credits)
• EDPA 5387—Administration of Teaching & Learning (2 credits)
• EDPA 5310—Data Driven Decision Making I (1 credit)
• EDPA 5391—Special Education Law (1 credit)
• EDPA 5396—Field Experience in PK-12 Administration (3 credits per licensure area)

Licensure-specific course requirements

K-12 principal

• EDPA 5321—The Principalship (3 credits)
• EDPA 5388—Master(ful) Schedule Building (2 credits)

School superintendent

• EDPA 5322—School Superintendency (3 credits)
• EDPA 5080—School Finance Elections (1 credits)

Director of special education

• EDPA 5368—Special Services Policy & Administration (3 credits)
• EDPA 5080—Special Education Finance (1 credit)
• EDPA 5321—The Principalship is strongly recommended for this licensure area

Director of community education

• EDPA 5389—Administration of Community Education (3 credits)
• EDPA 5080—Community Education Law & Finance (1 credit)
• Choose one from the following:
  • EDPA 5387—Administration of Teaching and Learning (2 credits)
  • PA 5490—Topics in Social Policy: Increasing School/Family/Community Collaborations (3 credits)
• PRE-ASSESSMENT: Additional course or experiential requirements may be determined through the pre-assessment completed as part of EDPA 5385—Licensure Seminar (1 credit).

Additional requirements

Further requirements for all licenses

• Completion of a human relations course (EPSY 5135 Human Relations Workshop, 4 credits). Generally this is completed prior to the licensure program and is required to obtain a teaching license in Minnesota.
• An electronic portfolio presented to a review panel made up of representatives from the University and licensed practitioners.

Further requirements: K-12 principal & superintendent

• Possess or complete three years of teaching experience
• 60 credits beyond a bachelor’s degree to include a graduate degree
• Graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
• 320 hours of field experience

Further requirements: director of special education

• Possess or complete two years of teaching experience in a special education field
• 60 credits beyond a bachelor’s degree to include a graduate degree
• Graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
• 200 hours of field experience

Further requirements: director of community education

• A bachelor’s degree plus 20 credits
• Undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or higher including a minimum 3.0 GPA during the past two years of the degree
• 200 hours of field experience

Licensure through non-certificate option

In some cases students may enroll in the non-certificate program. This option is available only with approval of an adviser and only if the candidate is

• already licensed as an educational administrator in Minnesota and seeking an additional license,
• a licensed and experienced administrator from another state,
• or has completed extensive coursework in educational administration.

Under this option candidates must complete a minimum of 7-11 credits through the University of Minnesota as well as other requirements as specified.

Alternative licensure requirements

There is a route to licensure for aspiring principals and superintendents who want to become licensed but who have no teaching experience. Such candidates must demonstrate an equivalency to one year of teaching experience and complete CI 5155—Contemporary Approaches to Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in addition to the licensure requirements listed above. For further information on this route toward an administrative license, please contact us at licensure@umn.edu.

December 2007