Grow your skills and knowledge for assistant principal and initial leadership positions in Georgia. As you expand your opportunities and impact, you’ll gain the tools to shape educational environments and empower students to thrive.
Locations
- Online
Why Earn Educational Leadership Tier I Certification at Georgia Southern?
- Flexible online program you can complete in your current role.
- Qualify for Tier I Educational Leadership certification.
- Complete in one year with just two courses per term.
- A cohort model helps you connect with fellow students and build your professional network.
Advance in your career and prepare to thrive in administrative positions at the assistant principal level through Georgia Southern University’s Educational Leadership Tier I Certification program. Designed for those who already hold a Master of Education (M.Ed.) and a Level 5 or higher professional Georgia certificate, this efficient 18-credit program builds on your knowledge and experience with graduate-level instruction in the principles, practices and tools of modern school leadership.
Utilizing an inquiry approach, courses help you identify the challenges and problems you’ll face and equip you to investigate them and develop practical solutions. You’ll strengthen your expertise as an educator, flourish as a leader and acquire new confidence as you look toward greater influence in your school or district.
Ready to Apply?
What Can You Do With Educational Leadership Tier I Certification?
Qualify for initial educational leadership positions, including assistant principal and Local Unit of Administration (LUA) staff roles, and lay the groundwork for the next stage of your career.
Where our graduates work:
- Public school districts
- Private schools
What our graduates do:
- Assistant principal
- Curriculum director
- Instructional coordinator
- School administrator
What You’ll Learn
In the leadership professional core, you’ll examine the legal context and ethical issues relevant to building an inclusive school climate and explore the Code of Ethics for Georgia Educators. Alongside your coursework, you’ll apply and analyze the material you’re learning through 250 hours of supervised field experience, developing an evidence-based portfolio to showcase your expertise.
The program contains three courses leading to the Teacher Leader Endorsement (TLE). During this sequence, you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of how to utilize data to improve student outcomes and study the principles and models for successful school leadership in a contemporary setting.
See the CurriculumSupervised Field Experience
Through 250 hours of supervised experience involving observation, reflection and implementation in your present work setting, you’ll build a portfolio demonstrating professional competence and solidify your grasp of course theories and concepts.
Want to Learn More?
Explore essential information about our Educational Leadership Tier I Certification, including application details, accreditation status, and licensing disclosures. Gain insight into the program’s credibility and requirements to help you start your journey toward success with the knowledge you need.
The Educational Leadership Tier I Certification-Only program is open to those with a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) on all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework.
You must also possess a professional Georgia Level 5 certificate or higher in a teaching, service or leadership field.
To apply, please submit:
- An online application. (There is a $50 non-refundable application fee.)
- A statement of purpose, not to exceed 200 words, that identifies your reasons for pursuing graduate study and how admission into the program relates to your professional aspirations.
- A current résumé or CV that highlights your personal and professional achievements. You must be employed in a P-12 school setting to complete the required field experience hours.
- The Principal’s Assurance Form.
- A passing score on the state-required Georgia Educator Ethics for Educational Leadership Assessment.
- A completed “Disclosure and Affirmation Form” that addresses misconduct disclosure, the Code of Ethics for Educators and tort liability insurance. (This is included within the online application.)
International transcripts must be evaluated by a NACES-accredited evaluation service and must be a course-by-course evaluation and include a GPA.
Application Deadline
Students are admitted to begin the program only in the fall term. The application deadline is July 1.
Your application and all required documents, including transcripts, must be received by the deadline.
Provisional Admission
Applicants may be approved for provisional admission based on the quality of the admission material presented. Provisional students must earn grades of “B” or higher in their first nine (9) hours of coursework after admission and meet any other stipulations outlined by the Department to be converted to regular status.
Program Contact Information
Graduate Academic Services Center
gasc@georgiasouthern.edu
912-478-1447
At Georgia Southern, enjoy the flexibility of fully online courses that fit within your busy schedule as an educator. Online instructors weave interactive experiences into each lesson, ensuring you engage at a deeper level.
Learn More About Online ProgramsFor All Online Programs
Federal law requires colleges and universities to make certain disclosures to prospective students of these programs. These disclosures include information on the University’s authority to operate outside of Georgia, complaint processes, adverse actions and refunds.
For required disclosures in general with regard to online programs offered by the University, visit the Office of Legal Affairs website.
Georgia Southern’s Educational Leadership Tier I Certification-Only program is an approved program of study by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) and meets the PSC’s requirements for Tier I Educational Leadership certification and is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
The Department of Leadership, Technology and Human Development anticipates that graduates of the Certificate program who have passed the GACE Educational Leadership Content Assessment will be eligible to seek professional Georgia leadership certification by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission as a certified Tier I leader in their respective fields.
The Department has not determined whether these programs satisfy the requirements of all states and territories for certification in Educational Leadership.
Faculty Feature
Georgia Southern students learn from experienced faculty like Professor Juliann Sergi McBrayer. In a career spanning P-12 to higher education leadership, she has led program development initiatives and published research on purposeful, collaborative, and sustainable professional learning, specifically school safety, restorative discipline, and educator mental health and well-being.
About Professor Rahimi
Take the Next Step
Access the training you need to move into leadership positions through Georgia Southern’s certification-only pathway.
Contact Us
EDLD Academic Advisor-Tier I Certificate Teacher Leadership Endorsement and M.Ed. Educational Leadership
Stacy Davis
stacydavis@georgiasouthern.edu