Post-Master's Principal Certification Program
About This Program
UTA’s Post-Master's Principal Certification Program is a fully online, accelerated certification-only program designed exclusively for applicants who already hold a master's degree. This 18-credit-hour, non-thesis program equips working educators with the skills and credentials needed to become effective school and instructional leaders. Designed with the flexibility needed by working educators, this 100% online program allows students to balance professional responsibilities while advancing their careers. The accelerated format enables completion in as few as 12 months, providing a streamlined pathway to principal certification.
Students are challenged to explore innovative ways to lead school-level organizations, develop coaching and mentoring skills, promote a healthy organizational culture and climate, and ethically engage their communities—all in the service of student well-being and achievement. Coursework covers key leadership areas such as instructional leadership, human capital, data-driven decision-making, and organizational management in diverse school settings.
Our students combine their theoretical and applied learning through field-based practicums, where they apply their learning in real school settings under the guidance of experienced mentors. This hands-on experience allows them to navigate the complexities of school leadership while receiving valuable feedback and support.
Program graduates are prepared for roles such as principal, assistant principal, instructional leader, and district administrator. With an emphasis on ethical leadership, community engagement, and continuous school improvement, this program empowers educators to lead with vision, integrity, purpose, and passion in today’s evolving educational landscape.
Competencies
- Candidates will be able to articulate and utilize standard practices for educators in the area of specialization, which include professional ethical conduct, practices, and performance.
- Candidates will be able to provide instructional leadership to support educators in designing clear, well-organized, sequential, engaging, and flexible learning experiences that reflect best practices, align with standards and related content, are appropriate for diverse learners, and address all required accommodations and modifications.
- Candidates will be able to demonstrate strategic leadership by guiding a collaborative team to identify a critical need, implement an action plan, monitor progress, and drive school improvement.
- Candidates will be able to analyze campus data, assess school culture and staff attitudes toward data-driven instruction, and develop a comprehensive improvement plan with actionable strategies to enhance instructional and assessment practices.
Admissions Criteria
Admission to the Principal Certification Program is competitive, and some qualified applicants may not be admitted if demand exceeds the program’s capacity to serve all applicants. All applicants/students must meet university, college, department, and Texas Administrative Code qualifications in order to participate in educator preparation programs. Out-of-state students will not qualify for Texas educator certification.
Program areas have additional requirements, including documents for TEA reporting: 1) a written response to the given prompt (fulfills “other screening instrument” as required by The Texas Education Agency), and 2) completion of Attestation and FERPA forms. In addition, some programs require access to an approved or accredited PK-12 setting. The overall grade point average (GPA) of each incoming class admitted between September 1 and August 31 of each year by an educator preparation program (EPP) may not be less than 3.0 on a four-point scale or the equivalent. Certification programs have additional TAC requirements for GPA (used by the program in addition to, not in lieu of, the requirements stated above).
For certification-eligible candidates, per 19 TAC 228.40, (d), "an EPP shall determine the readiness of each candidate to take the appropriate certification examination of content, pedagogy, and professional responsibilities, including professional ethics and standards of conduct. An EPP shall not grant test approval for a certification examination until a candidate has met all of the requirements for admission to the EPP and has been contingently or formally admitted into the EPP. An EPP may make test approval contingent on a candidate completing additional coursework and/or training to show that the candidate is prepared to pass the test if the candidate is seeking test approval from the EPP in an area where the standards and/or test changed since the candidate completed the EPP or if the candidate has returned to the EPP for test approval five or more years following the academic year of completion."
Unconditional Admission Criteria
- Master’s degree
- Two or more years of creditable teaching experience.
- Verification of employment if service records do not reflect present employment location.
- A valid teaching certificate
- Graduate transcripts with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
- Two professional letters of recommendation, one of which should be from a current or former principal or assistant principal.
Probationary Admission Criteria
- Applicants who meet the unconditional requirements but have less than two years of creditable classroom teaching experience may be granted probationary admission. The faculty admissions committee may require additional documents (e.g., GRE scores) for consideration.
- Students granted probationary admission must maintain a 3.0 GPA (B or better) in the first nine credit hours of graduate coursework in the College of Education program to be moved from probationary to unconditional status.
Deferred Admission
An applicant’s admission may be deferred when a file is not complete or when denying admission is not appropriate.
Denial of Admission
An applicant may be denied admission if the conditions for unconditional or probationary admission are not met. In addition, if a student was suspended or expelled from the University of Texas at Arlington or any other university or program for reasons other than academic, that student may be denied admission or readmission to an educator preparation program in the UTA College of Education.
Criminal History Acknowledgement
As required by Texas HB1508, applicants need to be aware of the following:
- In order to receive educator certification in Texas, you must pass a criminal history background check.
- If you have been convicted of an offense that is considered not appropriate for an educator, you could be ineligible to earn this certification from the state of Texas.
- You have a right to request a preliminary criminal history evaluation (https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Investigations/ Preliminary_Criminal_History_Evaluation-FAQs/) letter from the Texas Education Agency prior to admission into this program. The Texas Education Agency currently charges a non-refundable $50 fee for this criminal history evaluation.
Curriculum
| Foundations | ||
| EDAD 5381 | GOVERNANCE, POLITICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF EDUCATION | 3 |
| EDAD 5383 | THE PRINCIPALSHIP | 3 |
| EDAD 5384 | RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATION | 3 |
| Practicum | ||
| EDAD 5389 | ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICUM | 3 |
| EDAD 5330 | LEADERSHIP IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL SETTING PRACTICUM | 3 |
| EDAD 5399 | CAPSTONE PRACTICUM IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY STUDIES | 3 |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
Program Completion
Time to Certification
Coursework that is more than five years old cannot be used toward state certification requirements for licensure (further restrictions may apply, depending on program).
Professional Dispositions
Each student/candidate in the College of Education will be evaluated on professional dispositions by the faculty and staff. These dispositions are identified as essential for a highly-qualified professional. Instructors and program directors will work with students/ candidates rated as “unacceptable” in one or more stated criteria. The student/candidate will have an opportunity to develop a plan to remediate any digressions. If digression(s) are not, or cannot be successfully remediated as in the case of an egregious digression, a determination will be made by committee on continuation or dismissal from the College of Education.
Educator Preparation Program Guidelines
For certification-eligible candidates, per 19 TAC 228.40, (d) an Educator Preparation Program (EPP) shall determine the readiness of each candidate to take the appropriate certification examination of content, pedagogy, and professional responsibilities, including professional ethics and standards of conduct. An EPP shall not grant test approval for a certification examination until a candidate has met all of the requirements for admission to the EPP and has been contingently or formally admitted into the EPP. An EPP may make test approval contingent on a candidate completing additional coursework and/or training to show that the candidate is prepared to pass the test if the candidate is seeking test approval from the EPP in an area where the standards and/or test changed since the candidate completed the EPP or if the candidate has returned to the EPP for test approval five or more years following the academic year of completion.