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Principal's Certification Program (ELPS)

Program Description:

Temple's Principal Certification Program prepares individuals to serve as principals and assistant principals, provides insight into the purposes and processes of schools, as well as the expertise necessary to lead and administer a school community.

Approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, this program meets state educational requirements for certification as a principal.

Students who successfully complete all program requirements will, at the same time, satisfy the academic requirements for an administrative certificate in Pennsylvania.

Students who successfully complete all requirements for the program at Temple, and successfully passed the School Leaders Licensure Assessment Praxis test, he/she will have satisfied the academic requirements for a Principal Certificate in Pennsylvania. Temple University will endorse the successful candidate for certification.

Students who complete the program will be certified to serve as a school principal (K-12). To be eligible for a principal’s certificate, one must first be certified as a professional educator, and acquire (5) five years of satisfactory experience.

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Required Core Courses:

Specific Program Requirements include:

Administrative Core:

  • ED ADM 5505: Introduction to Administration & Supervision
  • ED ADM 5503: The Principalship
  • ED ADM 5513: Supervision
  • ED ADM 9189: Field Experience (elementary) (the above three courses are perquisites)
  • ED ADM 9289: Field Experience (secondary)

Specialization Courses: (two courses from among the following):

  • ED ADM 5615: Gender Studies
  • ED ADM 5063: Educational Reform
  • ED ADM 5641: Finance and Business Management
  • ED ADM 5651: Planning and Utilization of Facilities
  • ED ADM 5661: Personnel Administration
  • ED ADM 5671: Public Relations
  • ED ADM 5771: School Law
  • ED ADM 5715: Instructional Leadership
  • ED ADM 5746: Management of School Fiscal Affairs
  • ED ADM 8785: Collective Negotiations

General Electives:

  • SUP CER 5601: Assessment of Curriculum and Instruction

Candidates must complete a field experience as part of the program. Candidates must receive a satisfactory evaluation from the supervisor or administrator most familiar with performance demonstrated during the field experience.

Five years of satisfactory professional experience (under proper certification) must be completed in teaching. (This is a Pennsylvania Department of Education requirement).

Students must pass the Praxis test. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule him / herself for this test and arrange to have the results reported to Temple and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Admission Requirements:

The criteria for admission to the Principal Certification program include:

  1. A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
  2. A Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate.
  3. Master’s degree (or Master’s equivalency) from an accredited institution.
  4. A satisfactory recommendation on a Temple University form from the applicant’s immediate superior (administrator or supervisor).

The applicant shall secure, complete, and send in the following to the address listed below:

Contact Information:

For more information about this program, contact:

Marcia Whitaker, Office Manager
phone: (215) 204-8063
email: marcia.whitaker@temple.edu
office location: Ritter Hall 248

Department of Education Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS)
College of Education
Temple University 003-00
1301 Cecil B. Moore Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19122