Principal as Instructional Leader Certification

Program Overview

Principal as Instructional Leader Certification

Program Overview

The Principal as Instructional Leader Certification program is a graduate-level certification offered by the University of North Texas. The program is designed to inspire educational leaders with new ideas and open doors to opportunities. It emphasizes current theory and research to inform educational leaders as they make decisions regarding positive school culture, effective teaching practices, and student achievement.

Program Details

• Program Type: Graduate Academic Certificate
• Format: Online
• Estimated Time to Complete: 2-3 semesters
• Credit Hours: 21

Program Highlights

• The program has available start dates in January, March, June, August, and October for a total of five opportunities each year.
• The courses in this program are offered as part of the Accelerated Online Program with all classes in the 8-week format except for the internship in educational leadership, which is a full semester.
• You'll learn about curriculum and instruction; education law; resource management; differentiation to promote the success of all students; approaches for working well with parents and the community; and methods for building human capacity and positive school culture.
• The courses include many opportunities for practical application, and the internship in educational leadership gives you hands-on experience in school leadership and management.
• The program focuses on the skills required for campus-level and central office administration. We help prepare candidates for the Texas Examination of Education Standards (TExES) for a principal certification.
• Earn your Texas Principal as Instructional Leader certification in less than one year.

Program Courses

• Organizational Change and School Improvement (3 hrs)
  • School change and improvement from the perspectives of classical/rational organizational theory, open systems theory, contingency theory, and social systems theories.
• Instructional Leadership (3 hrs)
  • Study of instructional leadership as it relates to the improvement of instruction, effective schools, and ongoing effective program delivery by personnel.
• Educational Leadership Applications (3 hrs)
  • Comprehensive view of educational leadership with an emphasis on the application of leadership competencies.
• Professional Development and Supervision (3 hrs)
  • Provides students with the knowledge, interpersonal skills, and technical skills to supervise human resource activities at the building level.
• Administration of the K–12 Curriculum (3 hrs)
  • Examines the interaction among curriculum, instruction, and assessment at site, district, and national levels.
• Campus-Level School Law (3 hrs)
  • Provides an understanding of important constitutional, statutory, administrative, and case law as it pertains to the everyday operation of schools in Texas.