Students who have been fully admitted in the master's degree program with an emphasis in public school administration will automatically be completing the requirements for principal certification. The program consists of 33 hours of formal coursework and 3 credit hours professional internship, see Internship Guidelines. All requirements for the master's degree are approved by the State of Texas. Students also have an option to integrate these hours in a doctoral degree program. Refer to a sample degree plan for list of courses.

To be eligible for principal certification through the Department, individuals must:

• have a valid Texas teacher certificate;
• hold a master's degree;
• have a minimum of two years creditable classroom teaching experience;
• completed the approved courses designed for meeting the requirements of certification with this department and has successfully passed the TExES exam.

Should a student have a master's degree, we encourage him/her to seek alternative certification through his/her local region service center.

It is the responsibility of the individual to submit all required documentations to the academic advising office in order to be recommended for certification. Please refer to the academic forms link for detailed guidelines and forms. Upon successful completion of all requirements (coursework, internship and TExES exam), the student must:

• Complete the SBEC online certification application at www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline, click on "SBEC Online for Educators"
• Submit the principal certification course plan to the academic advising office;
• Submit copy of teacher certificate;
• Submit copy of teaching record showing at least two years full-time teaching;
• Submit copy of TExES scores;
• Complete the College of Education and Human Development Certification Office form (request form from the academic advising office);
• Indicate date of completing SBEC online application to academic advisor office 

The application packet will be forwarded to the CEHD Certification Coordinator and you will be notified by email from SBEC when your certificate has been approved.

Superintendent Certification

For individuals wishing to obtain superintendent certification, one must have at least a master's degree as well as principal certification. If an individual wishes to obtain superintendent certification without pursuing a graduate degree, one can complete the course requirements in a Non-Degree Admission (G6) status. For more information about this status, please contact the academic advising office. The course requirements consists of 12 credit hours of formal coursework and 3 credit hours professional internship above principal certification and must be courses not used for previous certification requirements. The required courses consist of the following:

• EDAD 615  School Superintendency
• EDAD 653  Nature and Problems of Administrative Behavior
• EDAD 684  Internship (see Internship Guidelines)
• Two electives of the student's choice

It is the responsibility of the individual to submit all required documentations to the academic advising office in order to be recommended for certification. Please refer to the academic forms link for detailed guidelines and forms. Upon successful completion of all required coursework for superintendent certification, the student must:

• Complete the SBEC online certification application at www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline, click on "SBEC Online for Educators"
• Submit the superintendent certification course plan to the academic advising office;
• Submit copy of TExES scores;
• Complete the College of Education and Human Development Certification Office form (request form from the academic advising office);
• Indicate date of completing SBEC online application to academic advisor office

The application packet will be forwarded to the CEHD Certification Coordinator and you will be notified by email from SBEC when your certificate has been approved.