Superintendent Certification Program in Education Administration (ELPS)

Program Description:

For superintendent and assistant superintendent candidates, the certification programs provide advanced professional studies which enable them to increase their competence as educators and to develop leadership skills. The superintendent´s certification program at Temple has the approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. When a student has successfully completed all requirements for the program, he/she automatically meets the academic requirements of the state. The Department of Educational Administration will endorse the successful candidate for certification; the Pennsylvania Department of Education will officially grant the certificate.

(Please note: Not all courses are available at the Harrisburg campus. Some courses would need to be taken at Fort Washington or Main campus)

Program Requirements

The certification program entails a minimum of seventy graduate hours. The number may be greater, depending on the number of courses taken in one´s graduate program that may be applied to certification. The program involves study in a number of prescribed areas. Minimum course and semester hour requirements are specified in each area; other courses may be elected from a broad spectrum of offerings.

The student´s program involves at least 12 semester hours of general administration research, and field experience; at least 24 semester hours in the area of instruction and curriculum, funds and facilities, school-community relationships, and personnel; at least 18 semester hours in academic fields; and remaining course work taken with the advisor´s approval.

After the student has completed all course requirements for the certificate and has shown evidence of scholastic achievement, the advisor will process the application, forward it to the Dean´s Office, College of Education, which, in turn, will send it to Harrisburg. The candidate will receive his certificate in approximately two to three months.

Admission Requirements

Candidates for the superintendent´s letter of eligibility must hold a bachelor´s degree from an accredited institution and present a GPA of 3.0 or better. They must also hold or qualify to hold a Pennsylvania teaching certificate.

A completed application includes:

• Transcripts from all undergraduate or graduate schools attended
• Miller Analogy Test (MAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores at or exceeding Temple Graduate School standards for admission to a Master´s degree.

The applicant shall secure and complete one copy of each form: the "Application Information Sheet" and the "Certification Questionnaire." He/she shall assume responsibility for submitting official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate work.

When all application forms and transcripts have been received and all admissions criteria met, the applicant will be notified of his/her acceptance and be assigned an advisor. It is the student´s responsibility to schedule a meeting with his/her advisor to plan the total program.

Please submit complete application materials to:
Director of Certification Programs
College of Education
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Temple University (003-00)
Philadelphia, PA 19122