Master's in School Administration

In Nebraska, you may be certified as a principal at the PK-8 or 7-12 level. Iowa requires a PK-12 endorsement to be certified as a principal. If you are in another state, you should check with your school administrator licensing agency to see which endorsement is required. To be eligible for administrator certification in Nebraska, you must have a master's degree in education and two years of verified successful teaching experience. If you are seeking certification for the first time in Nebraska, you may be required to complete additional course work in human relations and special education.

Initial Certification:
Upon degree or endorsement completion, you'll contact the WSC Certification Officer to process the application of an administrative and supervisory certificate with the added endorsement of Principal. The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) may impose requirements for certification beyond your program of study at WSC, including the receipt of a passing score on the ETS Praxis II exam Educational Leadership Administration and Supervision. Our program of study is designed to prepare you for such a test, but performance on that test may depend on many issues beyond the control of our department including but not limited to prior professional educational knowledge, teaching and administrative experiences, test-taking skills, and the candidate’s retention of course material. Typically, the Nebraska Administrative and Supervisory Certificate will be good for a period of five years.

Renewal of Certificate
Renewal of an administrative certificate will require successful experience as an administrator. If you have not succesfully completed experience as an administrator at the time of renewal, an additional six (6) graduate credit hours will be required by NDE. Students who have completed a P-8 or 7-12 degree may want to consider taking the additional 9 hours to advance their endorsement to the P-12 level prior to certificate renewal to meet NDE’s renewal requirements.