Principal Licensure
GC
Why study Principal Licensure?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of K-12 principals is expected to grow at a slower rate than most professions. Despite this limited job growth, it is estimated that in the next decade 40 percent of today’s principals will retire (National Association of Secondary School Principals, n.d.). This shortage has created a two prong dilemma. The first is the perception that the shortages are driven by “demands for a new and different kind of school principal” (Roza, Celio, Harvey, & Wishon, 2003). The expectations of school leaders have taken a dramatic shift in recent years: Building principals are now expected to be instructional experts, who can improve student outcomes and turn failing schools around in short periods of time (Maxwell, 2014; Council of Chief State School Officers, 2015).
Obtaining the Graduate Certificate for Principal Licensure will allow individuals that have more experience and expertise expedite the process to become a licensed principal, thus being able to take on a leadership position.
Admission Requirements
Candidates who wish to apply to the Principal Licensure graduate certificate program must meet the following requirements:
- Prerequisite Degree - The applicant must possess a Master's degree from an accredited college or university.
- Minimum GPA - The applicant must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in an approved Bachelor degree and Master's degree.
- Letters of Recommendation-All applicants must submit three letters of recommendation. One of the three letters must be from an immediate supervisor that can address the applicant’s formal teaching evaluations.
- Goal Statement- Goal statement indicating career goals and area of concentration of interest.
Application Deadline and Procedures
Prospective students will complete the on-line application for their requested program by the posted application deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials and support documents are successfully submitted. Incomplete applications will not be processed or reviewed.
Transcripts:
Providing academic records during the application process. All applicants are required to upload their unofficial transcripts during the application process. The university defines “unofficial” transcripts as transcripts that have been in the hands of students, are typically printed on plain paper, and do not have a college seal or registrar's signature. Applicants should NOT send official transcripts as part of the application process.
Providing academic records after admission. Once an applicant has been extended an offer of admission to the University of Cincinnati and has accepted the offer, s/he must submit an official transcript showing conferral of a baccalaureate degree or higher as soon as possible to the address below. The university defines “official” transcripts as transcripts that have been received from a secure, authenticated issuing institution and bears validation (e.g., a seal, logo, or watermark), including a date, and an appropriate signature. Official transcripts MUST be sent forward in their original, sealed envelope. The absolute final deadline for submission of official transcripts is one week before the start of the student’s first semester. Students will NOT be allowed to complete a full semester without providing verification of an earned baccalaureate degree or higher. Any discrepancy later found between student-provided unofficial transcripts and official transcripts will be grounds for dismissal. Official Transcripts should be sent to one of the following addresses:
Regular U.S. postal mail:
Graduate School
University of Cincinnati
110 Van Wormer Hall
P.O. Box 210627
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0627
Delivery via parcel delivery service (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.):
Graduate School
University of Cincinnati
2614 University Circle
P.O. Box 210627, 110 Van Wormer Hall
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0627
UC Alumni
Students who have received degrees from the University of Cincinnati do not need to submit official paper copies of their UC transcripts.
Students with degrees received in China
Applicants who have received degrees in China will upload their unofficial transcripts during the application process. The university defines “unofficial” transcripts as transcripts that have been in the hands of students, are typically printed on plain paper, and do not have a college seal or registrar's signature. Unofficial transcripts do NOT need to be verified at this stage of the application process.
After being accepted to join a graduate program
Applicants who have earned a degree in China must submit an English-version verification report from the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC) of their final transcripts and degree certificates. All verification reports must be sent to the University of Cincinnati directly by the CDGDC to be considered official. No other verification will be accepted. Applicants with Chinese transcripts must contact the CDGDC after their degree is completed and request that their degree verification report be submitted directly to the University of Cincinnati. Students who request a verification report prior to degree conferral will be required to submit a second report after conferral.
Verification reports can be ordered at the following websites:
- Chinese: http://cqv.chinadegrees.cn/cn/
- English: http://www.chinadegrees.cn/en/
Verification reports are due to the Graduate School one week prior to the start of the student’s first semester. Failure to submit verification reports on time will result in a student being placed in non-matriculated status and loss of his/her student visa status. Verification reports should be sent to one of the following addresses:
Regular U.S. postal mail:
Graduate School
University of Cincinnati
110 Van Wormer Hall
P.O. Box 210627
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0627
Delivery via parcel delivery service (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.):
Graduate School
University of Cincinnati
2614 University Circle
P.O. Box 210627, 110 Van Wormer Hall
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0627
Successful candidates for this graduate certificate should possess the following attributes:
- Can work with people from across varying cultural, social, economic, and religious backgrounds
- Results oriented
- Collaborative
- Can focus on multiple tasks/projects at one time
- Experience with a wide range of technology
- Believes that all children can learn
Graduates of this program will be prepared for the careers listed below. All opportunities may not be listed.
All students are assigned a faculty advisor.
Before a candidate can graduate, he or she must meet the following requirements:
- Be registered for at least one credit in their program in the academic year, after having met minimum degree course requirements to be considered a graduate candidate throughout the academic year.
- Have all NG, N, I, UP, SP and F grades removed for degree courses.
- Posting of satisfactory grades for the semester of graduation.
- Satisfactory completion of all applicable College and program requirements as provided by the major advisor, filling out the Checklist for Completion of College/Departmental Requirements for Graduation and sending it to the Graduate School.
On a case-by-case basis, a student may petition to have graduate credit from an accredited college or university counted as the equivalent of another course in the curriculum and accepted as transfer credit. In such cases, a student will have to supply a course syllabus to ensure that the content in the course taken at another university is equivalent to the content of the course in the Principal Licensure graduate certificate. A course with a similar name or the same name as a course offered at the University of Cincinnati does not necessarily mean that the content of the course is similar enough to accept it as transfer credit to our program.
Students may transfer up to 50% of graduate credit from an accredited college or university. Courses taken outside an accredited college or university—such as non-credit professional development—will not be accepted. Only courses with grades of B or higher will be considered for transfer. No credit is given for previous work history. Courses taken more than 7 years prior to a student’s entrance into the program will not be accepted as transfer credit.
Speakers of English as Second Language: If an applicant’s first language is not English, he or she must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or another comparable test unless he/she has previous degrees from higher education institutions in the United States. The recommended test scores are: 92-93 for Internet-based TOEFL; 237 for Computer-based TOEFL; 580 Paper-based TOEFL; 6.5 for IELTS; and 62-63 for PTE. The test must be taken within two years prior to application to the program.
Application Deadlines
| Admission Term | Application Deadline | Notification By |
| Fall | July 1 | August 1 |
| Spring | November 15 | December 15 |
| Summer | April 1 | April 15 |
Contact Information
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Program Code: 18GC-PRIN-GC-.PRIN-DL