The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis offers two programs to obtain both a Master’s degree and endorsement for Principal licensure. Our K-12 Leadership MS program is a face-to-face program taught on the UW–Madison campus. The Wisconsin Idea Principal Preparation MS program is a fully online program.
The programs emphasize
- Development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are essential for leaders who support learning for all students.
- General themes of individual socialization, instructional leadership, and integrative leadership clusters.
- Knowledge and skills in the DPI administrative standards with a strong instructional leadership focus.
- Training in data-based decision-making, resource reallocation, instructional and cultural leadership, professional development and evaluation, and legal aspects of administrative practice.
Students in our Master’s programs develop a portfolio of their work throughout their program that is used formatively to help shape learning opportunities and summatively to assess readiness for administrative work. Graduates serve as administrators in public and private schools throughout the state in diverse settings. They also serve in state and national leadership roles to strengthen and enhance learning outcomes for all students.
Additional courses are offered for the Director of Instruction and the Director of Special Education and Pupil Services licensure.
The requirements for superintendent licensure are also available.
Additional Resources
Principal Certification
The principalship provides the foundational coursework for all administrative licenses and focuses on instructional leadership and data-based decision-making. The requirements for a principal certificate are built into the degree requirements of two of our master’s degree cohort programs.
If seeking certification only, the same program requirements are required.
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Adding the Director of Instruction Certification
If someone does not hold a principal license, all courses required for principal certification plus the two additional courses listed below (860 and 875). If seeking a director of instruction license as an initial administrative license, a 150-hour field experience is required.
If someone currently holds a principal license, adding the director of instruction license requires completion of the two additional courses listed below (860 and 875) plus a 75-hour field experience. The additional courses are:
- ELPA 860: Organizational Theory and Behavior in Education
Theoretical constructs and empirical research relating to administering organizations in education. Emphasis on administrative behavior with special attention to planning and organizational improvement. - ELPA 875: Theory and Practice of Educational Planning
Theory, research and practice in advanced program planning and evaluation involving elementary, secondary and higher and post-secondary education. - Enrollment in 2 credits of ELPA 900 is required when adding each additional administrative license beyond a principal license.
Adding the Director of Special Education and Pupil Services Certification
If someone does not hold a principal license, all courses required for principal certification plus the two additional courses listed below (835 and 842). If seeking a director of special education and pupil services license as an initial administrative license, a 150-hour field experience is required.
If someone currently holds a principal license, adding the director of special education and pupil services license requires completion of the two additional courses listed below (835 and 842) plus enrollment in a 75-hour field experience. The additional courses are:
- ELPA 835: Leadership for Inclusive Schooling
Examines historical and organizational context of special education administration at the federal, state and local levels. Includes policy implementation, constituency management, coordination, communication, and current issues. - ELPA 842: Legal Foundations of Special Education and Pupil Services
Legal requirements and issues relative to special education and pupil services programs; special education, juvenile justice, programs for English language learners, programs for children who are homeless; examination of applicable federal and state statutes and case law. - Enrollment in 2 credits of ELPA 900 is required when adding each additional administrative license beyond a principal license.
Superintendent Certification
Superintendent certification requires enrollment in a PhD program and completion of all coursework and preliminary exams (approved dissertation proposal).
If seeking superintendent certification in Wisconsin, the candidate must hold or be eligible to hold a principal (51) license.
License-specific coursework must be included in a PhD program. The courses are:
- ELPA 846: The Superintendency
- ELPA 860: Organizational Theory and Behavior in Education
- ELPA 870: The Politics of Education
- ELPA 875: Theory and Practice of Educational Planning
- ELPA 960: Seminar in Educational Finance
- A 75-hour practicum is also required.