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Educational Leadership Endorsement Preparation Program

ENDORSEMENT PREPARATION PROGRAM Educational Leadership

Note: Currently this education certification program is not accepting new students. Instead we invite you to look at another online teaching master's degree option that can help you pursue your career goals. Students may not currently enroll in this degree program. Learn about your other options.

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WGU’s Teachers College was named the best value in teacher education by the National Council on Teacher Quality—among 1,100 programs nationwide.

Named best value among 1,100 programs nationwide by the National Council on Teacher Quality.

NCTQ #1 Best Value in U.S. for teaching programs

Your at home, online path from K–12 teacher to principal or other school leader.

Are you an experienced, licensed teacher with a master's degree who is eager to take on new challenges? Would you like to lead a school of your own?

This online program will prepare you to obtain the educational leadership endorsement many states require to become a school principal. The program is designed to enhance your expertise in governance, finance, law, leadership, and strategic planning. You will learn how to oversee teachers, develop and implement curriculum standards, and ensure your staff empowers students to achieve established academic goals. You'll also learn how to manage budgets, establish proper security, and work more effectively with parents, the public, and district administrators.

This program is not available in the following states: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The M.S. Educational Leadership program may be an alternative option for residents in some of these states.

67% of graduates finish in

12–22 mos.

WGU lets you move more quickly through material you already know and advance as soon as you're ready. The result: You may finish faster.
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Tuition per 6-month term is

$3,240

Tuition charged per term—rather than per credit—helps you control the ultimate cost of your degree. Finish faster, pay less!
See how time is money

Graduates who recommend WGU:

97%

The vast majority of alumni say WGU delivered on its promises. In fact, over 50% of students found WGU thanks to a friend's recommendation.
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Tuition as of January 1, 2020.

The endorsement you need to lead.

With the deep, comprehensive education you'll receive in this program, you will be ready to acquire the certifications necessary to assume the command role in an elementary, junior high, or high school setting. Consider this program an investment in yourself, your professional career, and the future of your students.

Learn more about our grads' careers
A highly relevant curriculum developed by K–12 education experts.

This online endorsement preparation program prepares licensed teachers to gain the additional certification and licensure required to lead K–12 schools in such roles as principal or vice principal.

Download Program Guide

WGU's online Endorsement Preparation Program in Educational Leadership was designed (and is regularly updated) with input from the experts on our Education Program Council. These experts know exactly what it takes for a graduate to earn a credential and succeed at leading K–12 environments.
Key Subject Areas

Your program consists of courses focused on educational leadership:

Student, Stakeholder, and Market Focus for Educational Leaders

Process Management for Educational Leaders

Practicum in Educational Leadership

Strategic Planning for Educational Leaders

Governance, Finance, Law, and Leadership for Principals

Comprehensive Educational Leadership Integration

Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management for Educational Leaders

Performance Excellence Criteria for Educational Leaders

Workforce Focus for Educational Leaders

See all courses
Areas of Study

The competencies you gain through this program will span these crucial topical areas:

Educational leadership

Governance, finance, and law

Management

Workforce focus and strategic planning

Practicum experience

Explore the curriculum
The WGU Difference

We reimagined the path to a degree. How it works for you:

It’s doable:
Efficient, flexible, individualized, and supportive, the WGU way to graduate puts you in the driver’s seat—allowing you to advance as quickly as you’re able.

It’s surprisingly affordable:
Low, flat-rate tuition combined with the opportunity to speed up your program allows you to control the cost of your education.

It’s absolutely worth it:
WGU’s method of measuring your master of core competencies is all about tangible, real-world results. Your degree tells employers you’re a proven asset.

See how we do it
A supported, personalized experience.

WGU is different from other online universities—in the best possible ways! Take a quick look at what we mean:

Faculty Learning Assessment In-Classroom Experience Alumni Support

Faculty

SUPPORTING YOU: Faculty focused on students.

An entire team of faculty members has one goal in mind: your success. Your Program Mentor is your individually assigned faculty member, providing regular program guidance and instruction from the day you start, to the day you graduate. In addition, Course Instructors provide regular, subject-matter instruction and support, typically one-on-one, throughout each course you take.

Learning

YOUR ROADMAP: A personalized learning plan.

Your program is made up of a series of courses, each a personalized journey toward subject mastery. A preassessment provides insight into what you already know. You’ll then learn what you still need to learn, using online learning resources—available 24/7—along with one-on-one or cohort-based faculty instruction.

Assessment

PROVE IT: Show you know your stuff.

WGU measures learning, not time, so each course in your program culminates in an assessment—a test, paper, project, or presentation that allows you to prove what you know. As soon as you’re ready, you take the assessment. Take proctored exams from the comfort of your own home—via webcam, any time of day!

In-Classroom Experience

REAL-WORLD: Experience in a classroom.

Most of your program will be completed online but all teacher licensure programs—and many graduate-level programs for already-licensed teachers—also include the opportunity to observe and practice in a K–12 classroom setting. We’ll help you set everything up at a school near you.

Alumni Support

ALWAYS a Night Owl: WGU for life.

Continued support after you graduate includes many opportunities for professional development and enrichment, career support, and networking. WGU Night Owls may be independent learners, but they also become highly engaged in our active alumni community through apps, groups, and events.

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The accreditation you need, plus industry respect and recognition.

One important measure of a degree’s value is the reputation of the university where it was earned. When employers, industry leaders, and academic experts hold your alma mater in high esteem, you reap the benefits of that respect. WGU is a pioneer in reinventing higher education for the 21st century, and our quality has been recognized.

Accredited

Western Governors University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), which provides the accreditation of many other major institutions, such as the University of Washington, University of Oregon, Gonzaga University, University of Utah, University of Idaho, and Brigham Young University, to name just a few.

Respected

“After graduating from WGU, and through all the rigor and quality of instruction that I received in the educational field, I was awarded Hawaii District Teacher of the Year in 2012.”
Amoreena Nestman
M.A. Teaching – Elementary Education

Recognized

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) in 2017 placed WGU’s Teachers College in the top 1% nationwide for the quality of its secondary teacher-preparation programs. This follows several other NCTQ recognitions, including the nation’s #1 best value for teacher education in 2015.

Accredited

Respected

Recognized

Our programs check all the boxes. If this degree is your goal, get started toward becoming a student today—programs start the first of each month.

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When we say affordable, we mean it.

$3,490

Tuition per 6-month term

+

+$445

Resource and Program Fees, per term

=

=$3,935

TOTAL PER TERM

+$65

One-time application fee

Apply FREE this week

Tuition rate effective August 1, 2021. $445 per-term fees include Resource Fee of $145 (covers all e-books and learning resources, saving you hundreds per term) and Program Fee of $300 (covers costs of supervised field experiences).
Control the cost of your program: Our tuition links cost to time.

By charging per term rather than per credit—and empowering students to accelerate through material they know well or learn quickly—WGU helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees.
Flat-rate tuition of $3,685 per term links cost to time.

By charging per 6-month term rather than per credit hour—and empowering students to accelerate through material they know well or can learn quickly—WGU helps students control the ultimate cost of their degrees.

Adjust the time and see your costs change

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Degree Cost Comparison*

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WGU

Earn your educational leadership endorsement for about half what you’d pay at another university.

Low tuition and the ability to accelerate make WGU more affordable than most other schools. When you compare us with other programs, WGU’s Endorsement Preparation Program in Educational Leadership offers rigorous curriculum with competitive post-graduation results for around half what you'd pay at another university—or even less.

*Estimates based on July 2017 WGU and comparable universities’ tuition data. Learn more about WGU's tuition and how it compares.

Transparent fees and no hidden costs.

The costs of attending college often include much more than tuition and fees. WGU is designed to be different, and that translates to cost savings everywhere from books to babysitting.

Other universities bury you in unexpected costs. Not WGU.

Click to explore the extra costs:

Tuition Books

Parking Gas

Library / resource fees Babysitter every week for
nighttime classes

WGU

Other online college

Traditional
4 year school

This demonstration shows how various costs—including official fees and incidental costs of attending school—can add up in different learning environments. It's meant as an illustration only.

Scholarships make our already low tuition even more affordable.

Please note that this program is not eligible for federal financial aid. However, many scholarship opportunities are available. Here are just a few you may be eligible to apply for:

$2,500

Teacher Appreciation Scholarship

$2,500

WGU Loves Teachers Scholarship

$2,500

K–12 Partner Scholarship

The affordable, flexible programs offered at WGU put high-quality education within your reach. Start working toward your future.

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Curriculum that ensures you’ve mastered the things K–12 leaders need to know.

Program consists of:
9 Courses
Total courses in program

An unofficial estimated 0 courses are fulfilled by your associate degree leaving 9 courses.
I have an associate degree Download the Program Guide

At WGU, we design our curriculum to be timely, relevant, and practical—all to ensure your degree is proof you really know your stuff.

Every course focuses on a set of clearly defined competencies that you must prove you’ve learned—through tests, papers, projects, or other assessments. Demonstrating mastery is how you pass a course, so learning what it takes to be outstanding in your career is at the heart of WGU’s educational leadership endorsement-prep curriculum.

That means that what you learn will be directly applicable in your K–12 leadership role—and in fueling student success. It’s all about real-world applicability so every moment spent studying is time well spent.

Courses in this program.

This program is made up of the following courses. You will typically complete one at a time as you make your way through your program, working with your Program Mentor each term to build your personalized Degree Plan. You’ll work through each course as quickly as you can study and learn the material. As soon as you’re ready, you’ll pass the assessment, complete the course, and move on. This means that you can finish as many courses as you're able in a term at no additional cost.

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Educational Leadership

Student, Stakeholder, and Market Focus for Educational Leaders

Student, Stakeholder, and Market Focus for Educational Leaders reviews principles and practices of meeting stakeholder needs and reviews the case study site’s effectiveness in managing stakeholder relationships.

Process Management for Educational Leaders

Process Management for Educational Leaders reviews best practices in process management for educational leaders, as well as an evaluation of the case study site’s process management policies and practices.

Practicum in Educational Leadership

Foundational Perspectives of Education includes a series of performance tasks to take place under the leadership of a practicing state-licensed school principal or assistant principal in a practicum school site (K–12). This assessment also includes completion of assigned administrative duties to take place in both elementary (K–6) and secondary (7–12) settings under the leadership and supervision of the cooperating administrator in your case-study school site. Practicum requirements vary by state of intended licensure and WGU program requirements.

Strategic Planning for Educational Leaders

Strategic Planning for Educational Leaders reviews principles and practices of the strategic planning process as well as the strategic planning processes in the case study site.

Governance, Finance, Law, and Leadership for Principals

Governance, Finance, Law, and Leadership for Principals contains content in educational law, finance, and administration as well as a case study review of leadership practices.

Comprehensive Educational Leadership Integration

In Comprehensive Educational Leadership Integration, candidates will complete a comprehensive objective proctored assessment in educational leadership theory and practices, including administrative theory, school law, school finance, curriculum development and implementation, personnel management, public relations, and technology.

Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management for Educational Leaders

Measurement for Educational Leaders reviews principles and practices of program and curriculum effectiveness evaluation as well as best practices in technology for educational leaders. Students also complete a program, practice, or curriculum effectiveness evaluation in their case study site as well as an evaluation of technology implementation.

Performance Excellence Criteria for Educational Leaders

Performance Excellence Criteria for Educational Leaders reviews the case study model and prepares students to complete a thorough review of the effectiveness of their case study site’s operations, outcomes, and leadership.

Workforce Focus for Educational Leaders

Workforce Focus for Educational Leaders reviews best practices in human resource administration for educational leaders, as well as workforce management practices in the case study site.

Plan to work hard: Program requirements and expectations.

The Educational Leadership Endorsement Preparation Program is a mostly online program that you will complete by studying and working independently with instruction and support from WGU faculty. You will be expected to complete at least 8 competency units each 6-month term. (One course is typically 3 or 4 units.)

The first person you speak with at WGU will be your Enrollment Counselor, who can explain requirements and expectations in more detail. You can also read more about each course in the Program Guide.

Request info from an Enrollment Counselor.
Download the Program Guide.

Special requirements for this program.

Comprehensive Educational Leadership Integration. As part of this program, you will be required to pass a comprehensive proctored assessment in educational leadership theory and practices. This includes demonstrating mastery of administrative theory, school law, school finance, curriculum development and implementation, personnel management, public relations, and technology.

Educational Leadership Practicum. When you have completed all prior program assessments, your training with culminate with a six-month practicum at an actual school. There you will be required to complete an action research project in which you propose school-wide improvement initiatives aligned with Baldrige quality standards. At the same time, you will complete school administrative and leadership tasks under the direction of a practicing K–12 school principal. Your performance will demonstrate to potential employers your ability to propose, lead, and manage school improvement initiatives based on quantitative and qualitative data analysis.

We offer degrees for in-demand careers that provide the knowledge and skills you need to succeed. Give your résumé the boost it needs!

THE WGU DIFFERENCE

A top-quality curriculum developed with guidance from education leaders and academic experts.

To ensure our education degrees are consistent with the expectations of today’s schools, we develop courses with input from councils composed of nationally recognized experts in education. Council members offer guidance on key competencies to be expected from successful WGU graduates.
A different way to learn: Degree programs designed to fit your life—and all the demands on your time.

Professional responsibilities. Family obligations. Personal commitments. At WGU, we understand schedules are tight and often unpredictable for adult students. That’s why we offer a flexible, personalized approach to how education should be. No rigid class schedules. Just a solid, career-focused math teaching program that meshes with your current lifestyle. You'll be challenged. You'll work hard. But if you commit yourself and put in the hours needed, WGU makes it possible for you to earn a highly respected degree as a busy working adult.

Designed for working teachers.

WGU's educational leadership endorsement-preparation program is designed for licensed teachers who already have a master’s degree and who wish to move into a leadership role in a K–12 school setting.

This program is specifically designed for working adult students, so you can honor your current work and family responsibilities while completing your coursework.

Competency-Based Education (CBE)

How it helps you

Efficient

Save time and money by focusing your efforts where they matter the most.

How much do you already know? Today’s adult students come from different professional backgrounds with varying levels of knowledge and experience. Competency-based education empowers you to take the most efficient path to complete your studies.

Flexible

Learn on your own terms.

What works best for you? No two students—or their schedules—are the same. Whether you’re at your best in the early morning or more energized when you get home from work, your study schedule can be personalized to accommodate your lifestyle and responsibilities. While you will be required to maintain a base level of consistent progress through your program, WGU is designed to empower you to maximize your personal schedule by allowing you to build a study plan that fits into your life—not one that requires you to rearrange it.

Results

Know you’re learning real-world skills.

Will your teaching credentials be recognized? Today's schools look for teachers with the knowledge, skills, and experience to help students understand how to solve problems. WGU’s online teaching degree programs includes a student teaching component to prepare you for real-world classrooms.

Finish courses by proving what you know, when you’re ready.

With competency-based education at WGU, success is measured by actual learning, not class time. You advance by demonstrating that you've mastered the course subject matter—whether you learned it through your study at WGU or picked up that knowledge through years of work experience.

Your progress through a course is driven by you.

How quickly you learn

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The time you devote to studying

+

How much previous knowledge you bring

Your experience pays at WGU.

Why start from square one when you could already be well on your way to a degree?

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Your educational leadership endorsement will allow you to put your leadership skills to good use—for your career and your students.

Being a principal or assistant principal is a job unlike any other. Effectively managing a school means being a trusted leader to your teachers, interacting with and engaging parents, and inspiring students to achieve more. In the right hands, the principal’s office is more than just a scary place to be sent—it’s the heart of a safe, nurturing environment where kids’ needs are front-and center.

Jobs in elementary and secondary school administration are projected to increase at a rate of nearly 6% between 2014 and 2024.
—U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
WGU alumni teach in schools across the country.

Graduates of WGU’s Teachers College have found meaningful, rewarding careers in classrooms at:
Inclusionary K–12 classrooms

Middle/junior high schools

High schools

Private and charter schools
Career Resources
Impressive class of graduates.

Graduates of the WGU Teachers College include recipients of many professional honors, including:
Gates Millennium Scholars

Intel Grant for Mathematics and Technology

Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction Award

Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award

Association of Public Charter Schools Educator of the Year Award
Explore a career in K–12 school leadership.

Get info on a principal, vice principal, or administrator's salary, job outlook, work environment, and more.

LEARN MORE
WGU is a university committed to producing successful grads.

The ultimate test of your degree's value is whether it helps you become an outstanding employee and advance your career. Our happy grads—and their happy employers—confirm that WGU is the path to that kind of degree.
Happy employers

Happy grads

They're Prepared.

Employers said that WGU graduates were prepared for their jobs.

They Perform.

Employers rated WGU graduates' job performance as very good or excellent.

They Wow.

Employers said their WGU graduates have exceeded their expectations.

They're Confident.

Graduates said the majority of their coursework was related to their jobs.

They're Working.

Graduates are working full-time.

They're Satisfied.

Graduates said their degrees were worth the cost of their education.

Source: 2018 Harris Poll survey of 300 employers; 2018 Harris Poll Online survey of 1,374 new college graduates nationwide compared with survey of 1,147 WGU graduates; Gallup-Purdue Index 2018
Close the gap between you and your dreams.

Online degree programs start every month.

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Your educational leadership endorsement is attainable. The first step: Apply for admission today.

Next Possible Start

Start dates are the 1st of every month. Meet requirements by the 15th to start next month. Discuss steps and deadlines with your Enrollment Counselor.
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Get your Enrollment Checklist

Download your step-by-step guide to enrollment.
View checklist

Get your questions answered and take the next step: Talk to an Enrollment Counselor.

866-225-5948
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Your Enrollment Counselor is there to help you make an informed decision.
The first step toward change can be the hardest—we get it. Your "welcoming committee" at WGU is made up of Enrollment Counselors, Admissions Specialists, and faculty members. Your initial interactions at WGU will be guided by an Enrollment Counselor who specializes in the programs you're interested in.

Your Enrollment Counselor is ready with as much help as you may need:

Get your cost and admissions criteria questions answered.

Assess WGU's fit with your career goals.

Get started toward enrollment!

Contact an Enrollment Counselor.
Admission requirements unique to this degree.
To enroll in this program, the following is required of you:

A copy of a valid teaching license.

Official transcripts that demonstrate you have earned a bachelor’s degree from a recognized accredited university.

Official transcripts that demonstrate you have earned a master's degree from a recognized accredited university.

An Enrollment Counselor will instruct you as to when and how to submit your teaching license prior to or during your program. You do not need to submit a copy of your license if you are not seeking the endorsement.

View general admission requirements
Making an informed admission decision.

WGU seeks to admit individuals who have the capacity and determination to complete a rigorous WGU degree program … and graduate. The admission process is designed to help you and the university reach an informed decision about your likelihood of success.

At WGU we want you to graduate, not just enroll. Consequently, not every applicant is admitted because not every individual has the capacity and determination to complete a rigorous WGU degree program.
Programs begin the 1st of any month.

New students can begin their first term at the beginning of any month. So you can start when you’re ready, rather than rushing (or waiting) for fall or spring enrollment. There's no need to wait!

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WGU is school on your terms.

School can fit into your life—start working toward your better future now.

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