Educational Leadership, Tier I Certificate

When applying to the Educational Leadership Tier 1 Online Certification, Non-Degree, you will need to submit several documents for review.

• Online Application
• Application Fee of $50
• Goals Statement (upload with application – please address each of the following items in your goal statement)
  • What are your reasons for applying to Georgia State’s Tier 1 leadership program?
  • One major part of the Tier I program is logging 300 hours of clinical leadership experience. This requires you to assume leadership positions in your school and/or district. You will be responsible for working with a mentor to identify and participate in these experiences.
  • Describe how you will be able to complete those hours.
• Resume (upload with application)
• Applicant must identify a mentor who currently holds leadership certification in Georgia and will need to complete the following agreement form. Once the agreement form has been completed by both parties, the applicant should upload the signed agreement to their application under the MISC documents section.
• Two Letters of Recommendation (one letter of recommendation must be from a school leader who supervises/evaluates you and the second letter can be from either the mentor leader or an educational professional who can give evidence of your leadership skills)
• Applicant must have three years of experience in a K-12 school setting (upload teaching certificate to application) and meet certification requirements in Georgia
• Official Transcript(s): minimum 3.25 graduate GPA required for admission (must hold a master’s, specialist, or doctoral level degree)
  • submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended either electronically to gradapplytranscripts@gsu.edu or by mailing directly to Georgia State University | Office of Graduate Admissions | P.O. Box 4018 Atlanta, GA 30302

In order to meet certification requirements for educational leadership in Georgia, you will also need to complete the following prior to program admission:

• Georgia Ethics Assessment for Educational Leadership

Click here for information and how to register for the Georgia Ethics Assessment for Educational Leadership.

• 18 semester hours (6 courses) to prepare aspiring leaders for issues, research, and best practices related to leading in a school or school district
• 300 hours of clinical leadership experiences in schools and districts

• Tier I is the entry-level Educational Leadership certification. Educators certified in this field may work in school-level leadership positions below the principal and district-level leadership positions that do not supervise principals.
• Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a university certificate from the Board of Regents, and they will be eligible to apply for Georgia’s Tier I Educational Leadership certification from the Georgia Standards Commission.
• Students who complete the program will meet the competencies required in Georgia’s Leader Keys Effectiveness System
• They will also meet the competencies required in the National Professional Standards for Educational Leaders

There are two options for the Tier I Add-On Certificate Program:

1. Totally online
2. Blended (Five class meetings each semester face to face at Atlanta campus; the remainder of the weeks are online, asynchronous)