Three letters of recommendation from individuals that are best qualified to assess your ability to succeed in the graduate school; if you are currently enrolled in the Master of Education in Teaching and Curriculum (T&C), these three letters can be used for your Principal Certification Program (EDLDR) application.

Current resume or curriculum vitae that, at a minimum, should include documentation of prior work experience and prior academic work completed.

Statement of purpose in no more than 1,000 words, please explain why you are applying to EDLDR. In writing your statement, you might consider some of the following questions: What background experiences led to your decision to apply to our program? What is it about EDLDR that most interests you? What types of career goals or plans do you currently have? How would obtaining a Penn State EDLDR degree further your career goals?

Writing sample:

Select an article from a current education journal or peer reviewed journal, such as Education Policy/EPX (Sage), Educational Administration Quarterly (UCEA), International Journal of Educational Policy and Leadership (electronic journal), Educational Leadership (ASCD), or another similar option.

  1. Briefly summarize, in a maximum of three pages, the main points of the article and then critique the content from the vantage point of your experiences as an educator.
  2. Your critique can include agreement as well as disagreement with the author's perspective.
  3. Include a complete citation for the article in your writing sample.

How to Enroll

Enrollment in the Principal Certification Program requires admission to Penn State’s Graduate School and to the program in Educational Leadership in the College of Education. To enroll, follow these instructions:

  1. Complete the online application within the Graduate School Admissions Portal.

    • After logging into the Portal, select "Degree Admission."

    • Choose "Harrisburg" for Campus, then select "Educational Leadership" from the Major list.

    • Select “Pennsylvania Educators Level I Certification” from the Degree list.

    • Choose a semester (See Application Deadline below for more information).

  2. Have achieved a minimum GPA of 3.0 in previous graduate work and/or a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last two years of undergraduate work.

  3. Submit an affidavit documenting three years of teaching experience upon completion of the program.

Completed Application Deadline

  • Fall admission: July 1

  • Spring admission: November 1

  • Summer admission: March 15