Texas Principal as Instructional Leader Certification

Graduate online program offered by the College of Education

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The accelerated online Texas Principal as Instructional Leader certification program focuses on the skills required for campus-level and central office administration. We help prepare candidates for the Texas Examination of Education Standards for principal certification.

How it Works

The 21-hour Principal as Instructional Leader program requires seven Educational Leadership courses
Five available start dates annually: January, March, June, August and October
Earn a Principal as Instructional Leader certification in 12 months

Admission to the master's program in Educational Leadership is a two-step process. Each applicant must first apply to and meet the general admission requirements of UNT's Toulouse Graduate School.Then, applications for students who meet initial admission standards are forwarded to the College of Education for review and final decision.

Apply to Toulouse Graduate School

Apply to UNT's Toulouse Graduate School. You must be admitted to the graduate school before enrolling in the accelerated online program. Conditional acceptance to the graduate school can be granted if you meet program requirements.
- Submit your application at https://goapplytexas.org and choose either the "Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership" or the “principal certification” in the degree plan list. Make sure you confirm that you are applying for the accelerated online program when prompted near the end of the application process.
- Request an official transcript of your records from each college or university that you have attended and have them sent to the Toulouse Graduate School.

Transcripts must be official. These can be ordered from the university and sent to GradAdmission@unt.edu or mailed to one of the addresses below.

By U.S. Postal Service:
Toulouse Graduate School
1155 Union Circle #305459, Denton, TX 76203-5017

By UPS/FedEx:
Toulouse Graduate School
1147 Union Circle, ESSC 354, Denton, TX 76203-5459

Pay the $75 application fee at the time you apply.
You will be notified of your acceptance to the graduate school by mail and through my.unt.edu.

Apply to Graduate School

Apply to the College of Education

Applicants must have a master’s degree from an accredited college or university. Courses and the candidate’s performance in that degree are reviewed.
Applicants must have a previous master’s GPA of 3.5
or higher.
At least two years teaching experience as the teacher of record in a PreK-12 accredited school.
A teacher certificate
Submit the following documents electronically to the College of Education at Marilyn.Deuble@unt.edu for admittance to the accelerated online principal certification program:
- A letter of recommendation from your supervisor identifying your leadership, critical thinking and writing skills.
- An essay describing why you're seeking a principal certification, identifying relevant educational experiences and strengths, and providing evidence that you will be a successful educational leader in an increasingly multicultural environment.
- A resume that includes your previous work and educational experience.
- A program application to the principal certification Program. (This is not the same application as ApplyTexas.)
No test score is required for admission (e.g. GRE).

Apply to the College of Education

* A requirement for principal certification is a two-semester practicum in an accredited Texas school. The practicum courses are not 8-week courses. They are offered during the 16-week fall and spring semesters.

Required Courses

5330 Instructional Leadership
5390 Campus Level School Law
5620 Administration and Leadership for Student Educational Services
5630 Organizational Change and School Improvement
5650 Professional Development and Supervision
5720 Practicum in Educational Leadership (full semester)
5730 Advanced Practicum in Educational Leadership (full semester)

Transfer Credits

Subject to the approval of the department advisor and the Toulouse Graduate School, up to 6 semester hours of graduate work completed elsewhere may be applied.

Teaching History and Certification Requirements:

I understand that I must have a Teaching Certificate and at least two years of teaching experience in an EC-12 accredited school as the teacher of record in order to earn a Principal as Instructional Leader. (Student teaching, substitute teaching, or university teaching cannot be applied toward these two years). I understand I must submit a copy of my Teacher Service Record to the College of Education’s Certification Officer to verify the state’s minimum required classroom teaching experience has been met. If I qualify for the principal certificate, I understand I must complete an internship in an accredited Texas school with a supervisor who has principal certification.

Estimate tuition and fees by using the Tuition Calculators. For more information about tuition plan options, fees, and tuition, see Student Financial Services.

Financial Aid

UNT offers a variety of options to help finance your education. Visit financialaid.unt.edu to find out more about the application and award process.

UNT has been named one of America's 100 Best College Buys© for 25 consecutive years and offers the quality of a private university at an affordable cost.

Applying for financial aid

Apply for financial aid online at fafsa.gov. The application is required for all types of financial aid, including Pell and other federal grants, state grants and loans. The FAFSA and Renewal FAFSA are available annually.
You must enroll in 6 hours (over one or two online sessions) in order to be eligible for financial aid.
Financial aid awards will be disbursed 10 days prior to the first day of class. Awards will not disburse if you are enrolled in only 3 credit hours.
Contact Student Financial Aid and Scholarships at 940-565-2302 or by visiting online at financialaid.unt.edu

Visit the Accelerated Online Program section of the Registrar’s website for more information on course registration dates and payment deadlines.

Faculty

Bill Camp

Bill Camp

Professor

Teacher Education and Administration

Matthews Hall 218-A

940-565-2753

bill.camp@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Since coming to UNT in 1997, Dr. Bill Camp has contributed actively to the graduate programs in Educational Administration. His research interests include educational law and finance, and he teaches courses on various aspects of educational leadership. He also supervises interns in the public schools and directs doctoral dissertations. His bachelor's and master's degrees are both from Texas Tech University, and his doctorate is from Virginia Tech University. Prior to his work at UNT, he served as professor, chair, and acting associate dean at California State University. He also taught previously at Oklahoma State University and Texas Tech. Other educational experience includes serving as assistant superintendent of schools, high school principal, and high school science teacher.

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Todd Duncan

Todd Duncan

Senior Lecturer

Teacher Education and Administration

Matthews Hall 218-B

940-565-2920

todd.duncan@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Dr. Duncan earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in the Urban Superintendency from the University of Southern California. He earned a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Bilingual Education (Spanish/English) from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a B.A. in Liberal Studies from California State University, Long Beach. Before joining the faculty at UNT, Dr. Duncan served as Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Texas A&M University, Central Texas where he taught many of the courses in the Educational Leadership program. He was the primary professor for the principal practicum/internship for the Master’s degree in Educational Leadership with principal certification and also served a term as program coordinator. Prior to his work at A&M Central Texas, he taught as an adjunct professor for Wayland Baptist University and Concordia University teaching in their educational administration programs and the curriculum and instruction programs when needed. Dr. Duncan served as a mentor for teachers in early childhood programs through a state funded grant entitled Texas School Ready Resource Grant through the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. Prior to his work in higher education, Dr. Duncan served in K-12 administration as a middle school principal, elementary school principal and in central office administration as administrator of assessment and accountability and Coordinator of Curriculum Based Assessments. Prior to his work in administration Dr. Duncan served as a bilingual education teacher in grades 1-5.

Dr. Duncan is married to his wife of 39 years and has 2 sons and a daughter. He and his wife currently have their hands full keeping up with their young grandson. Hobbies include bowling and making music whenever the opportunity affords. We also enjoy going to movies as a family and grilling on holidays or other warm summer evenings.

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Wesley L. Edwards

Wesley L. Edwards

Assistant Professor

Educational Leadership
Ph.D., 2020, The University of Texas at Austin

Matthews Hall 206-C

940-565-2920

Wesley.Edwards@unt.edu

CV

Faculty Profile

Wesley Edwards is an assistant professor of Educational Leadership in the Department of Teacher Education and Administration at the University of North Texas. His research interests include teacher and school leader career trajectories, school organizational work environments, and the politics and policy of educational leadership. Dr. Edwards has published in journals such as Educational Policy, Teachers College Record, and Education Economics.

Edwards received a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in the Sociology of Education from New York University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to pursuing his Ph.D., he was a middle school math and science teacher and teacher leader in New York and Texas.

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R. Jefferson George

R. Jefferson George

Principal Lecturer

Teacher Education and Administration

Matthews Hall 218-M

940-565-2836

Royce.George@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

After graduating from the University of North Texas, Dr. R. Jefferson George began his career in education as a media specialist for Vernon Community College. His main focus was to support instruction in a college classroom through a growing use of the available technology. As interest in video learning technologies increased, he moved to Austin and created his own video production company. His company created documentary and historical videos for classroom instruction. After moving to Houston, he began writing children’s books with Texas author Johara Harper and began his career in public education as an eighth-grade science teacher. He completed his master’s degree in Counseling at the University of Houston and worked as school counselor, a college counselor and a hospital therapist in Houston ISD, Houston Community College and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. Dr. George eventually returned to public education as a school administrator, serving as a principal, interim-principal, assistant principal and director of an alternative program. He then returned to the University of North Texas to complete his doctorate in Educational Leadership. During this time, he became a mentor in the Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program through the Center for Learning Enhancement and Redesign and worked with university teachers and leaders to create a classroom with high levels of student engagement and instructional rigor. Dr. George has returned to his interest in learning technologies and creating an engaging classroom with high levels of instructional rigor. He is developing a series of online doctoral courses for the doctorate in Educational Leadership. Dr. George is continuing his research into the development of an engaging instructional platform in a virtual environment and understanding the online experience of the native digital learner. Dr. George is a member of the Texas Counseling Association, the Texas Association of School Administrators and Kappa Delta Pi.

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Johnetta Hudson

Johnetta Hudson

Lecturer

Teacher Education and Administration

Matthews Hall 218-X

940-565-3774

Johnetta.Hudson@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Johnetta Hudson, Ph.D., is a visiting professor of education administration within the Department of Teacher Education and Administration at the University of North Texas. Her scholarship focuses on race, class, and gender issues in education. Within this broad area Hudson has published on women's leadership in a male-dominated culture and leadership for educating a diverse student population. A secondary area of interest is leadership development utilizing technology. Her degrees are from Kentucky State University (BA), University of Nebraska (MA) and Indiana State University (EdS and PhD).

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Barbara Pazey

Barbara Pazey

Associate Professor

Teacher Education and Administration
Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin

Matthews Hall 218-L

940-565-4897

Barbara.Pazey@unt.edu

Faculty Profile

Barbara L. Pazey is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of North Texas, where she joined the faculty in 2017. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Administration with a specialization in Special Education Administration from The University of Texas at Austin, her Master of Arts in Music and Piano from The Ohio State University, her special education certification through the University of South Carolina and Francis Marion University, and a Bachelor of Music degree with a major in piano from Muskingum University. She has experience as a K-12 music teacher and special education teacher, musician and music director for several professional organizations, high school inclusion coordinator, high school principal, and higher education administrator.

Pazey’s research centers on student voice as well as facilitating the empowerment of voice among individuals with multiple identities and generations, inclusive education, equity-oriented leadership, and educational policy and reform. She interrogates the effects of educational policies and laws on the school experiences of marginalized student populations and examines how educational policies and reforms inform and impact the development of equity-oriented leaders and leadership preparation programs.

She actively participates in several professional organizations, serving as the representative for the UNT Teacher Education and Administration Department in the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, Research Committee member for the Council for Administrators of Special Education, and a member of the Action Committee for the Leadership for Social Justice Special Interest Group (SIG) for the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

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