Zach Smith

208.467.8753

gradeducationinfo@nnu.edu

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP: PRINCIPAL

Education Specialist

NNU’s Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership: Principal is designed for educational professionals who have a master’s degree and are seeking a leadership role as a Principal.

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  • 100% online
  • Program utilizes set courses to plan schedules ahead of time
  • Students may complete this 32-credit program in 16 months
  • Completion leads to Ed.S. with Pre-K-12 School Principal endorsement on an Administrator Certificate

About Educational Leadership: Principal

NNU’s Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership: Principal advances the academic preparation and teaching skills of experienced classroom teachers and instructional leaders. This online degree is designed for educational professionals who have a master’s degree and are seeking a leadership role as a principal. Program emphasis is on the administrator as an instructional leader as well as a servant leader. Coursework emphasis is on ethical decision-making, creative problem-solving and professional growth.

Tuition Costs

$575 per credit, $150 per semester technology fee

Program Design

Completion of this program leads to an Education Specialist degree with an endorsement on an Idaho Administrator Certificate as a School Principal. Individuals should check for specific requirements for certification in other states.

Designed to fit the schedule of a working professional, NNU’s Ed.S. in Educational Leadership allows the educator to complete the degree while teaching full-time. The online program utilizes set courses that allow students to plan their schedules ahead of time. With transfer credits, students may complete the 32-credit program in as little as 16 months, including the nine-month internship.

Each student completes a nine-month (2 semester) administrative internship in a school setting under the supervision of a qualified building principal. The internship assignment may be completed primarily in the building the student is teaching and must be approved by the school district and the NNU program director.

The accessible professors and staff allow for support throughout the program. The professors teaching in this program are educational leaders themselves and provide the knowledge needed to succeed as a building administrator.

Additional Information

Application Requirements

The following requirements must be received by Admissions a minimum of one week before classes start and are online, mailed or emailed as indicated. Recommendation forms and essay guidelines are available online within the application portal.

For mail:
Northwest Nazarene University
Attention Graduate Admissions
623 University Boulevard
Nampa, ID 83686

For email: gps@nnu.edu

  • Online: Application and $50 non-refundable application fee
  • Mail or email from a digital service such as Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse: Official transcripts from a regionally accredited institution(s) where the applicant received a master’s degree
  • Email or mail: A copy of the applicant’s teaching certificate
  • Online: Two online recommendation forms completed by professional colleagues
  • Online: One Educational Leadership Evaluation form from the applicant’s current building administrator; the two recommendations and one leadership evaluation must be completed by three different individuals
  • Online: Evidence of writing competency, preferably from a research paper or other document completed during master’s courses
Admission Requirements
Candidates must have the following:
  • A master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university
  • A cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the master’s program
  • Certification/Licensure as a classroom teacher, school counselor, school psychologist or building administrator based on a recommendation from a state-approved higher education preparation program
  • Four (4) years of full-time certificated/licensed experience working with students while under contract in an accredited school setting before Ed.S. degree completion
  • Approval by the Graduate Education Admissions Committee
Program Start Dates
Classes begin every 8 weeks, and new students may join throughout the year.
Required Courses

EDUC8000 Orientation: Graduate Education (0)
EDUC7553 Curriculum, Assessment and Collaboration (3)
EDUC7555 Mixed Methods Research (3)
EDUC7556 Conceptual Statistics and Applications for Educators (3)
EDUC7575 Legal and Financial Issues in Education (3)
EDUC7579 Special Education Law for Administrators (2)
EDUC7581 Instructional Supervision and Leadership (3)
EDUC7584 Data Driven Decision Making (3)
EDUC7585 Administering Human Resources (3)
EDUC7596III Internship/Principalship (6)
EDUC 7596IIIB Building Administrator Internship Portfolio Binder (0-1)
EDUC____ Educational Leadership Elective (3)

Total Credits: A minimum of 32 semester credits are required.

Notice Out-of-State Students

Since this is a program that leads to professional licensure, prospective students should review important information about NNU’s participation in the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and Professional Licensure about this program. Individual states often have different expectations for professional licensure, so it is in a prospective student’s best interest to investigate whether NNU’s degree program will help them achieve licensure in their home state.

CAEP ACCREDITED PROVIDER

Northwest Nazarene University’s College of Education meets the requirements for accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

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COLLEGES OF DISTINCTION

Northwest Nazarene University received the 2023-2024 Colleges of Distinction Award in Education.

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Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area occupational employment and wage estimates for the Boise area are sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School

Meet Our Faculty

The NNU’s Building Administration Program not only equipped me with the necessary skills, but also provided personalized support while I was working/studying abroad. The professors’ guidance and encouragement played a large role in my successful transition to an administration job within just three months of graduation.

Katherine Holmquist

Director of Instruction, Baku International School - Quality Schools International