Instructional Leadership Graduate Certificate

The Instructional Leadership Graduate Certificate is intended for educators with a Master of Science, Specialist in Education, or Doctoral degree in Education or a related field. This certificate is intended for K12 educators (which includes teachers, counselors, school psychologists, speech pathologists, etc.) who are interested in enriching their knowledge, skills, and values requisite to effective leadership in K12 educational practice settings. The pathway includes a requirement for a clinical fieldwork experience in an approved Tennessee school and leads to a Tennessee Instructional Leadership License (ILL) once all elements of the program are successfully completed. Students will be required to take the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) praxis exam and score above the state-established cut-off score to be recommended for licensure. For additional information, please visit the Educational Administration program webpage.

Campus Code

Distance Education

Graduate Certificate Type

In order to be eligible to pursue this graduate certificate, students must already possess a MS, EdS or EdD/PhD in a K12 education related field. This certificate can be pursued in one of two manners:

Stand alone - meaning the student is pursuing this certificate without being currently enrolled in a degree program
Add on - meaning the student is seeking to add this certificate on to another degree they are currently pursuing

Admissions Standards/Procedures

Students must meet all current graduate school admission requirements and departmental requirements in addition to submitting a graduate school certificate application and any departmental supplemental application materials.
For specific departmental application requirements, please visit the K12 Instructional Leadership webpage

Credit Hours Required

21 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

Non-Course Requirements

A professional field-based experience under a school-based mentor’s direction, satisfactory completion of a program-administered qualification assessment, a minimum competency score on the School Leader Licensure Assessment, and the submission of a professional learning portfolio are required for licensure application.

Students must also complete the Graduate Certificate Verification Form and through MyUTK, apply to graduate from the certificate program.

Undergraduates