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Advanced Certificate
Educational Leadership: School District Leader
Post-Master’s Study

Not Accepting Applications

To best meet the needs of our students, we have decided to suspend enrollment in the Post-Master's Advanced Certificate in Educational Leadership. We encourage you to explore Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (EdD), Leadership and Innovation (EdD), or Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (PhD).

Prepare for a career as a superintendent, associate superintendent, or other district-level administrator. You'll learn how to collaborate within and across communities, appropriately and effectively use information systems, and understand the legal, financial, and political dimensions of schools and school districts.

A school leader in a meeting

Degree Details

Official Degree Title

Post-Master's Advanced Certificate in Educational Leadership: School District Leader

Licensure or Certification
Format
Full-time or Part-time
Credits
24

Prepare for a career as a superintendent, associate superintendent, or other district-level administrator. You'll learn how to collaborate within and across communities, appropriately and effectively use information systems, and understand the legal, financial, and political dimensions of schools and school districts.

This advanced certificate builds on the beliefs and knowledge developed in school building leader curriculum by focusing on the ways in which schools and school systems can create equitable and challenging educational organizations for all children and youth. You'll benefit from a supportive learning environment and have regular opportunities to build a leadership portfolio through community-based course work assignments.

Prior to admission to the program, you must have completed both a master’s degree in education and the requirements for certification in school building leadership (or its equivalent).

Core Seminars and Electives

The curriculum combines content courses with fieldwork and electives. In your core seminars, you'll study school finance, budget, and facilities; school district leadership; education law; leadership for school improvement; politics of education; data-driven decision making and leadership development; demographic analysis and school/community planning; and additional study relevant to school improvement, teaching and learning, and community engagement and collaboration. Each course examines multiple theoretical perspectives, themes of equity and social justice, the needs and experiences of low-income urban children and youth, and implications for leadership within and outside of educational settings.

Internship Placements 

You'll be required to complete an internship for this advanced certificate – a great opportunity to apply hands-on learning and put theory to practice. Full-time students have full-time internships of approximately 30 hours per week during the final semester of their programs; part-time students have part-time internships for approximately 15 hours during the final two semesters of their programs. Specific hours are arranged on site with your field supervisor, taking into account your academic responsibilities.

Portfolio

As a student in this program, you will create a portfolio that provides evidence of the competencies you've developed, reflections on field experiences, and your plans for continuous learning.

Educational Leadership is an on-campus program that places students in supervised field experiences within New York State. NYU is authorized pursuant to the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) to enroll students in supervised field experiences in the SARA states and territories. For further details regarding NYU's SARA membership please visit the NYU State Authorization website. SARA requires universities to disclose to applicants and students whether programs that lead to professional licensure or certification meet licensure requirements in those states in which students are doing learning placements.

Learn more about our accreditation.