Principal Licensure Certificate

Principals and Superintendents in Montana are required to hold a Class 3 Administrative License with the proper endorsement as K-12 Principal or Superintendent respectively.

When someone is hired by a school district as a Principal or Superintendent who has not completed the necessary courses for Licensure and/or Endorsement, a Montana Board of Public Education Administrative Internship may be required.

Students pursuing the Principal Licensure must hold a Master's Degree. If you do not yet have a Master's Degree, please visit the Master's Degree in Educational Leadership page for more information.

Course Information

EDLD 550: Foundations of Educational Leadership
EDLD 551: Foundations of Curriculum Leadership
EDLD 552: Supervision & Evaluation of Public School Teachers
EDLD 554: School Law
EDLD 556: Finance of Public Education
EDLD 559: Public Relations for Principals
EDLD 567: K-12 Leadership
EDLD 568: K-12 Curriculum & Instruction

Field Experience

Each student will be required to perform and document a minimum of 27 hours of field experience per required course. The field experience hours do not carry additional credits and must be completed prior to recommendation for licensure. These field experiences must align with the six Montana PEPP standards with a minimum of 20 hours related to each standard. More information is available on the Field Experience page under the Student Resources page.

Additional Requirements

  • Master's Degree in an approved school administration program or the equivalent
  • Eligibility for the Class 1 or Class 2 teaching license (individual does not need to hold a Montana teaching license but must be eligible to hold one)
  • Verification of a minimum of three years of successful teaching experience as an appropriately licensed and assigned K-12 teacher

Note: Montana law requires that any applicant for initial licensure, any person seeking emergency authorization of employment, or any applicant seeking to reinstate a lapsed, revoked or suspended license must submit information and material for a fingerprint-based national criminal history background check.

Critical Tasks for Completion

Prior to your final semester:

  1. Contact your advisor to be sure you are preparing to complete all required courses and all field experience requirements.
  2. Complete the Certificate Program Graduation Application through the Graduate School.
    1. The completion and submission of this form will make it so your licensure certificate program is listed on your official UM transcripts.
    2. Certificate program graduates do not walk during the UM/EDLD graduation ceremony.

Apply for Your K-12 Principal Endorsement

After successful completion of the Principal Licensure Certificate Program requirements:

  1. Contact the Licensure and Assessment Manager, Kristi Steinberg, to initiate paperwork to obtain a Montana Class 3 Administrative License with a K-12 Principal Endorsement
  2. Approximately 6 weeks after the degree award date students review their final transcript to be sure that it is an accurate record of their academic history. Students can print their own unofficial transcript using Cyberbear.

The Principal Licensure Certificate Program through the Department of Educational Leadership provides the necessary courses and requirements for a Montana Class 3 Administrative License with a K-12 Principal Endorsement. Multiple endorsements will require more hours of coursework.

Principal Licensure Application Requirements

Please visit the Application Requirements page for more information.

Consumer Information on Gainful Employment

For more information

For administrative licensure questions, please contact our college's Licensure and Assessment Manager, Kristi Steinberg at kristine.steinberg@umontana.edu or 406.243.2121.