Quick Highlights
Becoming an assistant principal requires a bachelor’s degree, a valid teaching license, two to three years of classroom experience and a master’s degree in educational leadership, often through the same building-level administrator license that covers principals. Arkansas State University (A-State) offers an online MSE in Educational Leadership built for teachers making this exact move, plus post-master’s credentials for the principal and superintendent roles that follow.
An assistant principal is a certified school administrator who supports a principal with discipline, scheduling, teacher evaluation and daily school operations. This role requires a bachelor’s degree, a teaching license, classroom experience and a master’s degree in educational leadership, generally through the same license principals hold.
As a Carnegie R2 public research university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Arkansas State University (A-State) offers a Master of Science in Education (MSE) in Educational Leadership online program for licensed teachers seeking assistant principal roles.
How to Become an Assistant Principal: Requirements and Steps
Assistant principal requirements run through six steps, the same building-level administrator path used for principals.
- Earn a bachelor’s degree and a teaching license: Most assistant principals start as classroom teachers.
- Build classroom experience: Two to three years is typical. A-State sets the floor at two. Arkansas licensure requires three.
- Earn a master’s degree in educational leadership or education administration: This is the standard entry-level credential for the role nationally, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
- Complete a state-approved building-level administrator preparation program: Preparation is usually built into the master’s degree, including a supervised internship.
- Pass your state’s administrator licensure exam: This requires the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) in many states, and a clear background check.
- Apply for assistant principal openings: A current principal or district mentor often sponsors candidates through the process.
Important Note: Licensure Rules Vary by State
Some states license assistant principals under a separate, lighter-weight credential than principals. Arkansas is not one of them: the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) defines a single “Building-Level Administrator” license that covers principals, assistant principals and vice principals alike, so meeting the requirement once qualifies a candidate for any of the three titles. Always confirm current rules with your state’s department of education before enrolling in a preparation program.
What Does an Assistant Principal Do?
An assistant principal manages a school’s daily operations while the principal sets its overall direction. Principals typically assign each assistant a specific area of responsibility. In some districts, that means a subject like literacy or math. In others, it means a grade level, a wing of the building or a set of operational duties.
Most assistant principals spend their days on some mix of these:
- Student discipline: Assistant principals enforce school policy, investigate incidents and decide on consequences for most of the behavior referrals a school receives.
- Teacher evaluation: They conduct classroom observations, coach teachers and build improvement plans alongside the principal.
- Scheduling: They build the master schedule, assign teachers to rooms and adjust it as enrollment shifts throughout the year.
- Instructional support: They work with grade-level or department teams on curriculum pacing and standards alignment.
- Safety and operations: They run fire and lockdown drills, supervise arrival and dismissal and coordinate bus routes or building maintenance.
- Family contact: They meet with parents on behavior or academic concerns and represent the school at events.
Each assistant principal’s experience can vary based on their area of responsibility, district, principal and school environment.
Can You Become an Assistant Principal with a Master’s in Educational Leadership?
Yes. A master’s in educational leadership is the standard degree assistant principal candidates use nationally. A-State’s MSE in Education in Educational Leadership online program is a 33-credit-hour program, and licensure programs within A-State’s College of Education & Behavioral Science are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Faculty includes former superintendents and principals, and the department chair is a former superintendent.
A-State’s MSE in Educational Leadership program prepares students to become an assistant principal, principal, instructional coordinator, dean of students and district administrator. The program aligns to Arkansas’s Building-Level Administrator licensure and can be finished in as few as 20 months whether a student lives in Arkansas or out of state.
Read more: Kevin Hazelrigg tells his story as an A-State MSE Educational Leadership student aiming for a school leadership role of his own.
Principal vs. Assistant Principal: What’s the Difference?
A principal runs the school. An assistant principal runs a piece of it. The two roles share a license in most states, but their scopes of work differ. Here’s the quick comparison behind the “principal vs assistant principal” question.
| Category | Principal | Assistant Principal |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Sets school-wide direction, budget and hiring | Manages an assigned area: discipline, a grade level or a subject |
| Reports to | Superintendent or district office | The school’s principal |
| 2024 to 2026 median or average pay | $104,070 median (BLS, May 2024) | $84,114 average (PayScale, 2026) |
| Typical experience before the role | 5 or more years of teaching (BLS) nationally; 3 years for Arkansas licensure | 3 years of teaching for Arkansas licensure |
| Required license | State building-level administrator license | Same building-level administrator license in most states |
| Required degree | Master’s degree in education administration or leadership | Master’s degree in educational leadership or administration |
| Common next step | Superintendent or central-office administrator | Principal |
From Assistant Principal to Superintendent: Which to Pursue
An Education Specialist (Ed.S.) or Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership with a superintendent focus is the direct path from assistant principal to the district office. Superintendent licensure typically requires a year or more of administrative experience and an existing building-level or curriculum administrator license, in addition to a master’s degree.
A-State’s online Ed.S., Superintendent is a 30-credit-hour, post-master’s program taught by faculty who have served as principals and superintendents themselves. Admission requires a master’s degree with at least a 3.25 GPA (or 3.0 to 3.24 conditionally), a standard active teaching license as a Building-Level or Curriculum/Program Administrator, three years of teaching experience and one year of building-level or curriculum administrative experience. This reflects published program details as of August 2026 and are subject to change; confirm current tuition, credit hours and admission requirements directly with A-State.
For assistant principals who want a doctorate along with the licensure, A-State’s Ed.D. in Educational Leadership offers a terminal-degree alternative built around similar superintendent-track coursework. For more on how the two roles differ, see A-State’s guide to choosing between principal and superintendent roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the salary difference between principals and assistant principals?
Principals earned a median $104,070 in May 2024, according to BLS. Assistant principals average $62,000 to $121,000 a year according to current salary data from PayScale, a gap of roughly $10,000 to $20,000. BLS does not publish a separate wage figure for assistant principals.
Can I become an assistant principal with a master’s in educational leadership?
Yes. A master’s in educational leadership is the standard degree for the role nationally. A-State’s online M.S. in Education in Educational Leadership prepares graduates for assistant principal roles.
Is a vice principal the same as an assistant principal?
Yes, in nearly every practical sense. A vice principal is the same job under a different title, more common in the Northeast and parts of the West Coast. Vice principal salary and assistant principal salary track closely in national data.
Do assistant principals need to pass the SLLA?
In most states, yes, since the SLLA is the licensure exam behind the same building-level administrator credential principals use. A handful of states offer exemptions or alternative routes for candidates with an out-of-state license or several years of verified administrator experience.
How long does it take to go from assistant principal to principal?
There’s no fixed timeline. It depends on classroom and administrative experience, state licensure rules and district hiring needs. A post-master’s credential like an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship can add relevant depth in as few as 18 months for candidates who already hold their master’s degree and license.
What credentials are needed for a coach and teacher to become an athletic director and then a principal?
A common sequence is coach/teacher, then AD, then assistant principal, then principal. This often starts with earning a master’s degree in Educational Leadership/Administration. There’s no separate license needed for athletic director; it’s usually an additional duty layered onto a teaching role, often with a stipend, so you can advance into the role while your admin coursework is still in progress. Most districts expect at least 3+ years of teaching experience before considering candidates for administration, and coaching experience is a real asset for the AD role.
Key Takeaways
- Becoming an assistant principal requires a bachelor’s degree, a teaching license, two to three years of classroom experience and a master’s degree in educational leadership, the same building-level administrator credential used for principal licensure in most states.
- Assistant principals earn $82,000 to $98,000 a year on average, compared with a $104,070 median for principals in May 2024 (BLS), a gap of roughly $10,000 to $20,000.
- A-State’s online M.S. in Education in Educational Leadership names assistant principal, principal, instructional coordinator, dean of students and district administrator as direct outcomes of the degree.
- The path forward from assistant principal runs through a post-master’s Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship, then, for those aiming higher, an Ed.S. or Ed.D. focused on the superintendency.
Becoming an assistant principal is the real first step into school leadership. If you have spent enough years in a classroom to have opinions about how a school should run, the question is usually readiness rather than qualifications.
A-State’s online MSE in Educational Leadership is CAEP accredited, taught by faculty who have run real Arkansas schools and named by the university as direct preparation for assistant principal, principal and district administrator roles, with graduates now working in every county in the state. For teachers ready to keep growing without leaving the schools and communities they already serve, it’s a direct path forward.
See admission requirements, tuition and start dates for A-State’s online MSE in Educational Leadership program.