Quick Highlights
Becoming a school principal requires a bachelor’s degree, teaching license, a master’s degree in education administration, a state-approved preparation program and a passing score on the School Leaders Licensure Assessment. Arkansas State University (A-State) offers an online Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship degree taught by faculty with hands-on school leadership experience, including several who have served as principals or superintendents. Students can complete the program in as few as 18 months for teachers with one year of certified experience. Licensure programs in A-State’s College of Education & Behavioral Science are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
For a teacher ready to trade the classroom for the front office, the path to principal is clear, even if it isn’t quick. What’s waiting at the end is a leadership role that touches nearly every part of how a school runs, from daily instruction to the budget behind it. Getting there takes several connected stages, not a single credential.
Each step builds on the one before it. The timeline depends on state rules and on how soon a teacher starts graduate study. Educators who want to stand out among licensed candidates can add a post-master’s credential. Arkansas State University (A-State) built its online Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Educational Leadership, Principalship program for that step.
How Do You Become a School Principal, and What Degree Do You Need?
A school principal needs a teaching license, classroom experience and a master’s degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that “principals typically need a master’s degree in education administration or leadership. In addition, they need teaching experience.” BLS lists a master’s degree as the typical entry-level education for the job.
The full route runs through six steps:
- Earn a bachelor’s degree: Most future principals major in education or in a subject they plan to teach. This degree builds the classroom skills the rest of the path rests on.
- Gain teaching experience: After earning a teaching license, the next step is time in the classroom. Those years build the judgment a school leader draws on later.
- Earn a master’s degree: A Master of Education (M.Ed.) or Master of Science in Education (M.S.E.) in educational administration is the standard bar. These degrees cover school law, budgeting, curriculum oversight and instructional supervision.
- Finish a preparation program: States route candidates through an approved principal preparation program with a supervised internship.
- Pass the licensure exam and a background check: Candidates take a state exam and clear a criminal history check, which includes fingerprinting.
- Apply for roles: Many new leaders start as an assistant principal before taking a building of their own.
These six steps are the core of how to become a school principal in any state. The same route applies to becoming a high school, middle school or elementary school principal. Only the exam and experience requirements shift.
What waits at the end is a wide scope. Principals “oversee all school operations, including daily school activities,” BLS notes, which includes instruction, budget, hiring, discipline and school culture, often in the same afternoon.
How Many Years of Teaching Do You Need Before Principal Certification?
No single national rule exists, and BLS lists five or more years of related work experience. Principal licensure rules sit with the state board, and the real number is usually lower.
School principal requirements in Arkansas run through the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). DESE defines a building level administrator as a principal, assistant principal or vice principal in a P-12 school.
Arkansas’s DESE sets that bar at three years of teaching experience for Building Level Administrator licensure statewide, the credential a principal, assistant principal or vice principal ultimately holds. A-State’s own Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship has a lower admission requirement, just one year of certified teaching experience, so candidates can start the accredited coursework well before they’ve banked the full three years the state requires for licensure. Classroom years satisfy the state’s experience clock; the degree program builds the administrative skills the job requires, and most candidates need both before they’re ready to lead a building.
What’s on the School Leaders Licensure Assessment?
The School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) runs four hours and covers six leadership content areas. The exam is the last graded step in becoming a principal. ETS, which writes the test, splits SLLA 6990 into “a 165-minute selected-response section and a 75-minute constructed-response section.” Section I holds 120 selected-response questions. Section II holds four constructed-response questions built on scenarios a school leader might face.
The six content areas and their weights are:
- Instructional Leadership: 27 questions, 17%
- Climate and Cultural Leadership: 22 questions, 13%
- Strategic Leadership: 20 questions, 13%
- Ethical Leadership: 19 questions, 12%
- Organizational Leadership: 16 questions, 10%
- Community Engagement Leadership: 16 questions, 10%
The four constructed-response questions carry the remaining 25%. Arkansas adopted the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders in 2016 as the standards guiding leadership practice in the state.
Key Insights
Preparation for the SLLA comes from the same coursework that satisfies the master’s-degree requirement. A-State’s online Master’s in Educational Leadership covers school law, budgeting, curriculum oversight and instructional supervision, the same domains tested across the SLLA’s six content areas. The state-approved preparation program’s supervised internship adds the applied, scenario-based practice the exam’s constructed-response section draws on.
What Are the Admission Requirements for an Online Principal Preparation Program?
A-State’s online Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship has five specific admission requirements, on top of the standard master’s-level preparation-program bar most states require. Meeting all five confirms a candidate already has the classroom foundation the program’s internship is designed to build on.
- A master’s degree from an accredited institution with at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale, or a 3.0 to 3.24 GPA if the student earns a B or better in their first nine graduate hours
- A valid, standard teaching license
- One year of experience as a certified teacher in an educational institution
- A workplace mentor who works alongside program advisors to support candidates through the internship
- A self-disposition document and verification of teaching effectiveness
Note: These five requirements are current as of August 2026. A-State updates admissions criteria periodically, so confirm the latest details on the program’s admissions page before applying.
Admission requirements vary by program level nationally. A state-approved principal preparation program, which is the credential most states require for licensure, is typically built into the master’s degree itself, covering a bachelor’s degree, a valid teaching license and, in most states, current classroom experience. The National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA) maintains the national leadership standards behind these programs, including the Professional Standards for Educational Leadership (PSEL) and the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Standards, endorsed by all seven NPBEA member groups.
A-State’s online Ed.S. sits one level above that baseline. It’s an optional post-master’s credential with a separate admission bar.
How Much Do School Principals Make?
School principals earned a median wage of $104,070 in May 2024, BLS reports. School principal salary tracks with school level, district size and location. High school principals tend to earn the most, then middle school, then elementary.
The most recent federal breakdown by school level comes from the National Center for Education Statistics’ National Teacher and Principal Survey for 2020-21. Among public school principals that year:
- Elementary school principals averaged $103,900
- Middle school principals averaged $108,700
- Secondary and high school principals averaged $111,100
Private school principals averaged far less that year, at $78,600 across all levels. Hiring is steady, not growing. BLS projects employment will “decline 2 percent from 2024 to 2034.” Even so, about 20,800 openings are expected each year as current principals retire or move on.
The Education Specialist Advantage
A master’s degree meets the academic bar in most states. An Ed.S. degree goes further. For educators mapping how to become a school principal, it is the step that turns a master’s degree into a state-approved path to principal licensure. Knowing how to be a school principal is a different skill from knowing how to get hired as one.
A-State’s online program runs 30 credit hours and takes as few as 18 months. Tuition is $350 per credit hour, totaling $10,500, and the program starts six times a year. These figures are current as of August 2026 and can change between enrollment terms, so check the program page for the latest tuition and credit-hour details.
Licensure programs in A-State’s College of Education & Behavioral Science are accredited by CAEP. The required internship can be completed while a candidate teaches, so the degree does not require a career pause. Graduates build enhanced leadership skills through performance-based work in P-12 schools.
A-State’s educational leadership faculty are practitioners as well as academics. Several, including Dr. Nicole Covey, have served as school administrators themselves before teaching in the program. That practitioner-led model extends across the university: A-State is a Carnegie-classified Research 2 (R2) institution, and its education graduates now work as teachers, principals, counselors, curriculum directors or superintendents in every county in Arkansas.
Student Success Story
Steven Reeder taught U.S. Government and coached football at a Tennessee high school while completing A-State’s online Ed.S. in Principalship, graduating in 2017 as he began moving toward an administrative role. Read Steven Reeder’s story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I become a principal without a master’s degree specifically titled “educational leadership”?
Yes. States generally require a master’s degree in education administration or a closely related field, not a specific title. A-State’s admission guidance accepts a master’s from an accredited institution with at least a 3.25 GPA (or 3.0-3.24 conditionally).
Which online programs prepare teachers to become school principals?
Programs differ by state, but they generally share the same core: a master’s degree or Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in educational leadership or administration, completed alongside a state-approved principal preparation program. A-State’s online Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship degree is built for licensed teachers making that specific transition from teacher to administrator, and it’s one of several state-approved pathways available to candidates who already hold a teaching license and classroom experience.
How is an Ed.S. different from a master’s or doctorate in educational leadership?
The sequence runs master’s degree, then Ed.S., then Ed.D. A master’s meets the minimum licensure bar in most states. An Ed.S. is a post-master’s credential, and in states like Arkansas, its supervised internship is what fulfills the state-approved preparation program required for principal licensure. An Ed.D. is a terminal doctoral degree, typically pursued by those aiming for district-level or superintendent roles.
Do I need to complete my administrative internship at a different school than where I currently teach?
No. The required internship can be completed at a candidate’s own school while they continue teaching, so the credential doesn’t require a career pause.
Does passing the SLLA automatically make me a licensed principal?
No. Passing the exam is one of the final steps, not the last one. Candidates also need to clear a background check, including fingerprinting, and then apply to their state board for an administrator license before they’re eligible for principal or assistant principal roles.
Can I become a principal with less than three years of teaching experience?
It depends on the state. BLS reports five or more years of related experience as typical nationally, but Arkansas’s Building Level Administrator licensure specifically requires three years of teaching experience, per A-State’s admissions guidance.
Is the Ed.S. in Educational Leadership only useful for people who want to be a principal?
No. Arkansas DESE defines a building level administrator as a principal, assistant principal or vice principal in a P-12 school, so the same credential supports multiple administrator roles, not only the top building position.
Key Takeaways
- Becoming a school principal involves six connected steps: a bachelor’s degree, a teaching license, classroom experience, a master’s degree in educational administration, a state-approved preparation program, a passing SLLA score and a background check.
- Classroom-experience requirements vary by state. Arkansas requires three years for Building Level Administrator licensure, while BLS reports five or more years as the typical national figure.
- An Ed.S. is a post-master’s credential. In Arkansas, the internship satisfies the state’s preparation-program requirement for principal licensure, not something a candidate completes only after already being licensed.
- Principal pay varies by sector and level. Public school principals averaged $103,900-$111,100 in 2020-21, compared with $78,600 across all private school levels.
- A-State’s online Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship degree, accredited by CAEP, can be finished in as few as 18 months for teachers who already have one year of certified experience.
Becoming a school principal is a career-defining move, and where you prepare for it matters. A-State’s online Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship program is taught by faculty with real school-leadership experience, several of whom have served as principals or superintendents themselves, not just studied the role. For teachers ready to make that move, it’s a direct, practitioner-led path from the classroom to the principal’s office.
See admission requirements, tuition and start dates for A-State’s online Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship program.