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Building Level Administration Certificate Online

Arkansas State University's Building Level Administration Certificate is a 100% online, CAEP-accredited post-master's certificate for educators who already hold a master's degree and only need the licensure-qualifying coursework to become a principal. Completed in as little as 12 months months (18 credit hours), the program prepares graduates to pursue Arkansas's Building-Level Administrator license without requiring a full second degree.

Next Apply Date: 9/28/26
Next Class Start Date: 10/12/26
Apply Now
Next Apply Date: 9/28/26
Next Class Start Date: 10/12/26

Program Overview

What skills and opportunities will you gain with a Building-Level Administration Certificate?

This certificate program is designed for credentialed educators in Arkansas as well as credentialed educators from other states who seek to acquire a Building-Level Administrator License (i.e. principal's license). The program builds on previous degrees through our curriculum-intense courses and is designed to provide an accelerated, affordable route to obtaining an additional licensure.

For state program approvals, please refer to our State Authorization & Licensure Disclosures page.

In this program you will:

  • Prepare to acquire an Arkansas building-level administrator license (i.e. principal’s license)
  • Utilize an opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills and practices integral to school leadership
  • Gain perspectives, skills and processes necessary for managing curriculum
  • Review educational administration with the context of ethical and professional behavior as well as legal aspects of education
  • Focus on school and community relations; aspects of teacher evaluation and supervision; site-based management, planning and resource allocation; and the administrative processes of special education
  • Utilize an internship in an educational leadership setting
In this program you will:+
  • Prepare to acquire an Arkansas building-level administrator license (i.e. principal’s license)
  • Utilize an opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills and practices integral to school leadership
  • Gain perspectives, skills and processes necessary for managing curriculum
  • Review educational administration with the context of ethical and professional behavior as well as legal aspects of education
  • Focus on school and community relations; aspects of teacher evaluation and supervision; site-based management, planning and resource allocation; and the administrative processes of special education
  • Utilize an internship in an educational leadership setting

Career opportunities include:

  • Principal
  • Assistant Principal
  • Vice Principal
Career opportunities include:+
  • Principal
  • Assistant Principal
  • Vice Principal
+

Additional Documents

Textbook Information (.PDF)

This program requires Watermark – Student Learning & Licensure (SL&L).

Additional Documents+

Textbook Information (.PDF)

This program requires Watermark – Student Learning & Licensure (SL&L).

Also available:

A-State offers a variety of certificate programs in a convenient online format. Explore our full range of online certificate programs.

Total Tuition: $6,300
Program Duration: 12 months
Credit Hours 18

Accreditation

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Need More Information?

Call 866-621-8096

Call 866-621-8096

Tuition

How much does the Building Level Administration Certificate cost?

Our Building Level Administration Certificate online program offers the same affordable tuition to all U.S. residents. All fees are included. Tuition may be subject to change on a yearly basis.

Please note, certificate programs are not financial aid eligible.

Tuition breakdown:

Per Credit Hour: $350
Total Tuition: $6,300

Calendar

When do classes start for this program?

Our Building Level Administration Certificate online program is designed to be flexible and convenient for working professionals, featuring accelerated coursework and multiple start dates a year.

Please note that the internship course lasts a full semester and only starts in Fall 1 and Spring 1 of terms.

Please note Summer 1 and Summer 2 terms are 5 weeks in duration for this program.

View full calendar +

TermProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment DueLast Class Day
Fall 18/19/268/5/268/5/268/17/268/17/2610/2/26
Fall 210/12/269/28/269/28/2610/8/2610/9/2612/4/26
Spring 11/11/2712/28/2612/28/261/7/271/8/272/26/27
Spring 23/8/273/4/272/22/273/4/273/5/274/30/27

Now enrolling:

Next Apply Date 9/28/26
Start Class 10/12/26

Have questions or need more information about A‑State online programs?

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Admissions

What are the admissions requirements for the Building Level Administration Certificate?

Students interested in this certificate program must have two years of educator experience. Review the full admission requirements below.

Admission Requirements:

  • Online application
  • Master’s degree
  • 2 years of educator experience
View all admission requirements +

  • An education-related master's degree from an accredited institution
  • Achieved a minimum cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale)
  • At least two (2) years of P-12 experience as an educator
  • Commitment from an appropriate professional who will function as your mentor during the degree program. View acceptable mentors.
  • Candidates will be required to submit the self-disposition document provided and verification for teacher effectiveness and leadership abilities

For further information concerning admissions, contact A-State Online Services at 866-881-3168, or email the Graduate Admission Coordinator.

If you have questions during that time, you can use our Self Service feature, which allows you to see when transcripts and teaching certificates reach our offices. When you receive your decision letter, it will provide instructions for enrolling yourself into the program and downloading the necessary software. If you have questions during this process, please call us at 866-621-8096.

Arkansas State University is authorized for operation as a postsecondary educational institution by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. In order to view detailed job placement and completion information on the programs offered by Arkansas State University, please visit www.state.tn.us/thec and click on the Authorized Institutions Data button.

Additional information:

While not required for admission, Teacher/Leader Effectiveness Credentials will be required prior to registering for your first course.

Submit all documents to:

A-State Online
P.O. Box 2520
State University, AR 72467

Fax: 870-972-3548
Email: [email protected]

For Non-US Postal Mail Overnight Delivery Only:

A-State Online
c/o Central Receiving
2713 Pawnee St.
Jonesboro, AR 72401

A-State is Nationally Recognized

A-State is ranked among the "Best National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report (2026)

Courses

What courses are in the online Building Level Administration Certificate program curriculum?

Students in the Building Level Administration Certificate online program must complete the following eight courses (18 credit hours).

You can view your schedule of courses for this certificate through the Course Smartsheet:

View the AOS Course Smartsheet

How to Use the Course Smartsheet

Expand All
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course addresses planning and resource allocation in public schools. Special attention is given to site-based management respon­sibilities of the principal.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A study of the legal aspects of education for the purpose of familiariz­ing school personnel with the legal features of school organization and administration. The course will consider constitutional and statutory provisions, but the major emphasis will be directed to the study of court decisions relating to education.  Dual Listed/Cross Listed: Dual listed as ELAD 6073.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course presents an overview of educational administra­tion for practitioners within the context of ethical and professional behavior.  Dual Listed/Cross Listed: Dual listed as ELAD 6203.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines the qualities, disposi­tions, and characteristics of effective leaders, along with research and evaluation strategies for school improvement.
Duration: 14 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This capstone course provides students with practical hands-on clinical experience in a school setting. The course will focus on authentic problems and activities that require students to demonstrate leadership skills, and practices integral to the per­formance of the school administrator at the building level.  Prerequisites: Completion of portfolio.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Combines attributes of supervising teaching with the formal aspects of teacher evaluation via emphasis on adult development, clinical supervision, and evaluation processes and models extant in public schools.

Built for Arkansas Educators

Arkansas State University's educator preparation programs are CAEP-accredited, and this certificate is built to prepare you for the coursework required to pursue Arkansas's Building-Level Administrator license. Because CAEP accreditation is national, your degree credentials travel with you if your career takes you beyond Arkansas; no need to explain or defend them to an out-of-state district's HR office.

The Building Level Administration Certificate is delivered 100% online with no required campus visits, built from the start for educators who are teaching full time rather than adapted from an on-campus sequence. That combination of national accreditation, affordable tuition and genuine flexibility is a big part of why Arkansas State University remains a leading choice for online graduate education credentials in Arkansas and across the South.

FAQ

Building Level Administration Certificate FAQs

Intro copy

Both prepare you for the same Arkansas building-level administrator license, but they differ in scope: this certificate is 18 credit hours; the Ed.S. is 30 credit hours. The certificate does not add an Ed.S. designation to your transcript, which may affect district salary schedule placement in some districts. If you want the fastest route to licensure without another full degree, the certificate is built for that; if you want the additional academic credential, the Ed.S. is the fuller investment.
If you already hold a master's degree, this 18-credit-hour certificate adds Arkansas building-level administrator licensure without requiring a second full degree like the Ed.S.
Admission requires an education-related master's degree, a 3.0 GPA and two years of P-12 educator experience.
18 credit hours, completable in approximately 12 months for full-time students, with multiple start dates per year.
You'll need an education-related master's degree, a 3.0 cumulative GPA, two years of P-12 educator experience, a mentor commitment and a self-disposition document. The Ed.S. in Educational Leadership, Principalship requires a higher 3.25 GPA, one year of experience as an educator, a mentor commitment and self-disposition document.
No, certificate programs are not financial aid eligible.
Yes. This certificate is part of Arkansas State University's educator preparation programming, which is approved by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) for Building-Level Administrator licensure. CAEP accreditation covers the college's educator preparation unit nationally; state-specific approval is separately confirmed through ADE's list of approved institutions.
Licensure requirements vary by state. For all other states, please see our State Authorization and Licensure Disclosures page to confirm eligibility in your specific state.
Coursework may be eligible to transfer, subject to A-State's standard graduate transfer credit policy (up to 9 hours, pending official transcript review and a Graduate Transfer Credit Evaluation Form). Contact a Student Engagement Specialist for more information on transfer credit before assuming specific courses will apply to the Ed.S.
Yes. The Supervised Internship is a 14-week capstone course providing hands-on clinical experience in a school setting, offered only in Fall 1 or Spring 1 terms.
The certificate alone leads to the same Arkansas building-level administrator license as the Ed.S. You do not need the full Ed.S. to become a principal in Arkansas. The Ed.S. adds an academic degree credential on top of that same licensure outcome, which some districts recognize with different salary schedule placement.

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