Admission to the Program

Admission Requirements

The educational leadership program offers degree and certification options for aspiring leaders in public, private, and higher education. Applicants may apply for degree only, certification only, or degree + certification options. Upon successful completion of the applicant’s selected educator preparation program, degrees are conferred by West Texas A&M University and certification is granted by the Texas Education Agency upon recommendation by West Texas A&M University’s Educator Preparation Program (EPP) certification officer. The minimum requirements for admission to the degree and certification options, as required by West Texas A&M University and the Texas Education Agency are listed in the table below.

	Degree Options		Certification Options
Requirements	M.Ed.	Ed.D.	Principal	Superintendent
Degree	Bachelor’s	Master’s	M.Ed. + Certification: Bachelor’s* Certification Only: Master’s*	Master’s*
Minimum GPA (overall or last 60 hours)	2.75	3.25	2.75	2.75
Educator Certificate*	N/A	N/A	Teacher	Principal
Creditable Teaching* Experience	N/A	N/A	M.Ed. + Certification: 0 years, but 2 years by end of program Certification Only: 2 years	2 years

* Refer to Texas Education Agency (TEA) specific requirements for becoming a principal or superintendent in Texas

Admission to the educational leadership degree and certification options begins with an application to the Graduate School. Identify the degree and/or certification options in the table below to fulfill your educational and career goals. Any of the options may stand alone or be combined through degree and certification options. For example, the M.Ed. and principal certification, or the Ed.D. and superintendent certification are popular combinations. Specific requirements for admission to the Graduate School and the educational leadership degree and certification programs are described in detail in the academic catalogs.

Graduate admission requirements and deadlines must be met to be considered for admission to the applicable programs. Applicants may be admitted to the Graduate School under regular or conditional guidelines as described in the academic catalogs. Use the table below to prepare the appropriate application materials to meet your degree and/or certification goals. Use the Guidance for Completing and Submitting EDLD Application Material document in preparing your application. Submit application materials to Heather Wilson in the Graduate School. For assistance, contact Heather Wilson or your adviser.

Note: Applicants for degree + certification combinations such as M.Ed + principal certification or Ed.D. + superintendent certification must complete ALL application components in the first column of the table below.

Application Components Required (click on each applicable link)	Degree Options		Certification Options
	M.Ed.	Ed.D.	Principal	Superintendent
Graduate School	●	●	●	●
Office of Teacher Preparation			●	●
Official Transcripts	●	●	●	●
Candidate Information Page			●	●
Resume / CV	●	●	●	●
Letters of Recommendation	●	●	●	●
Educator Certificate			●	●
Service Record or Deficiency Letter			●	●
Signed TEA Code of Ethics			●	●
Screening Requirements	●	●	●	●
Signed Acceptance Letter			●	●
TEA Fee			●	●

Texas Education Agency Requirements

English Language Proficiency

An applicant for certification in Texas must be able to communicate, listen, read, write, and comprehend the English language sufficiently to use it easily and readily in daily communication and teaching. English language proficiency shall be evidenced by one of the following:

(A) completion of an undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited institution of higher education in the United States; or

(B) verification of minimum scaled scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) of 24 for speaking, 22 for listening, 22 for reading, and 21 for writing; (TOEFL scores must not be older than 2 years from date of application) or

(C) if an undergraduate or graduate degree was earned at an institution of higher education in a country outside of the United States listed in TAC 230.11

Consult WTAMU’s university policy on language proficiency: https://www.wtamu.edu/student-support/international-student-services/Applicants/RESOURCES/international-undergraduate-test-scores.html

Criminal History Information

A criminal background check including fingerprinting will be performed by the Texas Education Agency before a certification-seeking candidate will be allowed to certify or gain employment on a non-teacher certificate. TAC 227.1(b)(1)(2).

Items on a candidate’s criminal history report may render the candidate ineligible for certification. 

Candidates may request a preliminary TEA background check for an evaluation of the criminal history. Please note that applicants may request a preliminary TEA background check for an opinion of charge prior to starting a program https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/investigations/preliminary-criminal-history-evaluation-faqs) 

All applicants with any prior or current criminal charges are encouraged to discuss their specific background with the Director of Educator Preparation Programs before enrolling in any academic program that includes a certification route.

Note: Requirements for licensure/certification vary from state to state. Our programs prepare candidates for certification and/or licensure in the State of Texas. We do not represent that our programs prepare candidates for licensure or certification in other states.