Program Codes:
CGRPRINLDR
Graduate Certificate
Availability: online
The mission of Mercyhurst's Principal Certification Program is to provide a selective, practical and evidence-based principal preparation program for aspiring school leaders currently serving as teachers, counselors, instructional coaches, or chairs of their departments. The program functions to prepare selected candidates for PDE principal certification through PDE aligned coursework and engagement in a one-year mentored, career-embedded residency experience with their mentor principal and leadership supervisor. Through this program, candidates will develop into collaborative, data-informed, reflective practitioners who focus on equity and increasing achievement for all students.
Successful leadership is a process that takes time, experience, learning and a behavioral disposition toward working with others. This course examines the field of organizational behavior and leadership by studying theoretical models, practical examples, and experiential exercises.
This 210-contact hour clinical internship is designed to establish, and ultimately solidify a link between research-application/scientist-practitioner within the field of special education, with the focus on student engagement. This internship requires graduate students to (a) plan, organize, and manage the educational environment, (b) present, teach, and engage students, (c) develop educational leadership capacity, and (d) develop a critical philosophy of learning.