Educational Leadership with Licensure Online

  • Education Specialist
  • Darden College of Education & Professional Studies
  • Department of Educational Foundations & Leadership

If you hold a master's degree in education (not in educational leadership), this Education Specialist program is your next step toward a leadership role. Our curriculum is designed to lead to Commonwealth of Virginia licensure in Educational Administration and Supervision, PreK-12.**

Our program is cohort-based. All students begin with an administrative skills portfolio assessment. Your coursework will provide conceptual and theoretical knowledge. You will also complete field-based experiences to transform your knowledge into effective practice.

Themes in ODU's online educational leadership program include:

  • Leadership for school improvement
  • Data analysis and decision making
  • Strategic human resource and fiscal management
  • Establishing and leading professional collaborative communities

When you graduate, you will earn an Education Specialist degree with a concentration in Educational Leadership and emphasis in Administration and Leadership.

Indicates a required field


















** You do not need three years of educational experience to apply to this program. However, to be eligible for an Administration and Supervision preK-12 license in the Commonwealth of Virginia, you must have completed three years of successful, full-time experiences in a public or accredited nonpublic school in an instructional personnel position with licensure as a teacher or school counselor.

ODU's concentration area in administration and supervision is approved by the Commonwealth of Virginia. If you're seeking teacher licensure or endorsement in another state, we encourage you to check your state's requirements before you apply.

Image
Educators stand with supervisor in a school hallway
    • 33 credit hours, including internships

    This degree is cohort-based, which means you will take a specific sequence of courses with a defined group of fellow students. The coursework also incorporates 120 internship hours.

  • Participate in live, regularly scheduled online class meetings and access course materials online from any location. All courses follow ODU's regular academic calendar. This program requires internships as part of the coursework.

    • Assistant Principal
    • Principal
    • Superintendent
    • Department Lead
    • Curriculum Leader
    • Lead Teacher
    • Curriculum Supervisor
    • Data Instructional Leader

    Keep in mind that professional license requirements may vary by state.

  • In-state Virginia Residents
    $599 per credit hour*
    Out-of-state Students
    $623 per credit hour

    Virginia Public School educators may be eligible for a tuition discount of 25% per credit hour. Contact us for more details.

    Rates are effective Fall 2023 and subject to change.
    * In-state rate assumes residency requirements are met.

The curriculum in this program is designed to lead to Virginia licensure in Educational Administration and Supervision, Pre-K-12.

Use the links here to explore whether this program can lead to licensure in your state. If you live outside Virginia, we encourage you to check your state's teacher licensure requirements before applying to ODU.

You'll have a dedicated academic advisor for this program.

Contact us if you have questions about admission requirements, transferring credits, or application deadlines.

  • To apply for this program, you must currently be employed by a public school division/district or private school. There is a separate application for this program in addition to standard graduate admission to ODU. GRE/GMAT are optional. 

    ** You don't need three years of educational experience to apply to this program. To be eligible for an Administration and Supervision PreK-12 license in the Commonwealth of Virginia, you must have completed three years of successful, full-time experiences in a public or accredited nonpublic school in an instructional personnel position with licensure as a teacher or school counselor.