If you want to become a school superintendent, you need to know your state’s requirements. Much like a teacher gets certified through the state, a superintendent must also complete formal training and gain experience before they will be granted their certification. As a lead within in the school setting, school superintendents are expected to be teachers prior to taking on this new, upper-level role. Read on to learn more about the educational and professional experience requirements so that you can plan which route you will take to achieve your career goals.
What Are The Educational Requirements?
While the educational requirements to become a superintendent will vary from state to state, most states require candidates to have a master’s degree in education or school administration before they can become certified. To earn your master’s, you must start school by learning the basics in the field in a bachelor’s degree program. Once you earn an undergraduate degree, you can move on to enrolling in a master’s program if you have earned acceptable grades. Some states will allow candidates to be promoted to superintendent with a bachelor’s degree, but you will need a significant amount of experience to replace the advanced degree.
Earning Your Certifications to Become a Superintendent
The very first step to traversing the tiers you need to complete to become a superintendent is to earn your teaching credential in the state where you plan on beginning your career. After you have gained several years of teaching experience, it is common for the state to require that you become a certified principal. Only after this will you be eligible to sit and test for your superintendent certification. To be granted this credential, you must pass a standardized exam showing that you posses the knowledge to lead a school. You will also be required to complete continuing education each year or every other year to keep your certification active.
Skills You Will Need to Be a Superintendent
Superintendents in any school setting play an important role in maintaining the safety of schools within a state, region or district. If you want to hold this responsibility, you need to be prepared to have passion for the education system. You will also need to possess communications skills so that you are able to comfortably explain yourself at conferences or with media outlets. A superintendent who is charismatic and has a passion for learning will be the best match for this position. Be sure that you have the inherent and the learned skills that you need to succeed in this school administration role before you begin working towards a degree or a certification. The superintendent title is not for everyone who has a passion to teach.
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Even after you complete graduate school and gain experience to get certified, earning your certification does not guarantee that you will land a position. As such a high ranking school official, you must be appointed by the board of education after working yourself up the ranks. You must be assessed by your peers and may need to be appointed by a political official like the governor. With this being said, according to PayScale, a school superintendents earn an average of $108,053 per year, which is enough to push you build your reputation so that you can become a school superintendent.
