Are you an educator who is ready to become a leader in your school or district? 

Michigan State University, known nationally for its quality teacher preparation programs, now offers a graduate certificate in Teacher Leadership. MSU’s College of Education is one of only three universities in Michigan approved by the state Department of Education to provide the advanced teacher certificate, which recognizes educators with skills in master teaching and highly effective ratings. 

“The Graduate Certificate in Teacher Leadership prepares well-qualified teacher leaders for Michigan and beyond by providing relevant, online programming options for educators interested in building expertise in teacher leadership,” said Joanne Marciano, assistant professor and co-director. 

Co-director Kristy Cooper Stein added, “The purpose of the program is to enable teacher leaders in various roles to be as effective as possible in designing and undertaking leadership work that will create meaningful, sustaining change in their schools, districts and communities.” 

The fully online program includes four required courses and will qualify teachers for the Advanced Professional Teaching Certificate. One of the required courses for the Teacher Leadership graduate certificate is a yearlong internship that students can complete as part of their existing professional positions. 

Candidates can complete the MSU graduate certificate alone, or as part of one of Michigan State’s online master’s programs.  

The certificate program is jointly offered by faculty from the MSU departments of Teacher Education and Educational Administration. The university is ranked No. 1 in the nation for its graduate programs in both areas, according to U.S. News & World Report. 

MSU also has a long history of offering innovative and rigorous online graduate programs in education, starting with the Master of Arts in Education, which celebrated its 20 year-anniversary in 2021. 

Ready to learn more?

The next application deadline to join the Graduate Certificate in Teacher Leadership Teacher is Apr. 1. Prospective students who wish to join the certificate program must complete the Intent to Enroll form on the program website. 

Join Joanne Marciano and Kristy Cooper Stein at an upcoming virtual information session to learn more about this program on Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. (register to attend via Zoom).  

Contact Marciano (marcian2@msu.edu) or Cooper Stein (kcooper@msu.edu) with questions. 

This story originally appeared on the College of Education website.