Principal Certificate

The Principal Certificate may be obtained beyond the master’s degree upon completion of additional course work of 24 semester hours selected with the adviser’s approval. The Principal Certificate also requires that the student obtain a passing score on the TExES examination for Principalship, hold a Texas teaching certificate, and a minimum of two years of creditable teaching experience.

The Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi also fulfills the TEA course requirements for the Principal’s Certificate.

Institutional Requirements for Principal Certificate

The following requirements must be met in order to take the TExES principal exam:

Principal Practice Examination

At Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi an individual must first take the Principal Practice Examination and score at least an 80% proficiency before taking the state TExES Principal Examination.  If more than six months pass between the practice test and request to take the actual test candidates will need to reestablish proficiency.  It is highly recommended that testing candidates participants in the TExES Principal Review Sessions offered in the spring and fall semesters.

A student has seven years to complete all course work to earn a Principal Certification and have the approval to take the Principal (068) TExES exam. Please note that no course may be older than seven years at the time a student attempts the Principal (068) TExES exam. Students not completing the program within this time period will not be approved to take the Principal (068) TExES exam and may be required to complete additional coursework or satisfy other requirements to receive such approval.

In the event a candidate fails the principal or superintendent exams, there is a state mandated 45-day wait period before a retest is available.  Students who do not pass a state exam will be required to complete an assigned remediation activity before test approval will be granted.  Program faculty will determine the remediation activity after an assessment of the individuals’ test results has been completed.

Candidates who have not taken and passed certification (Principalship or Superintendent) exams and/or applied for certification within 7 years of program completion date will be required to repeat or complete additional coursework, pass practice exams and engage in the services of outside test preparation programs.  Failure to complete all requirements in the certification process within this time frame may render the candidate ineligible to continue testing or be recommended for certification by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.  Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi reserves the right to deny certification recommendation beyond 7 years of candidate program completion without any further consideration.  Appeals related to any portion of this program policy must be made in writing to the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, with information copies of the appeal provided to the appropriate department chair and program coordinator.