How to Become a Principal in Arizona

Arizona principal requirements, step by step

Standard Professional Principal Certificate PreK-12. Each requirement is stated as Arizona Department of Education publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Confirm the role requires the Standard Professional Principal Certificate

   Arizona requires the Standard Professional Principal Certificate PreK-12 for a Principal, Assistant Principal, or anyone performing those duties under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 15.

   Source: azed.gov

2. 2

   Hold a master’s or more advanced degree and three years of full-time PreK-12 teaching

   Earn a master’s or more advanced degree and document three years of full-time PreK-12 teaching. Rule R7-2-616 pairs the degree and the teaching years as separate requirements.

   Source: law.cornell.edu

3. 3

   Complete an educational administration program of at least 30 graduate semester hours

   Finish a program in educational administration for principals that includes at least 30 graduate semester hours teaching the Professional Administrative Standards, including three credits of school law and three credits of school finance, plus a practicum as principal—or two years as a principal or assistant principal under a certified principal.

   Source: azed.gov

4. 4

   Pass AEPA Principal Subtests I and II, or an ADE-listed alternative

   Earn a passing score on AEPA Principal Subtests I and II (AZ181 and AZ281), or complete one of the alternatives listed on the Arizona Department of Education principal PreK-12 page.

   Source: azed.gov

5. 5

   Hold a valid DPS IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card

   Maintain a valid Arizona Department of Public Safety Identity Verified Prints Fingerprint Clearance Card. Certification will not issue without a current IVP card.

   Source: azed.gov

6. 6

   Apply through AZEdCert; the certificate is valid 12 years and renewable

   Submit the Standard Professional Principal Certificate PreK-12 application at mycert.azed.gov. The certificate is valid for 12 years and is renewable.

   Source: azed.gov

Arizona’s principal certificate is a 12-year Standard Professional Principal Certificate PreK-12, and it is not optional window dressing. The Arizona Department of Education and Rule R7-2-616 require it for a Principal, an Assistant Principal, or anyone performing those duties under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 15. A teacher who “covers” the principal’s office during a vacancy is performing those duties. Districts that rely on an unofficial dean title to avoid certification are outside the rule’s wording.

Coursework is quantified. The educational administration program for principals must include at least 30 graduate semester hours that teach the Professional Administrative Standards, and those hours must include three credits of school law and three credits of school finance. A 24-hour certificate-only sequence, or a master’s that omitted school finance, does not meet R7-2-616 even if the transcript says “educational leadership.” The field component is a practicum as principal or two years already served as a principal or assistant principal under a certified principal—experience under an uncertified acting principal does not satisfy that alternative.

Teaching experience is three years full-time PreK-12 teaching, not three years in a school building. Counseling, coaching, or classified years do not convert. Testing is AEPA Principal Subtest I (AZ181) and Subtest II (AZ281), unless the candidate uses an alternative that ADE actually lists on the principal PreK-12 page. Do not invent AEPA fees or cut scores; ADE’s page is the source for which instruments are accepted, not for unpublished dollar amounts.

A valid DPS IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card is a certification requirement, not merely an employment form. An expired IVP card will stop issuance at mycert.azed.gov even when AZ181, AZ281, the 30 hours, and the three teaching years are complete. Because the certificate lasts 12 years, candidates sometimes treat renewal as someone else’s problem; the ADE page states that it is renewable, and the educator—not the district—owns the AZEdCert record when the 12-year date arrives.

Required exams and fees

Arizona uses AEPA Principal Subtests I and II (AZ181 / AZ281). Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Institutions with educational leadership programs

The table lists educational leadership CIP codes and award levels from IPEDS. This extract reported no completion counts, so none are shown. An award conferred does not mean the program is approved to recommend candidates for Standard Professional Principal Certificate PreK-12. Verify approval with Arizona Department of Education.

Moving an administrator credential to Arizona

Confirm out-of-state administrator evaluation rules directly with Arizona Department of Education. This site does not republish NASDTEC interstate-agreement text.

Arizona Department of Education