Specializations · Ohio
Educational Leadership Pathways in Ohio
Educational Leadership in Ohio is a graduate award, not Professional Principal License. This table lists 44 institutions with matching IPEDS completions. Completions are not approval to recommend candidates for the license. Use the Ohio principal checklist for the credential.
Educational leadership is graduate study aimed at school and district leadership roles. Programs commonly sit inside an M.Ed., EdS, or EdD. Completing a leadership degree is not the same as earning a principal or administrator credential. States issue that license after an approved preparation sequence, experience, and any required exams.
Reviewed by Brittnie Vargas, School principal, M.Ed.Editorial processHow this degree relates to the Ohio principal credential
The Ohio license is Professional Principal License. Read the principal checklist for steps, exams, and the board source — this page is the IPEDS inventory for Educational Leadership, not a second copy of that checklist.
Ohio’s principal license is grade-banded, which is the detail that most often undoes an otherwise complete CORE application. The State Board of Education of Ohio issues a Professional Principal License tied to early childhood, middle-level, 5–12, or related bands that match the ages and grade levels of the candidate’s qualifying teaching. Two years of successful high-school teaching under a standard or professional license supports a 5–12 principal license; those same years do not automatically unlock an early-childhood principal license. Professional pupil-services experience can substitute for teaching when it is the professional pupil-services license and the ages align, but a pupil-services role in a high school does not, by itself, create a PK–6 principal license.
Preparation is an approved principal program plus a dean’s recommendation, not a self-assembled transcript of leadership electives. The State Board’s principal-licenses page treats the recommendation as a required element. Candidates who finish coursework, pass OAE 015, and then wait months for a dean’s letter are not “done” in CORE until that recommendation posts. OAE 015 Educational Leadership is the examination the pathway names; other Ohio Assessments for Educators content tests used for teaching licenses do not replace 015.
Institutions with Educational Leadership programs in Ohio
Rows come from IPEDS awards by CIP and award level. This extract reported no completion counts, so none are shown. An institution that conferred awards is not automatically approved to recommend candidates for Professional Principal License.
| Institution | CIP | Award level |
|---|---|---|
| Antioch University (Yellow Springs, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Ashland University (Ashland, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Ashland University (Ashland, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Baldwin Wallace University (Berea, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Bowling Green State University-Main Campus (Bowling Green, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Bowling Green State University-Main Campus (Bowling Green, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Bowling Green State University-Main Campus (Bowling Green, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Capital University (Columbus, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Franciscan University of Steubenville (Steubenville, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Heidelberg University (Tiffin, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| John Carroll University (University Heights, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Kent State University at Kent (Kent, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Kent State University at Kent (Kent, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Kent State University at Kent (Kent, OH) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Miami University-Oxford (Oxford, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Miami University-Oxford (Oxford, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Muskingum University (New Concord, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Muskingum University (New Concord, OH) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Master’s |
| Notre Dame College (Cleveland, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Ohio Dominican University (Columbus, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Ohio University-Main Campus (Athens, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Ohio University-Main Campus (Athens, OH) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Doctorate (research) |
| University of Akron Main Campus (Akron, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Akron Main Campus (Akron, OH) | 13.0408 Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship | Master’s |
| University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (Cincinnati, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (Cincinnati, OH) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Doctorate (research) |
| University of Dayton (Dayton, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| University of Dayton (Dayton, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Mount Union (Alliance, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Toledo (Toledo, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (other) |
| University of Toledo (Toledo, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| University of Toledo (Toledo, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Ursuline College (Pepper Pike, OH) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Ursuline College (Pepper Pike, OH) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Master’s |
| Ursuline College (Pepper Pike, OH) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Wright State University-Main Campus (Dayton, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Wright State University-Main Campus (Dayton, OH) | 13.0404 Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision | Master’s |
| Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Youngstown State University (Youngstown, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Youngstown State University (Youngstown, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Youngstown State University (Youngstown, OH) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
Frequently asked questions
Is educational leadership the same as principal certification?
No. Educational leadership is an academic concentration. Principal certification is a state-issued administrative credential. Many candidates earn both through the same approved program, but you must satisfy the state’s credential rules, not only complete graduate courses.
Which degree should I pursue for school leadership?
Many educators start with an M.Ed. in educational leadership. Some continue to an EdS for post-master’s depth, or an EdD for terminal practitioner study. Match the degree to your state’s credential checklist and your timeline, do not choose based on ranking lists.
Can I complete educational leadership online?
Many programs offer online or hybrid coursework, but internships and field experiences are usually local. Confirm that the program can place you in an approved setting in the state where you intend to hold an administrative license.
Which leadership exam will I take?
The exam is set by the state board. This site sources SLLA 6990, TExES 268 and PASL, FELE, CalAPA/CPACE, PAL, OAE 015, and other state instruments on the SLLA page and each principal checklist. Confirm the current test code and cut score on the board testing page.