Missouri Administration/Principal Certification
Missouri principal certification starts with an Initial Administrator Certificate from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which requires a master’s degree in educational leadership, a passing score on the Praxis Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision exam, and the MPEA performance assessment. Superintendents need an education specialist degree or higher. Certificates upgrade to Transition status once administrators meet DESE’s upgrade requirements, then to Career Continuous status after four years of approved administrative experience and the remaining upgrade requirements.
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Every Missouri principal starts as a classroom teacher first. DESE won’t certify anyone for a building-level administrator role who hasn’t already logged at least two years in front of students, and that experience requirement shapes almost every other rule on this page. If you’re a teacher weighing the move into administration, here’s what Missouri principal certification actually requires, from the graduate degree through the exams and the paperwork.
Use the links below to jump to certificate levels, degree requirements, exams, experience rules, the background check, and reciprocity for out-of-state administrators.
- How Missouri’s administrator certificate levels work
- Education requirements for principals and superintendents
- Passing the Praxis and MPEA assessments
- Experience and application requirements
- Background check and application process
- Reciprocity for out-of-state administrators
How Missouri’s Administrator Certificate Levels Work
DESE issues administrator certification in three stages: Initial, Transition, and Career Continuous. Most new administrators start with an Initial Administrator Certificate, valid for four years. To upgrade to a Transition Administrator Certificate, you complete DESE’s specific upgrade requirements: things like structured mentoring, professional development or graduate coursework, and administrator evaluations, not simply enrolling in an advanced degree program. From there, four years of approved administrative experience, along with the remaining upgrade requirements, make you eligible for the Career Continuous Certificate, which doesn’t carry the same renewal timeline as the earlier stages.
This staged system applies to the same set of administrative titles: Elementary Principal (Grades K-8), Middle School Principal (Grades 5-9), Secondary Principal (Grades 9-12), and Superintendent (Grades K-12). Special Education Director and Career Education Director certificates follow a similar Initial-to-Career-Continuous progression.
Education Requirements for Missouri School Leaders
Building-Level Administrators (Principal)
To qualify for an Initial Administrator Certificate as a principal, you need a master’s degree or higher in educational leadership from a program approved by DESE, plus an institutional recommendation from that program’s officials. Approved programs typically include at least 24 semester hours of graduate credit in administration and supervision, covering:
- Foundations of educational administration
- Building-level administration and curriculum for your target grade span (elementary, middle, or secondary)
- School supervision
- School law, covering regular, career, and special education
- Educational measurement and public relations
- School business and facilities management
- Student discipline and teacher evaluation
- Psychology or education of the exceptional child
Middle school candidates also need at least five semester hours in methods of teaching reading, including a course on teaching reading in the content fields, plus at least two semester hours in elementary mathematics methods and six semester hours covering middle-level philosophy, curriculum, and adolescent development.
Superintendent
A Missouri superintendent certificate requires an educational specialist degree or higher in educational leadership, again with an institutional recommendation. Coursework must include foundations of educational administration, city or district-level school administration, school supervision, curriculum construction, research and evaluation, school finance and law, personnel administration, community relations, and school facilities design and operation. You’ll also need a course in psychology or education of the exceptional child, the same requirement principals face.
| Certificate | Minimum Degree | Required Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary, Middle, or Secondary Principal | Master’s degree in educational leadership | Praxis Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision (5412) + MPEA performance assessment |
| Superintendent | Education specialist degree or higher | Praxis Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision (5412) + MPEA Superintendent performance assessment |
Passing the Praxis and MPEA Assessments
Missouri requires two separate hurdles before you’re certified, not one. First is the Praxis Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision test (5412), a roughly three-hour, 120-question exam covering strategic leadership, instructional improvement, school operations, and community engagement. Missouri sets its own passing score of 135, lower than the 146 that many other states require.
Second is the performance assessment administered by the Missouri Professors of Educational Administration (MPEA), a group of university faculty authorized by DESE to score candidate work against the Missouri Leadership Development System domains. This performance assessment, built around multiple writing prompts and supporting artifacts from your fieldwork, replaced the earlier Missouri School Leader Performance Assessment in 2018. Superintendent candidates complete a separate MPEA assessment built for that role. Your university program administers both the Praxis test guidance and the MPEA submission process, so talk to your certification officer early about deadlines.
Experience and Application Requirements
Missouri won’t certify a principal candidate without direct classroom experience. Every principal applicant needs a valid Missouri teaching certificate, at least two years of classroom teaching experience, and at least two semester hours of directed field experience completed inside their educational leadership program. Superintendent candidates need at least one year of experience as a building or district-level administrator at a public or accredited nonpublic school, on top of holding a valid principal’s certificate.
Once your degree, exams, and experience are in place, you apply online through the DESE certification portal. Mail official transcripts from every institution you attended, have your preparation program send its recommendation directly to DESE, and make sure your Praxis scores are forwarded electronically. Send paperwork to Educator Certification, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102, and include your name, Social Security number, and contact information on every document.
Background Check and Application Process
Every administrator applicant undergoes a criminal history background check before DESE issues certification. Pre-register through the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS) at machs.mo.gov, then complete your LiveScan fingerprinting appointment through IDEMIA (IdentoGO), DESE’s contracted vendor. For questions about the process, contact IDEMIA at 844-543-9712. DESE won’t release your certificate until the cleared background check is on file, so scheduling this early avoids a bottleneck at the end of your application.
Missouri Administrator Reciprocity for Out-of-State Candidates
If you already hold an administrator certificate from another state, Missouri doesn’t require you to start the degree and exam process from scratch. According to DESE’s guidance for out-of-state administrators, the department reviews your out-of-state credential and can issue a Missouri certificate in the closest matching administrative area, provided you submit verification of your teaching and administrative experience along with your current certificate. If your out-of-state certificate has lapsed, or you never held one, you’ll need an institutional recommendation from the college or university where you completed your educational administration degree, the same requirement a first-time Missouri candidate faces. Classroom teachers moving to Missouri from another state have a related but separate path. See Missouri’s teacher reciprocity agreements for how that process works before you pursue an administrative credential.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Missouri’s Initial, Transition, and Career Continuous Administrator Certificates?
The Initial Administrator Certificate is valid for four years and is what most new principals and superintendents receive first. Meeting DESE’s upgrade requirements, including mentoring, professional development or graduate credit, and administrator evaluations, moves you to Transition status. After four years of approved administrative experience and the remaining upgrade requirements, you become eligible for the Career Continuous Certificate.
Do I need a master’s degree to become a principal in Missouri?
Yes. Missouri requires a master’s degree or higher in educational leadership from a DESE-approved program, including at least 24 semester hours of graduate credit in administration and supervision, before you can qualify for an Initial Administrator Certificate as a principal.
What exams do Missouri school administrators need to pass?
Missouri requires the Praxis Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision exam (5412), with a state-specific passing score of 135, plus a performance assessment administered by the Missouri Professors of Educational Administration (MPEA). Superintendent candidates complete a separate MPEA assessment built for that role.
Can I transfer an out-of-state administrator certificate to Missouri?
Yes, through DESE’s reciprocity process. Submit your current out-of-state certificate along with verification of your teaching and administrative experience, and DESE will issue a Missouri certificate in the closest matching area. If your certificate has lapsed, you’ll need an institutional recommendation instead.
How long does it take to become a superintendent in Missouri?
Superintendent candidates need an education specialist degree or higher, at least one year of experience as a building or district-level administrator, and a valid principal’s certificate before applying. Combined with the master’s-level work most candidates complete first as a principal, the full path typically spans several years of graduate study and administrative experience.
- Certification happens in three stages. Initial, Transition, and Career Continuous, tied to advanced degree work and years of administrative service.
- A master’s degree is the floor for principals. Superintendents need an education specialist degree or higher, on top of a valid principal’s certificate.
- Two assessments, not one. The Praxis Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision exam (5412) and a separate MPEA performance assessment are both required.
- Classroom experience comes first. At least two years of teaching are required before DESE will certify anyone as a principal.
- Reciprocity exists for out-of-state administrators. DESE can issue a matching Missouri certificate based on your current out-of-state credential and experience verification.
Find accredited educational leadership programs in Missouri that meet DESE’s degree requirements for principal and superintendent certification.
