How to Become an Administrator

To become an administrator in Mississippi, the following requirements must be met:

A prospective administrator must:

• Hold a five-year standard educator license
• Have a minimum of three years of education experience
• Complete an approved master’s, specialist, or doctoral degree in educational administration/leadership from a state-approved or regionally/nationally accredited institution of higher education
• Provide successful completion of the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) Praxis Assessment
• Submit an institutional recommendation documenting completion of an approved planned program in educational leadership/supervision through a state-approved or regionally/nationally accredited institution of higher education

Below are Links to Mississippi Approved Administrator Program Providers

Completion of an Approved Administrator Program (In-State)

To apply for licensure by way of Completion of an Approved Administrator Program, you will need the following:

Traditional Route Non-Practicing Administrator Endorsement

• Online University Recommendation
• Official transcript(s) of master’s degree or higher in Educational Leadership/Supervision
• School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) Praxis Assessment
• Verification of Experience form* to be completed with a minimum of three years of education experience
• Verification of Lawful Presence

*This form can be found on our site at https://www.mdek12.org/OEL/Forms

Completion of an Approved Administrator Program (Out-of-State) 

Prospective and practicing educators seeking to obtain initial licensure in the state of Mississippi by way of completion of a traditional state-approved or nationally accredited licensure-track teacher, administrator, certain supplemental service provider, and supplemental endorsement preparation program from a regionally/nationally accredited institution of higher education program outside of Mississippi, shall first obtain Institutional Program Verification (IPV) from the educator preparation provider in the state where the preparation occurred. Upon obtaining Institutional Program Verification (IPV) using the form established by the MDE Division of Educator Licensure, the candidate shall submit an application with required supporting documentation to the MDE Division of Educator Licensure for the purpose of determining eligibility to obtain a Mississippi license via guidelines in effect on the date the complete application is received by the MDE. Educators that complete a nontraditional licensure-track program outside of Mississippi shall first be licensed in another state and seek to obtain a Mississippi license via Reciprocity guidelines in effect on the date the complete application and required supporting documentation is received by the MDE.

To apply for licensure by way of Completion of an Approved Administrator Program from another state, you will need to the following requirements:

• Online Reciprocity Out of State Completer Licensure Application
• Verification of Experience form*
• Institutional Program Verification form* – The completed form must be emailed directly from the Dean of Education or Certification Officer to licensuredocument@mdek12.org
• Official transcript(s) of master’s degree or higher in Educational Leadership/Supervision, making sure to submit the minimum of a bachelor’s degree transcript. All transcripts must be sent electronically to transcript@mdek12.org.
• School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) Praxis Assessment
• Verification of Lawful Presence (VLP)

*These forms can be found on our site at https://www.mdek12.org/OEL/Forms

Adding the Administrator Endorsement by Reciprocity 

To apply for licensure by way of Reciprocity when holding an Administrator endorsement from another state, you will need the following:

• Reciprocity online licensure application
• Valid standard license issued by an educator licensing agency outside the state of Mississippi
• Official transcript(s) of all completed degrees and coursework
• Verification of Lawful Presence (VLP)

Click HERE to access your MECCA account.