How to Become a Principal in Georgia

Georgia principal requirements, step by step

Educational Leadership — Tier I / Tier II. Each requirement is stated as Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Do not treat Tier I as a principal license

   GaPSC Educational Leadership Tier I is the entry leadership certificate for roles below the principalship and for district roles that do not supervise principals. Tier II is the certificate required for principals, superintendents, and staff who supervise principals. Rule 505-2-.153 draws that line.

   Source: gapsc.com

2. 2

   Complete a GaPSC-approved Tier I program

   Finish a GaPSC-approved Tier I Educational Leadership program. The program is at the master’s level, or it may be certification-only if the candidate already holds a level 5 certificate and a master’s degree. Preparation standards appear in Rule 505-3-.77.

   Source: gapsc.com

3. 3

   Pass GACE Educational Leadership content and GACE Ethics for Leaders

   Pass the GACE Educational Leadership content assessment and the GACE Ethics for Leaders assessment, and satisfy GaPSC Standards of Conduct requirements.

   Source: gapsc.com

4. 4

   Meet the special education grade requirement

   Complete the special education requirement with a grade of B or better. A passing-but-below-B grade does not satisfy GaPSC’s Educational Leadership rule.

   Source: gapsc.com

5. 5

   Advance to Tier II before accepting a principal-equivalent role

   Tier II is required for principal-equivalent roles. Tier I is typically required before Tier II. Do not accept a principal or superintendent assignment on Tier I alone.

   Source: gapsc.com

6. 6

   Apply through MyPSC

   File Educational Leadership Tier I or Tier II applications in MyPSC after the approved program recommendation and required GACE results are posted.

   Source: gapsc.com

Georgia’s most expensive vocabulary mistake is calling Tier I “the principal certificate.” Rule 505-2-.153, issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, places Educational Leadership on two tiers with different job scopes. Tier I is entry leadership below the principalship and district work that does not supervise principals. Tier II is the certificate for principals, superintendents, and staff who supervise principals. A teacher who finishes a Tier I program in May is not cleared to open school in July as principal. Districts that advertise “must hold Educational Leadership certification” without naming the tier are using language that GaPSC’s rule does not treat as equivalent.

Tier I preparation is a GaPSC-approved program under Rule 505-3-.77. It is a master’s-level program, or a certification-only sequence if the candidate already holds a level 5 certificate and a master’s degree. That certification-only option is not a loophole for people with a master’s in an unrelated field and a level 4 certificate; both the level 5 certificate and the master’s must already be in place. Special education coursework must be completed at a grade of B or better. A C that still “passes” the campus catalog does not pass GaPSC’s Educational Leadership rule.

Assessment is a pair of GACE instruments plus conduct clearance: the Educational Leadership content test, GACE Ethics for Leaders, and GaPSC Standards of Conduct. Completing Ethics for Leaders while postponing the content test—or the reverse—leaves Tier I incomplete. Because GACE also administers classroom content tests, candidates should register for the Educational Leadership and Ethics for Leaders titles, not reuse an older GACE subject score as a substitute.

Tier I is typically required before Tier II. The typical sequence is intentional: GaPSC expects leaders to hold the entry certificate before moving into principal-equivalent or superintendent-supervisory roles. MyPSC is the filing system for both tiers. Selecting Tier I on a principal contract, or Tier II without the prior tier when the rule expects it, will stall the application even when program hours look complete. Read 505-2-.153 for the job-title line and 505-3-.77 for what the approved program must contain before signing an administrative contract.

Required exams and fees

Georgia uses GACE Educational Leadership / GACE Ethics for Leaders. 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 Educational Leadership — Tier I / Tier II. Verify approval with Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).

Moving an administrator credential to Georgia

Confirm out-of-state administrator evaluation rules directly with Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). This site does not republish NASDTEC interstate-agreement text.

Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC)