How to Become a Principal in Minnesota

Minnesota principal requirements, step by step

K–12 principal license (initial, then five-year continuing). Each requirement is stated as Minnesota Board of School Administrators (BOSA) publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Confirm the role needs a principal license

   A person who serves as or performs the duties of a principal must hold the license. Rule 3512.0300 also requires it when 50 percent or more of a person’s duties involve assisting with personnel administration, employee supervision, employee evaluation, and curriculum implementation.

   Source: revisor.mn.gov

2. 2

   Document three years of combined licensed school experience

   Show three years of combined experience as a licensed public school classroom teacher, a teacher in an accredited or state-recognized nonpublic or Bureau of Indian Education school, or a licensed school psychologist, school social worker, speech-language pathologist, or school counselor. Teaching may be in-person, hybrid, or online.

   Source: revisor.mn.gov/3512.0200 · revisor.mn.gov/3512.0700

3. 3

   Complete 60 semester credits beyond the bachelor’s, including a master’s

   Complete a specialist or doctoral program of at least 60 semester credits, or 60 semester credits beyond a bachelor’s degree that include a master’s degree, at a regionally accredited institution. A board-approved administrative licensure program counts as proof of the core competencies in rule 3512.0510.

   Source: revisor.mn.gov

4. 4

   Finish a 320-hour field experience within 12 continuous months

   Complete at least 320 hours as an administrative intern to a licensed, practicing principal across elementary, middle or junior high, and high schools, within 12 continuous months. At least 40 hours must be at each school level your primary teaching experience does not cover.

   Source: revisor.mn.gov/3512.0200 · revisor.mn.gov/3512.0400

5. 5

   Receive the program’s recommendation and pass the background check

   The board issues a two-year initial license to an applicant recommended by a board-approved program. Every applicant is subject to a criminal history background check under Minnesota Statutes section 122A.18, subdivision 8.

   Source: revisor.mn.gov

6. 6

   Serve one school year to earn the five-year continuing license

   After one school year of administrative or supervisory experience while holding the initial license, the board issues a five-year continuing license. Renewal requires 125 clock hours of approved administrative and supervisory continuing education in each five-year period.

   Source: revisor.mn.gov

Minnesota principals are licensed by the Board of School Administrators under Minnesota Rules chapter 3512, not under the teacher licensing rules. The credit floor is higher than in most states. Rule 3512.0200 asks for a specialist or doctoral program of at least 60 semester credits, or 60 semester credits beyond the bachelor’s that include a master’s degree. A 30-to-36-credit master’s in educational leadership is not enough on its own; the rest of the 60 credits still has to be earned. Completing a board-approved administrative licensure program is the rule’s evidence that the candidate met the core competencies in part 3512.0510.

The experience rule is broader than a teaching-only clock. Rule 3512.0200 counts three years of combined experience as a licensed public school classroom teacher; a teacher in an accredited, state-recognized, or Bureau of Indian Education school; or a licensed school psychologist, school social worker, speech-language pathologist, or school counselor. In-person, hybrid, and online classrooms all count. Candidates without that experience follow rule 3512.0700 instead, which adds a one-school-year teaching internship of at least 1,050 hours (up to 250 of them online) on top of the 320-hour field experience. Chapter 3512 names no standalone statewide principal exam. Mastery is shown through the program’s exit evaluation, which the rule says may include objective examinations, portfolio reviews, and observations.

The field experience is specific: at least 320 hours as an administrative intern to a licensed, practicing principal, completed within 12 continuous months, spanning elementary, middle or junior high, and high school, with at least 40 hours at each level the candidate’s primary teaching experience did not cover. An interning candidate may not replace a principal employed at the participating school. Licenses run on a July 1 cycle: the initial license lasts two years, the continuing license five, and continuing-license renewal takes 125 approved clock hours per five-year period with no carryover. Minnesota’s row in the cross-state principal comparison shows how the 60-credit rule compares, and the M.Ed., EdS, and EdD guide covers why a specialist degree often fits Minnesota’s credit count.

Minnesota principal requirements at a glance

Required exams and fees

Minnesota uses a board-approved program’s exit evaluation; Minnesota Rules chapter 3512 names no separate statewide principal exam. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (rule text published June 25, 2020; as of October 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 K–12 principal license (initial, then five-year continuing). Verify approval with Minnesota Board of School Administrators (BOSA).

Moving an administrator credential to Minnesota

Applicants prepared outside Minnesota qualify for an initial license when the program is at a regionally accredited institution, is recognized by its own state for principal licensure, is equivalent to 60 semester credits beyond the bachelor’s including a master’s, and covers the rule 3512.0510 competencies. One year of full-time experience as a principal or assistant principal in another state can substitute for the 320-hour field experience.

Official Minnesota reciprocity guidance