Specializations · Illinois
Educational Leadership Pathways in Illinois
Educational Leadership in Illinois is a graduate award, not Principal endorsement on a Professional Educator License (PEL), Pre-K–Age 22. This table lists 73 institutions with matching IPEDS completions. Completions are not approval to recommend candidates for the license. Use the Illinois 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 Illinois principal credential
The Illinois license is Principal endorsement on a Professional Educator License (PEL), Pre-K–Age 22. 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.
Illinois does not print a stand-alone principal license. The Illinois State Board of Education adds a principal endorsement, spanning Pre-K through age 22, onto a Professional Educator License. That architecture matters for people who let a PEL lapse while finishing a leadership program: there is no residual administrator document hanging in ELIS once the PEL is inactive. Statute 105 ILCS 5/21B-25 and the administrative-endorsements page on ISBE’s site are the paired sources—one for the legal hook, one for the endorsement checklist counselors actually use.
Experience is where Illinois is unusually specific. The baseline is four years of teaching or four years as school support personnel. Rule text then shortens that clock for strong evaluations: three years if every one of those years is rated proficient, or two years if both years are rated excellent. A candidate with two excellent years can sit for the endorsement earlier than a colleague with three mixed years. Evaluation ratings must be the kind the rule recognizes; informal praise or a district “exceeds” label that is not the state’s excellent rating does not trigger the two-year reduction.
Institutions with Educational Leadership programs in Illinois
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 Principal endorsement on a Professional Educator License (PEL), Pre-K–Age 22.
| Institution | CIP | Award level |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora University (Aurora, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Aurora University (Aurora, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Benedictine University (Lisle, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Bradley University (Peoria, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (professional) |
| Bradley University (Peoria, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Bradley University (Peoria, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Bradley University (Peoria, IL) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Master’s |
| Chicago State University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Chicago State University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Concordia University-Chicago (River Forest, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Concordia University-Chicago (River Forest, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Concordia University-Chicago (River Forest, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Concordia University-Chicago (River Forest, IL) | 13.0410 Urban Education and Leadership | Master’s |
| Concordia University-Chicago (River Forest, IL) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Doctorate (research) |
| Concordia University-Chicago (River Forest, IL) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Master’s |
| Concordia University-Chicago (River Forest, IL) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Post-master’s / EdS |
| DePaul University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| DePaul University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| DePaul University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| DeVry University-Illinois (Lisle, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Dominican University (River Forest, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Governors State University (University Park, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Illinois State University (Normal, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Illinois State University (Normal, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Illinois State University (Normal, IL) | 13.0409 Secondary School Administration/Principalship | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Illinois State University (Normal, IL) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Illinois State University (Normal, IL) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Judson University (Elgin, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Lewis University (Romeoville, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Lewis University (Romeoville, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, IL) | 13.0404 Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision | Master’s |
| McKendree University (Lebanon, IL) | 13.0409 Secondary School Administration/Principalship | Master’s |
| McKendree University (Lebanon, IL) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Post-master’s / EdS |
| National Louis University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| National Louis University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| National Louis University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| National Louis University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0404 Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision | Doctorate (research) |
| National Louis University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0404 Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision | Master’s |
| National Louis University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0404 Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision | Post-master’s / EdS |
| North Central College (Naperville, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| North Park University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0410 Urban Education and Leadership | Master’s |
| Northern Illinois University (Dekalb, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Northern Illinois University (Dekalb, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Northern Illinois University (Dekalb, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Northern Illinois University (Dekalb, IL) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Master’s |
| Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Saint Xavier University (Chicago, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Edwardsville, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Edwardsville, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Edwardsville, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (Carbondale, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (Carbondale, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Illinois Chicago (Chicago, IL) | 13.0404 Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision | Master’s |
| University of Illinois Chicago (Chicago, IL) | 13.0410 Urban Education and Leadership | Doctorate (research) |
| University of Illinois Chicago (Chicago, IL) | 13.0410 Urban Education and Leadership | Post-master’s / EdS |
| University of Illinois Springfield (Springfield, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of Illinois Springfield (Springfield, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Post-master’s / EdS |
| University of Illinois Springfield (Springfield, IL) | 13.0404 Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision | Master’s |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Doctorate (research) |
| University of St Francis (Joliet, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| University of St Francis (Joliet, IL) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Doctorate (research) |
| Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL) | 13.0401 Educational Leadership and Administration, General | Master’s |
| Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL) | 13.0411 Superintendency and Educational System Administration | Master’s |
| Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL) | 13.0499 Educational Administration and Supervision, Other | Doctorate (research) |
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.