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Online Preliminary Administrative Services Credential

Applications Accepted for:
Spring 2025: June 1 – Sept. 30, 2024
Fall 2025: Oct. 1, 2024 – June 15, 2025

Click here to view upcoming application and document submission due dates.

Want To Earn Your Master’s Degree?

California needs school administrators. San Diego State University’s Online Preliminary Administrative Services Credential program (OPASC) will show you how to inspire your colleagues, empower your students, and transform your school community.

About The Program

Effective educational leaders strive to create educational opportunities driven by equity and culturally responsive practices to promote their student’s academic success and well-being. SDSU’s Online Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (OPASC) program is designed to help you become a quality-driven school leader, capable of empowering engaged, inspired, and successful learners at all levels of your school community.

$16,414

Total Estimated Cost

1 year

Min. Completion Time

Fully Online

Course Format

Driven by expert faculty from SDSU’s College of Education — ranked #1 in the CSU system and #8 in California by U.S. News & World Report — this program will help you develop your educational leadership skills and knowledge through a combination of online coursework and field experiences. All classes are 100% online and asynchronous. The curriculum is closely tied to the latest California Administrator Performance Expectations (CAPEs) and will prepare you to pass all three CalAPA (California Administrator Performance Assessment) cycles required for licensure as a school administrator in the State of California.

Earn Your Master’s in Educational Leadership at the Same Time

SDSU Global Campus is excited to offer a new program that combines our Online Preliminary Administrative Services Credential program with a Master’s in PK-12 Educational Leadership.

Is This Program Right For Me?

This program is designed for current education professionals who aspire to become quality-driven school administrators in the State of California. As an aspiring administrator, you’ll learn how to self-evaluate and reflect on your leadership skills by asking essential questions designed to stimulate thought and provoke action:

  1. Do our stakeholders (including students) feel informed, valued, and engaged in creating conditions for all students to aspire and achieve in school and life?
  2. Do my words and behavior as a school leader build trust and communicate, model, and promote our shared vision of engaged, inspired, and successful learners?
  3. Is our student body fully composed of engaged, inspired, and successful learners who can perform at the ambitious academic levels needed to succeed in school and community?

To successfully join the program and start working towards your Preliminary Administrative Services Credential, you’ll need to satisfy at least one of the following requirements:

  • A valid California clear or life teaching credential requiring a bachelor’s degree and a program of professional preparation, including student teaching, or
  • valid California clear or life Designated Subjects Teaching Credential, provided the holder also possesses a bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally-accredited college or university, or
  • valid clear or life California Pupil Personnel Services Credential, Teacher Librarian Services Credential, Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential, Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential, or a School Nurse Services Credential, requiring a bachelor’s degree and a program of professional preparation, including field practice or the equivalent.

Best of all, the program is entirely online and self-directed, which means you’ll be able to access and complete the required coursework in a way that fits into your busy schedule.

What Can I Learn?

Through a series of 7-week online courses and guided field experiences in your community, this online administrator credential program will provide you with the educational leadership skills you need to empower your students and your teachers.

Student cohorts begin the program in the fall and spring semesters. Each cohort includes approximately 25–35 students, all of whom are working professionals in public or private schools or other educational settings. You’ll complete your coursework in just one year, held over three semesters (e.g., fall, spring, and summer). Your cohort is your learning community — you’ll work together to discuss the coursework, examine day-to-day work-related challenges, and provide encouragement when needed.

Your classes are 100% online and asynchronous. You can expect to spend an average of 10 hours per week on the learning platform and completing coursework. In addition to online learning, you’ll have the opportunity to apply the coursework through a series of field experiences. These job-embedded tasks are designed to help you practice leadership and learn what it takes to become an administrator and meet the challenges facing today’s school communities. Field experiences are required and are supervised by university instructors along with a local site mentor.

Choose A Proven Curriculum

In addition to required coursework and fieldwork, candidates are required to pass three cycles of the California Administrator Performance Assessments (CalAPA) to be recommended for the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential. Our entire program curriculum, including the field experiences, is designed to prepare aspiring administrators for successful completion of the California Administrator Performance Assessments (CalAPA) requirement. You’ll complete a total of three CalAPA Cycles during the program.

To help you pass your cycles and earn your credential, you’ll have access to additional support systems, including remediation plans and one-on-one faculty support tailored to help you become a better administrator.

Meet Your Faculty

Douglas Fisher Ph.D.

Nancy Frey Ph.D.

Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, experienced leaders in the education industry, have been deeply involved with the development of the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential program. Professor Fisher is the Department Chair of Educational Leadership and oversees the Administrative Services program. Nancy Frey will be co-teaching several courses in the program, including EDL 650, Professional Growth Leadership. Both professors have won Faculty Monty Awards at SDSU and serve the community by teaching and leading at Health Sciences High in City Heights. Fisher and Frey designed the entire learning experience and will be personally involved in the field placement experiences to ensure students get the most out of the Online Preliminary Administrative Services Credential program.

Career Outcomes

Labor Analysis
Education Administrators, Kindergarten Through Secondary — Nationwide

  • 270,200
    Job Postings in 2020
  • +5-10%
    Projected job growth in the next 10 years
  • $65,150 – $152,500
    Average salary of graduates

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020

Now more than ever, institutions across the state need strong leadership to guide our schools through unprecedented changes. To meet this demand, California needs highly-educated school administrators who can create growth, foster positive student outcomes, and build equitable learning environments for all members of our school communities.

The job outlook for school administrators is bright. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were more than 270,000 school administrators employed across the country in 2020.

In California, job openings for PK-12 administrators are projected to grow by 6% over the next decade, which translates to nearly 2,500 new positions for administrators across the state. Most job openings in California are seeking superintendents, school principals, assistant school principals, and individuals ready to serve in elementary and secondary school administrative roles.

Salary varies depending on prior experience and credentials, local demand, and other factors. In California, annual wages can range from $90,000 for the bottom 10% of earners to nearly $175,000 for top earners.

Why Should You Choose Us?

Expert Faculty

The program is designed by a panel of expert faculty from SDSU’s College of Education. Our faculty are locally and internationally renowned for their educational leadership. Many are also teacher-scholars, leading researchers, and active practitioners of the concepts that they teach.

Reputation

San Diego State University has a track record for success in pedagogical education. SDSU was originally founded as a school for teachers in 1897. For over 120 years, San Diego State University has been preparing future school leaders for dynamic leadership roles across the world. Today, U.S. News & World Report ranks the College of Education #1 in the California State University system, #8 among all California schools, and #55 among all universities nationwide.

Accessibility

We know that today’s educational professionals are busier than ever. All courses are 100% online, self-directed, and can be completed in just one year, which means that you can prepare for your CalAPA cycles and earn your license on your schedule, without putting your professional responsibilities on hold.

Course List

To complete the program, you’ll need to complete all nine courses for a total of 29 units.

Semester 1 (Fall or Spring)

CourseUnits
EDL 610 Visionary Leadership3
EDL 630 School Improvement Leadership3
EDL 652 Instructional Improvement Leadership3
EDL 660 Field Experience (Taken twice, once in the fall semester and once in the spring semester; 3 units each)3

Semester 2 (Spring or Fall)

CourseUnits
EDL 650 Professional Growth Leadership3
EDL 655 Communication, Problem-Solving and Decision Making in PK-12 Systems3
EDL 660 Field Experience (Taken twice, once in the fall semester and once in the spring semester; 3 units each)3
EDL 680 Seminar in PreK-12 Educational Administration2

Summer Only

CourseUnits
EDL 600 Organizational and System Leadership3
EDL 640 Community Leadership3


Only students admitted to this program may register for courses.

M.A. In Ed. Leadership/OPASC Combo Program


Our new combo program has a separate application. Please contact SDSU Global Campus by calling 619-594-2558 or emailing pkmartin@sdsu.edu.

Please note that you need to select which program you’re joining before you apply. You will not be able to switch programs once you’ve applied.

Out-Of-State Applicants

While we welcome out-of-state students, SDSU Global Campus currently cannot accept applications from students residing in certain states. Please check back often, as this list of approved states does change. View the list of authorized states here.

Admission Requirements

To successfully apply for the Administrative Credential program, you should be currently employed in a PK-12 setting. You should also ensure that you satisfy one of the following conditions:

  • A valid California clear or life teaching credential requiring a bachelor’s degree and a program of professional preparation, including student teaching 
    or
  • A valid California clear or life Designated Subjects Teaching Credential, provided the holder also possesses a bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally-accredited college or university 
    or
  • A valid clear or life California Pupil Personnel Services Credential, Teacher Librarian Services Credential, Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential, Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential, or a School Nurse Services Credential, requiring a bachelor’s degree and a program of professional preparation, including field practice or the equivalent.

You should also have:

  • Verification of passing CBEST scores or a basic skills test.
  • 5years of work experience in your credentialed field by the time of program completion (must be currently working). Your work experience should be in a PK-12 setting within the United States. You’ll need access to a PK-12 school site while in the program to complete the program successfully.
  • Recommendation from your site supervisor to be submitted through program application.

We understand that every student’s academic journey is unique, and we encourage you to contact one of our Student Service Representatives to find out what you’ll need to successfully apply to the program.

Application Instructions

To apply for SDSU’s Online Preliminary Administrative Services Credential program, you should:

  1. Submit an application to the University through Cal State Apply. Please select “Education Service Credential – Preliminary Administrative Services.” Please be sure to select the Credential option.
  2. Submit a Program Application to SDSU’s College of Education.
  3. Submit Official Documents to SDSU Graduate Admissions, which include:
    • Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended
      • Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance. If you attended SDSU as an undergraduate student, then we do NOT require official transcripts from SDSU. We have access to this information.
      • Students with international coursework should submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they should be accompanied by a certified English translation.
      • If you’re having transcripts sent electronically via email, have the granting institution send them to TranscriptsForSDSU@sdsu.edu. We accept electronic transcripts in either PDF or EDI format. We will not accept transcripts emailed from students.
      • If you’re having transcripts sent via mail, official documents should be mailed in sealed envelopes to:

        Graduate Admissions
        San Diego State University
        5500 Campanile Drive
        San Diego, CA 92182-8225
         
      • The deadline to submit transcripts will be indicated in your SDSU WebPortal account under Admission Status.

After submitting the online Cal State Apply application, you will receive an email from San Diego State University that includes your SDSUid, which is needed to log into my.SDSU. You can use my.SDSU to check your application status, update your contact information, and more. Please check back frequently to make sure all of the required materials have been received — you’re responsible for ensuring that all supporting materials are submitted by the deadline.

Click here for more information on submitting your transcripts.