School District Leader (SDL)

Cupola atop a building on the Molloy University campus

The Post-Master's Advanced Certificate Program for School District Leader (SDL) certification is a 15-credit program that develops leadership in the areas of strategic planning, governance, compliance and supervision.  The program focuses on providing a strong foundation in order to apply knowledge, concepts, and theory into practice.  Through diverse and comprehensive experiences candidates will be exposed to strategies, theories, and fieldwork necessary to create and develop skills to address the challenges of our diverse learning communities and includes experiences in districts serving students at different developmental levels and with a variety of characteristics and socioeconomic backgrounds. Up to 7 credits may be transferred from other programs.

For information on the  Post-Master's Advanced Certificate Program for School Building  Leader (SBL) certification, please click here.     

Required Courses include:  

EDU 5700:  Strategic Planning and Organizational Change (3 Credits)  

EDU 5702:  District Level Governance and Policy (3 Credits)        

EDU 5704:  District Resources and Compliance Administration (3 Credits)  

EDU 5706: District Educational Programs: Administration and Supervision for Equity and Excellence  (3 Credits)  

EDU 5708:  Internship for School District Leaders  (3 Credits)  
Total Credits Required: 15  

Course Schedule and Online Format

Courses are structured in an online hybrid format with four zoom synchronous meetings per course with the remainder completed online. This online portion of our courses are asynchronous meaning students do not have to log in during a specific time. However, there will be assignments due at specific times.

Admissions Application Process
Application fees will be waived for this program. In order to be considered for the SDL certificate, candidates who did not complete their SBL at Molloy must submit:

  • An online application
  • Two letters of reference, one MUST be from a school district leader or direct supervisor who holds a SDL in your building.  
  • An official transcript from graduate school attended with 45 graduate credits exclusive of any SDL courses.
  • A copy of NYS teaching or pupil personnel services certification.
  • Minimum of 3 years full-time teaching or pupil personnel services experience in N-12 setting.
  • An interview with the School of Education will be conducted through Zoom.
  • Goals Statement.

For those who have completed the School Building Leader at Molloy, candidates must submit:

  • An online application
  • One letters of reference from a school district leader or direct supervisor who holds a SDL in your building 
  • An interview with the School of Education will be conducted through Zoom
  • Goals Statement.


Please visit the online application for further information on these submissions. If you have questions about the application requirements, please contact Admissions at 516-323-4000 or email them directly at admissions@molloy.edu. 

 

Registration and Tuition
Once accepted into the program, the students will be contacted regarding registration for courses. Effective September 2022, each course in the program is offered at $1200 per 3-credit graduate course. 

 

School District Leader Courses and Molloy College's Ed.D

Candidates interested in applying these credits towards a Molloy Ed.D. for Diverse Learning Communities must apply to the doctoral program and be accepted.  If accepted into the program, certain courses may be transferred into the Molloy doctoral program (but the difference between $900 paid for these courses and the regular tuition for the courses will be retroactively applied). 

If you any questions or would like to see about offering the programs within your district, please contact Dr. Denise T. Smith, SBL/SDL Program Coordinator, School of Education and Human Services, Molloy College at: (516) 323-3114 or by email at: dsmith2@molloy.edu.