Alberta Leadership Certification (LQS)
Start in any term.
Alberta Education's Leadership Quality Standard (LQS) is applicable in public, separate, francophone, charter and funded accredited independent school authorities. The LQS governs leadership certification and aims to help individuals entering leadership roles in education to have a common level of preparation. Any teacher can obtain the leadership certification by completing approved leadership coursework.
For more information on leadership certification, please review Alberta Education's Professional Practice Standards. Note: you must hold an Alberta Permanent Professional Certificate (PPC) in order to obtain leadership certification in Alberta.
Coursework
The following two courses meet the academic requirements for leadership certification. These are graduate-level, credit courses, requiring between five and ten hours of coursework per week in the fall and winter terms (13 weeks). Courses offered in the spring and summer terms are condensed (six and three weeks respectively), so the amount of time spent on coursework is increased. This includes time spent on readings, assignments, presentations (group and individual), and writing papers.
Please check the Graduate-Level Electives page for current offerings or contact our Graduate Administrator for more information.
Note: EDSL 520 is offered in every term; EDSL 521 is offered in all but summer term.
EDSL 520 Theoretical and Professional Foundations of School Leadership
Explore the foundational dimensions of school leadership including instructional leadership, fostering effective relationships, supporting the application of foundational knowledge about Indigenous Peoples, visionary leadership, leading learning communities, modelling continuous professional learning, developing leadership capacity, understanding the social context influencing schooling, and managing school operations and resources. Note: This course is a partial fulfillment of the academic requirements for school leader certification through Alberta's Leadership Quality Standard.
EDSL 521 School Leadership: Theory and Practice
Prerequisite: EDSL 520 or EDU 520
Hone leadership practices grounded in research to demonstrate mastery of Alberta's Leadership Quality Standard (LQS). Includes a job-embedded learning component in which participants visit, observe, and collaborate with one other school leader or leadership team in a school setting of their choice, in which the Alberta Program of Studies is offered. Successful completion of this course fulfills the academic requirements for school leader certification through Alberta's Leadership Quality Standard. Students will be sent a consent form, to give the Faculty permission to release their academic information to TWINS.
Admissions
These courses are required courses in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership. There are other enrollment options, however, priority registration is given to students in the certificate program.
To optimize your learning experience, we recommend that you have a minimum of two years of teaching experience.
Please note: While aspiring school leaders from other parts of Canada or the world will find value in the courses, the curricular context is Alberta.
Tuition and Fees
Domestic tuition for these courses in 2026-27 is $1,549.00 plus non-instructional fees. International tuition is assessed at a higher rate. Contact gcslinfo@ualberta.ca for details.
Note: These courses may be listed at a higher rate in the Academic Calendar. However, the Faculty of Education will provide a bursary to keep the amount paid by domestic students consistent across all Professional Learning courses. If applicable, the bursary will be applied after the add/drop deadline. The amount of the bursary varies by program; it is not applicable to U of A staff, doctoral students or international students. All fees and bursary amounts are subject to change.