Alberta Superintendent Certification (SLQS)
Offered in Spring term only.
Alberta Education's Superintendent Leadership Quality Standard (SLQS) applies to all public, separate, francophone, and charter school authorities. The SLQS governs superintendent leadership certification and aims to help individuals entering system leadership roles in education to have a common level of preparation.
For more information on superintendent certification, please review Alberta Education's Professional Practice Standards. Note: you must hold an Alberta Permanent Professional Certificate (PPC) and Alberta Leadership Certification (LQS) in order to obtain superintendent certification in Alberta.
Coursework
Successful completion of the following course meets the academic requirement for superintendent certification in Alberta. It is a graduate-level, credit course, requiring between ten and 15 hours of coursework per week (readings, assignments, presentations, etc.).
Please check the Graduate-Level Electives page for the next course offering or contact our Graduate Administrator for more information.
Note: this course is only offered in Spring Term.
EDSL 523 System Leadership: Theory and Practice
Prerequisite: EDSL 521 or EDU 521 or Alberta Leadership (LQS) Certification
This research-based course enables the development of competencies that executives must demonstrate in their professional practice when leading large educational systems. The course extends on concepts and principles pertinent to all levels of educational system leadership.
Admissions
This is an approved elective course in the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and the Master of Education in Educational Studies. 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.
Tuition and Fees
Domestic tuition for this course 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.