Admission to the SBL programs requires:

• Master’s degree in education or a certification-related area, with a 3.0 or better GPA
• Teacher or school counselor certification
• Three years of K-12 school experience
• References (two, at least one from a supervising principal or superintendent)
• Interview & writing sample

Upon completion of the School Building Leader program at St. Bonaventure University, graduates will be educational leaders who have:

• the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a school or district vision of learning supported by the school community;
• the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by promoting a positive school culture, providing an effective instructional program, applying best practice to student learning, and designing comprehensive professional growth plans for staff;
• the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by managing the organization, operations, and resources in a way that promotes a safe efficient and effective learning environment;
• the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by collaborating with families and other community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources;
• the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by acting with integrity, fairly, and in an ethical manner;
• the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context. 

• Advanced Certificate – School Building Leader (SBL)
• Advanced Certificate – School District Leader (SDL)

Offered through St. Bonaventure’s Educational Leadership program, the School Building Leader (SBL) certificate prepares experienced school personnel to take on a leadership position, in particular the role of school principal, in a public or private school in New York state. Students entering the SBL program are, without exception, working school teachers or counselors.

The School District Leader (SDL) certificate is the credential required for those seeking to lead a school district in New York state. St. Bonaventure requires entrants to the SDL program to have completed the coursework for the SBL certification. Students entering the SDL are working school personnel — teachers, counselors or principals.

Some students earning the SBL/SDL certificate will serve a school in administrative positions other than principal or superintendent, e.g., director of special education, curriculum coordinator or athletic director. Similarly, students earning the SBL/SDL may find employment with an agency that serves schools — a regional Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), for example.

Helpful websites
Excellent information on the SBL and SDL professions is available on the School Administrators Association of New York State website.

An excellent overview of careers in educational administration, including the outlook for jobs, wages, work settings and skills required, is available at O*NET Online.

Federal Gainful Employment Disclosure