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Online Professional Studies Certificates

Earn Career-Aligned Educator Credentials

  • Elevate student outcomes in your community by helping fill the critical need for qualified educators in the state of Virginia.1
  • Benefit from flexible online programs that enhance your aptitude and prepare you for professional teaching licensure, add-on endorsement, or advanced leadership positions.

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Browse Our Online Professional Studies Certificate Programs

Earning your professional studies certificate in education online from Shenandoah University will position you for new career opportunities with increased earning potential. Choose from programs that prepare you for licensure or endorsement in a wide range of educational settings.

Administration & Supervision

Professional Studies Certificate, Administration and Supervision

  • Online
  • 12 months
  • 21 Credit Hours

Meet the Virginia requirements for licensure in administration and supervision and gain the credential to pursue advanced leadership roles in diverse educational settings.

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Teacher Licensure

Professional Studies Certificate, Elementary Education (PreK-6)

  • Online
  • 22 months
  • 36 Credit Hours

Become an impactful decision-maker inside the elementary classroom and earn the credential to transition from provisional to professional licensure.

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Professional Studies Certificate, Middle Education (6-8)

  • Online
  • 18 months
  • 30 Credit Hours

Become a capable and reflective middle school educator with a certificate program designed to enhance your skills and help you transition from provisional to professional licensure.

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Professional Studies Certificate, Secondary Education (6-12)

  • Online
  • 14 months
  • 24 Credit Hours

Advance your teaching career with a certificate designed to help you move from provisional to professional licensure. Choose a focus in either English, history, biology, chemistry, mathematics, business & information technology or Spanish.

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Add-on Teacher Endorsements

Professional Studies Certificate, Gifted Education

  • Online
  • 8 months
  • 12 Credit Hours

The gifted education certificate readies you to support high-ability students’ unique learning needs and satisfies Virginia’s state endorsement add-on requirements. 

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Professional Studies Certificate, Reading

  • Online
  • 16 months
  • 21 Credit Hours

Become a literacy hero for your students with an accredited certificate program that delivers the skills you need to advance your career.

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Education Career Outlook

Upgrading your education credentials is a savvy investment in the future of your career. With a nationwide shortage of fully certified teachers, securing professional licensure or endorsement in your chosen focus area solidifies your job security and expands your impact on student performance.

16%

Of Virgina teachers lack full licensure or are not teaching in their field1

411,549

National teaching positions (min.) unfilled or occupied by individuals lacking full certification2

Rewarding Careers for Licensed Educators

Reading Specialist

$62,197/year3

Perform strategic assessments and conduct evidence-based interventions designed to help students improve fluency, phonetic recognition and reading comprehension.

Principal

$123,671/year4

Oversee the operations, hiring practices, curricular planning and budgets of public schools. Principals also foster meaningful engagement with community stakeholders.

Middle School Teacher

$62,970/year5

Utilize high-level instructional design and classroom management practices to create supportive learning environments for diverse student populations.

Benefit From Strong Faculty Support

The dedicated faculty at Shenandoah draw on their significant experience in the world of education to help you reach your goals. We take pride in our reputation as a respected leader in teacher education. Our faculty go above and beyond to prepare you as a confident and compassionate practitioner-leader capable of transforming school settings.

  • Study under current and former practitioners with valuable connections and insight.
  • The majority of our faculty hold terminal degrees in their field. You can trust that the knowledge you gain from our certificate programs will pay dividends in your career.
  • Learn from faculty with real-world experience as administrators, certified teachers and academic specialists.
  • We make education personal by offering small classes with an 11-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio.
  • Shenandoah faculty know you by name and enthusiastically provide personalized mentorship tailored to your aspirations.

Sources

  1. Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC). “Virginia’s K-12 Teacher Pipeline.” Retrieved March 5, 2026, from https://jlarc.virginia.gov/landing-2023-virginias-k-12-teacher-pipeline.asp.
  2. Learning Policy Institute. “An Overview of Teacher Shortages: 2025.” Retrieved March 5, 202g, from https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/overview-teacher-shortages-2025-factsheet.
  3. Payscale. “Average Reading Specialist Salary.” Retrieved February 23, 2026, from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Reading_Specialist/Salary.
  4. Indeed. “Principal Salary in Virginia.” Retrieved February 26, 2026, from https://www.indeed.com/career/principal/salaries/VA.
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Middle School Teachers.” Retrieved March 2, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/middle-school-teachers.htm.