Whether you are currently in high school, college, or making a career change, Maryland offers multiple pathways for those interested in teaching for the state. Prospective teachers must hold a bachelor's degree and obtain an initial teacher certification by completing a university-based teacher preparation program and passing all required Maryland certification assessments. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) offers four distinct types of professional teacher certifications.
In addition to the four main certifications listed above, the MSDE also offers two alternatives: The Resident Teacher Certificate (RTC) and the Conditional (COND) Certificate. The RTC is available to candidates participating in an alternative teacher preparation program at a local school system. The COND certificate is issued at the request of local school systems and is available only to individuals already employed by a local school system who have yet to meet the full requirements for professional teacher certification.
A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and successful completion of a state-approved teacher preparation program are the two key education requirements on your path to teacher certification in the state of Maryland. Additional reading credits are also required for teacher certification candidates at all education levels.
Teachers certified in secondary education, PreK-12 education, and special education at the high school level must complete 6 semester hours in reading. Certified teachers in early childhood education, elementary education, and special education at the childhood and elementary levels must complete 12 semester hours in reading. As an alternative, these teachers may also test out of this requirement by successfully completing the assessment for Praxis 2.
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Maryland has at least 23 different schools, public and private, that offer state-approved teacher preparation programs.
| Public |
|
| Bowie State University |
bowiestate.edu |
| Coppin State University |
coppin.edu |
| Frostburg State University |
frostburg.edu |
| Goucher College |
goucher.edu |
| Hood College |
hood.edu |
| Morgan State University |
morgan.edu |
| Salisbury University |
salisbury.edu |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland |
smcm.edu |
| Towson University |
towson.edu |
| University of Maryland Baltimore County |
education.umbc.edu |
| University of Maryland, College Park |
education.umd.edu |
| University of Maryland Eastern Shore |
umes.edu |
| University of Maryland Global Campus |
umgc.edu |
| Private |
|
| Johns Hopkins University |
education.jhu.edu |
| Loyola University Maryland |
loyola.edu |
| Maryland Institute College of Art |
mica.edu |
| McDaniel College |
mcdaniel.edu |
| Mount St. Mary's University |
msmary.edu |
| Notre Dame of Maryland University |
ndm.edu |
| Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University |
peabody.jhu.edu |
| Stevenson University |
stevenson.edu |
| Washington Adventist University |
wau.edu |
| Washington College |
washcoll.edu |
If you plan to complete your program at an out-of-state school or plan to participate in a distance learning program through an online school, keep in mind that any program you attend must be accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the US Department of Education and the Maryland Board of Education. Programs accredited by The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) also provide the high-quality education and training required for Maryland teacher certification.
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Create AccountMaryland teacher certification candidates must complete at least four different tests and assessments to earn an initial certificate.
| Basic Skills Assessment |
Required for initial certification in all academic content and from all certification candidates, except for:
|
| Praxis Subject Assessment |
The Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) assessment is required for all certification candidates. The assessment you take must correspond with the education level (elementary, secondary, or middle school) and licensure area in which you want to earn a professional teacher certification.
NOTE: Starting July 1, 2022 this assessment will no longer be accepted from candidates seeking Maryland teacher certification. |
| Performance Assessments |
Performance assessments include the edTPA and PPAT. Both assessments measure the practical skills and content knowledge required to successfully teach in your chosen licensure area. For now, certification candidates my submit the edTPA and PPAT performance assessments OR the Praxis Subject Assessment to fulfill testing requirements for teaching certification.
NOTE: starting July 1, 2022 all candidates seeking Maryland teacher certification must submit both the edTPA and PPAT to fulfill the testing requirement for full teacher certification. The Praxis PLT will no longer be accepted after this date. |
| American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) |
For now, certification candidates that want to teach a world language may fulfill their testing requirement by submitting qualifying scores on the Praxis PLT in the appropriate licensure area OR submit qualifying scores on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT). This is a requirement for all certification candidates that want to teach a world language, except for:
NOTE: starting July 1, 2022 all candidates seeking Maryland teacher certification in a world language must submit the edTPA and PPAT to fulfill the testing requirement for full teacher certification. |
Applications for an initial teacher certification are available through the MSDE Certification home page. Candidates should register as new users through the MSDE educator portal before submitting their complete application, which includes their test scores, education history, and official transcripts. You must pay a $10 processing fee for your complete initial certification application to be reviewed and decided. Most payment methods, other than personal checks, are accepted and if you choose to pay this fee online, there will be an additional $1.50 service charge.
PEC, SPC I, SPC II, and APC teacher certificates are valid for 5 years, while the RTC and COND alternative certificates are valid only for 2 years. Similar to the initial certification application, a $10 fee is required for each certificate renewal.
The Resident Teacher Certificate (RTC) and Conditional (COND) Certificate are the two alternative certificates granted by the MSDE. The testing requirements for these certificates are the same as those for PEC, SPC I, SPC II, and APC teacher certificates.
Candidates with a non-teaching degree and without prior teacher certification through a state-approved teacher preparation program (or an alternative preparation program) may request a transcript analysis to become a certified teacher. Your first step is to submit qualifying Praxis scores on the basic skills assessment and Praxis PLT or ACTFL OTI and WPT. A complete initial certification application, along with test scores and official transcripts, must then be sent to the MSDE for processing and review.
Based on your personal educator profile, there are a few ways in which out-of-state educators can earn MSDE certification. Candidates that graduated from an approved out-of-state teacher preparation program but do not hold an out-of-state certificate may submit official transcripts and test scores (basic skills and Praxis PLT) along with an initial teacher certification application. Those with at least a 3.0 GPA on their most recently awarded degree are exempt from providing basic skills test scores.
Out-of-state teacher preparation program graduates that hold an active out-of-state teacher certification can earn a teacher certificate from the MSDE if the certification candidate can verify that they earned the qualifying test scores required to receive certification in their home state. These candidates must submit official transcripts, test scores, and a copy of their active out-of-state certificate as part of their initial MSDE teacher certification application. Out-of-state educators with these same qualifications, but with at least 2 years of full-time experience in teaching must also provide additional forms verifying their experience in leu of test scores. The same requirements apply for experienced teaching professionals with 3 or more years of experience within the last 7 years.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of May 2020, Maryland educators at all levels, from preschool to secondary school, enjoy a high annual mean wage compared to the national average. This puts Maryland among one of the most well-paying geographic areas for educators in the entire US. Although secondary school educators have the highest annual mean wage among all educators in the state, elementary and middle school teachers are not very far behind.
| Occupation | Employment | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education |
8,420 | 42,650 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education |
1,700 | 66,060 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education |
27,050 | 77,470 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education |
12,380 | 77,770 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education |
15,520 | 78,510 |
Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2020 (Date extracted on: Jan 21, 2022)
Amy Mayers, M.Ed. has taught middle school math for over 7 years. She is a Texas certified teacher for grades 4-12 in mathematics and has passed the TExES Math 4-8 and the TExES Math 7-12. Amy graduated with a B.S. in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Houston and a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas.
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The Maryland State Department of Education requires anyone interested in becoming a teacher to hold at least a bachelor's degree. There are pathways to becoming a teacher for those that hold a non-teaching degree.
The MSDE grants conditional teaching certificates to educators that have yet to complete all the requirements necessary for full teacher certification and can only be requested by a local school system on behalf of a certification candidate.
An MDSE certification the process that all prospective educators interested in teaching in the state of Maryland must complete in order to certify that they have all the skills, experiences, knowledge and qualifications necessary to successfully teach in the classroom.
Ancillary reading credits are additional credits required as part of the coursework requirements for MSDE teacher certification. Additional reading requirements for both childhood/elementary educators (12 semester hours) and secondary school educators (6 semester hours) are required.
You may request a copy of your active teaching certificate in Maryland by visiting the MSDE Certification homepage. There you will find the Existing Certificate Request Form. Complete all items in the form and either mail, fax, or e-mail your complete form to the MSDE.
Current employees in a Maryland school system my renew their teacher certificate with the MSDE directly. There is a $10 processing fee for renewal, and an additional $1.50 service fee for those that choose to pay the processing fee online.
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