Missouri Department of Education
205 Jefferson Street Jefferson City, MO 65101
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 480
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480 Phone: 573.751.4212
FAX: 573.751.8613
Website: http://dese.mo.gov
Educator Certification
P.O Box 480
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480 Phone: 573.751.0051
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://dese.mo.gov/educator-quality/certification Missouri State Education Licensing Requirements:
For your degree and/or coursework to be accepted to meet certification requirements, they must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university. The regional accrediting agencies accepted by our department include the following:
Middle States, Association of Colleges and Schools New England Association of Schools and Colleges North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Northwest Association of School and Colleges Southern Association of Colleges and School Western Association of Schools and Colleges
An applicant who possesses a valid professional certificate from another state may be granted a Missouri certificate in an area most closely aligned to the certification if Missouri issues such certificate. If an educator is completing or has completed a teacher education program in another state (either on campus or online), it would be beneficial to obtain that state's certificate whether one plans to reside in that state or not. In most cases, a Missouri certificate is issued with no further coursework or test requirements. If an area of certification is not equivalent, an educator may be evaluated based upon Missouri's current requirements for the most closely aligned certificate. Please see https://dese.mo.gov/educator-quality/certification/become-certified-teacher.
- Complete the online Non-Missouri Graduate application (found at https://apps.dese.mo.gov/weblogin/login.aspx).
- Submit remaining items on the Non-Missouri Graduate Application Checklist (found at https://dese.mo.gov/educator-quality/certification/out-state-information) in one packet to: Educator Certification, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Faxed or emailed application materials are not accepted. Remaining items include the application, processing fee of $100, institutional recommendation, transcripts, valid teaching certificates if applicable, verification of approved teaching
experience if applicable, and a Missouri fingerprint and background check (There is a $43.05 fee for a background check).
- If you have out-of-state teaching experience, you will need to complete the Verification of Teaching Experience form (found at https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Verification-Of-Teaching- Experience.pdf).
- As noted within the checklist, if your out-of-state professional certificates have expired, or if you never held an out-of-state certificate, you must provide an institutional recommendation from the certification officer at the college or university where you completed your initial teacher education program. The recommendation form can be downloaded by clicking on the appropriate button when completing the online Non-Missouri Graduate Application. The form should be mailed back to you to be included in your packet. Educator Certification will evaluate your transcripts based on current Missouri requirements and does not guarantee immediate issuance of a Missouri certificate. All evaluations will be posted at the Certificate Status link located on your Profile Page in the Educator Certification System.
Please visit http://dese.mo.gov for more information. The Missouri Department of Education Office of Educator Certification may be contacted at 573.751.0051 or by email at [email protected]. It is highly recommended that you contact this office to confirm this information.
Please note that requirements are subject to change. You may find more licensing information for each state at https://www.ed.gov.
SRU Teacher Candidates can use their PA certifications to apply for comparable certifications in this state.