Education Requirements

• Teacher certification requires that the teaching candidate complete a bachelor's degree. Contrary to popular opinion, however, teaching candidates do not need to always have a degree in education. Even in states where teachers obtain an education degree, it is possible to be certified through a process known as alternative certification. This allows those holding a bachelor's degree in another field besides education to become teachers by completing additional requirements. In most cases, teaching candidates pursue a degree in education because this allows them to gain the necessary teaching experience needed to be certified and licensed.
  
  

Experience

• Experience in the classroom is typically a prerequisite to being fully certified and licensed as a teacher. The most common way that aspiring teachers obtain the necessary experience required by their state is to complete a series of student-teacher experiences during the last year or two of college. Students are generally required to serve as student-teachers in more than one setting. For example, they may be required to work in both an elementary school and a high school. Applicants for certification who seek alternative teaching certificates are usually required to gain some of this experience through an alternative-certification teacher education program that follows the completion of a bachelor's degree.
  
  

Certification Testing

• One of the final steps in the certification process is the series of examinations that aspiring teachers are expected to pass. These exams vary by state, but most states require more than one be taken by teaching candidates. Certification exams typically test students over their knowledge of three different areas: teaching theory and practice; general knowledge of the liberal arts; and the subject in which they intend to teach. A separate examination is usually required for each of these areas. Some states require exams over all three areas and some require only one or two.
  
  

Initial Licensure

• Those who meet the education and certification requirements for licensure in their state typically obtain a provisional license to teach. Each state has its own stipulations regarding how long initial certification is good for. Some states have several different levels of certification that teachers can obtain as they continue to take professional development and continuing education courses throughout their career. At some point, as determined by the state board of education, teachers transition from having a provisional certificate to having a permanent one.