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Teacher and Administrator Certification

Frequently Asked Questions

Initial Provisional Certificate

Why should I obtain my MI Teaching Certificate if I am moving?

  1. Because of reciprocity, and the fact that the Michigan teaching certificate is so highly regarded; it will often be easier to obtain a teaching certificate in another state if you have an active Michigan certificate.  Oftentimes, the other state will issue their
    certificate based on the active Michigan and allow you extra time to meet their testing requirements. 
  2. If you don't apply for your provisional certification within 5 years after certification requirements have been met, your program will need to be re-evaluated to determine if you meet current university/state requirements according to the Michigan Department of Education Rule 21.   Also, the MTTC subject exams (not basic skills) will expire after 5 years and you will need to re-test if you don't buy your Michigan Provisional certificate.
  3. You are required to complete three years of teaching experience within the validity (subjects and grade-levels) of your Michigan Provisional Certificate in order to earn your Michigan Professional Certificate.  If you hold a Michigan teaching certificate before you leave the state, then the teaching experience you complete will count toward your three years of teaching experience required for your Michigan Professional.  However, if you did not obtain your Michigan teaching certificate before leaving Michigan, then your out-of-state teaching experience won't count toward your Michigan professional certificate since the experience must be after the issue date of your Michigan Provisional.

I heard that if I'm Secondary Education, I only have to take the MTTC subject exam in my MAJOR and that testing and becoming certified in the minor is optional.
That is correct. Secondary teacher education students are NOT required to test in their MINOR subject area test. They may only be certified in their MAJOR if they wish. However, secondary education students must still complete a teaching major and minor to graduate. Obviously, for job marketability reasons, we encourage you to become certified in your minor.

I already have a Bachelor’s Degree but I want to earn a teaching certificate?
Please view the Post-Baccalaureate Certification Process

What are my next steps after receiving my Provisional Certificate?
Please review the Professional Certificate Information Page as you should be working towards this certificate.

What is a Judgment of Sentence or Register of Action and where do I obtain them?
When you apply for your teaching certificate you will be asked if you have or have had any convictions, outstanding changes, misdemeanors or felonies. If you do, you must provide the Teacher Certification Office with a Judgment of Sentence or Register of Action, which is a legal document that must be obtained from the court. If it occurred prior to entering into the Upper Level Education courses you should have provided the College of Education & Human Development with a copy of this document but if you have not you are to request one from court, in the county, where the incident took place.

What do the words "self-contained classroom" mean on my elementary teaching certificate?
Self-contained classroom" means a classroom in which one teacher provides instruction to the same pupils for the majority of the instructional day.