Teacher Licensure Guides for Online Master's Students, by Home State

Which State Licenses a Teacher Who Earns an Online Master's?

The state where you live and plan to teach licenses you, even when you earn an online master's from a school in another state. A school can award the degree from anywhere, but the licensing agency in your own state decides whether the degree and the program behind it satisfy its rules, and those rules differ from one state to the next.

Two safeguards sit behind that. A school with a program designed to meet licensure requirements, or advertised as meeting them, has to list the states where it has determined the program does and does not meet them, and has to notify you before you enroll if it found a shortfall in your state or made no determination, under 34 CFR 668.43. And NC-SARA says students should be assured by the school that a program meets the requirements of the state where they intend to practice before they enroll.

Which States Use Praxis and Which Use Their Own Teacher Exams?

34 states and the District of Columbia use the Praxis tests from ETS for teacher licensing, and 16 states and Puerto Rico use exams of their own, as each licensing agency lists its main system. A state's system can still vary by license: ETS says Ohio candidates take Ohio Assessments for Educators tests, Praxis tests or a combination, depending on the license.

Does NC-SARA Membership Cover Teacher Licensure?

NC-SARA membership does not cover teacher licensure: it streamlines state regulation of distance education across state lines, and SARA does not address licensing board approval for programs in fields such as teacher education. 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are members, per the NC-SARA list of state actions, and California is not.

Membership still matters to you for one reason. A participating school must tell students whether a program meets the licensure requirements of the state where they are located, so the notice you receive is part of what SARA does require.

Can a Teaching License Move From One State to Another?

Whether a teaching license moves depends on the state: in June 2020 the Education Commission of the States counted 8 states with full reciprocity for out-of-state teachers: Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada and Oklahoma. In the other jurisdictions it covered, out-of-state teachers could face extra steps, which each guide's table breaks down by question. States have changed rules since that comparison, so confirm with the agency. Our reciprocity explainer covers the idea in more depth.

How Do Teacher Licensing Rules Compare Across the States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico?

Teacher licensing rules differ across the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in the license each issues, the exams it asks for and its reciprocity stance. The table gives the main license, the exam system, NC-SARA status and the 2020 reciprocity answer for each, and 52 names link to a full guide.

Which Online Master's in Education Rankings Sit Closest to Licensure?

The online master's in education rankings closest to licensure are elementary education, secondary education, special education, educational leadership, school counseling and reading and literacy. They rank programs on federal figures for graduates and tuition, and none of those figures records whether a state has approved a program, so use them to compare programs and your state's guide to check licensure.