Indiana Teacher Licensure Guide for Online Master's Students

Who Licenses Teachers in Indiana, and Which Exams Does It Use?

Indiana licenses teachers through Indiana Department of Education, Office of Educator Licensing, and the exams it requires are the Praxis tests from ETS.

For the programs themselves, the online master's in education programs at universities in Indiana are ranked at the in-state price, and the national and specialty lists cover schools in other states.

How Do I Get an Indiana Teaching License With an Online Master's?

To get an Indiana teaching license with an online master's, finish a program the state recognizes and let the Indiana Department of Education issue the license: a graduate of an Indiana college is recommended by that college's licensing advisor, and the page tells those graduates not to apply before they graduate. Out-of-state completers file their own materials. New teachers hold the Initial Practitioner License, and moving up to the Practitioner License usually takes two years of experience in the content area plus either the Indiana Mentor and Assessment Program or a 40-point professional growth plan.

The approved program list mixes Indiana campuses with national providers such as American Board, so check a program against it first. Our elementary education and secondary education rankings use federal graduate counts and tuition, which say nothing about Indiana approval.

Which Exams Does Indiana Require for Teacher Licensure?

Indiana requires teacher licensure candidates to pass Praxis exams from ETS, and the department's testing page sends candidates to ETS to register and study. The teacher licensing page adds that a content test is needed in every content area printed on the license. Building-level administrators and school counselors sit their own content exams, covered in the leaders section below.

Indiana's Free After 3 retest policy took effect January 1, 2026, and the department links an FAQ that explains how repeat attempts are handled.

Can I Transfer a Teaching License to Indiana From Another State?

A teaching license can transfer to Indiana from another state, though not automatically: Indiana changed its reciprocity process in 2016 and now looks to valid out-of-state licenses earned through CAEP or AAQEP accredited or state-approved programs. An applicant who falls short can receive a one-year reciprocal permit while finishing Indiana's testing or coursework. The file needs verification-of-experience letters, transcripts bearing the registrar's signature and official score reports.

Seven licensure areas demand coursework whether or not a test is passed: English learners, exceptional needs, communication disorders, elementary generalist, early childhood generalist, high ability and fine arts. The 2020 comparison by the Education Commission of the States recorded no full reciprocity for Indiana, with extra assessments for some candidates and extra coursework in some content areas, and the department's pages still describe both.

Does NC-SARA Membership Cover Teacher Licensure for Indiana Online Master's Students?

Indiana's NC-SARA membership, approved in February 2014, does not cover teacher licensure for online master's students who live in Indiana. NC-SARA says SARA does not address licensing board approval of programs such as teacher education, so a SARA school can enroll you without any promise that the Office of Educator Licensing will license you. The NC-SARA state actions page records the membership, and the license itself stays with the department.

SARA does oblige a participating school to tell you whether its program meets licensure requirements where you live, so ask for that statement in writing.

What Should I Ask an Online Program Before Enrolling From Indiana?

Ask an online program, before enrolling from Indiana, for its written answer under 34 CFR 668.43, the federal rule that makes a school advertising licensure preparation list the states where the program does and does not meet requirements, and warn you before enrollment if yours is not covered.

Then put the Indiana questions: is the program on the department's approved educator preparation programs list, which licensing advisor will recommend you, which Praxis tests does the coursework prepare you for, and will it cover the CPR, suicide prevention, human trafficking, and child abuse and neglect trainings that the teacher licensing page asks of every applicant?

Which License Do Indiana Principals and School Counselors Need?

Indiana principals and school counselors need a master's degree from an approved program and a passing content exam, and the two licenses differ after that. A building-level administrator license asks for a master's or higher, two years of teaching or school counseling experience, an approved Building Level Administration program and a valid professional educator license. A school counselor needs a master's from an approved school counselor program and a Praxis content exam, which the department has required since June 1, 2015.

Check an online master's in educational leadership or school counseling against both lists.