Iowa Teacher Licensure Guide for Online Master's Students

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

Iowa licenses teachers through Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, 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 Iowa are ranked at the in-state price, and the national and specialty lists cover schools in other states.

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

To get an Iowa teaching license with an online master's, you apply for the Initial Teaching License, which asks for a completed teacher preparation program and mandatory reporter training on child abuse. A completer from another state files the Out of State Institution application, which also calls for FBI fingerprinting. The Initial License runs two years with up to two renewals.

The master's pays off later. The Standard License needs two years in an Iowa public school or three in an accredited nonpublic or out-of-state school, and the Master Educator License asks for a master's degree plus five years of teaching. Our elementary education and secondary education rankings use federal graduate counts and tuition, and neither measure records Iowa licensure.

Which Exams Does Iowa Require for Teacher Licensure?

The exams Iowa requires for teacher licensure depend on the endorsement, and the one with its own Department of Education guidance is Foundations of Reading: candidates for five endorsements must pass it. Those are K-6 elementary classroom (102), K-8 reading (148), PK-K classroom (103), birth-grade 3 inclusive settings (1001) and K-8 Instructional Strategist I mild and moderate (260). The Department sets the passing score at 240, and registration runs through Pearson.

For other endorsements, the board's exchange license asks for verification of required assessments, if applicable, so confirm the list for your endorsement with the board. If you want an elementary or reading endorsement, ask any online program whether it prepares you for Foundations of Reading.

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

A teaching license from another state can be transferred to Iowa by reciprocity, and Iowa Code 256.152 lets the Board of Educational Examiners license an applicant who holds a full license from elsewhere, never a temporary or emergency one, or whose institution verifies that every program and licensure requirement is finished except state assessments. The Department's notice adds that Iowa-specific requirements still apply.

A completer of a full state-approved program at a regionally accredited school outside Iowa can hold the two-year Regional Exchange Teaching License while transcript-review deficiencies are cleared, then convert to full licensure. The 2020 comparison by the Education Commission of the States left Iowa unclassified on full reciprocity, so the table below omits that row and the board's own rule above is the better guide.

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

Iowa's NC-SARA membership, approved in June 2015, does not cover teacher licensure for online master's students, and the state draws its own boundary. The Department of Education does not approve out-of-state online educator preparation programs for the purpose of an Iowa license, though such schools must hold authorization from Iowa College Aid. NC-SARA likewise says SARA does not address licensing board approval, so the Board of Educational Examiners judges your file on its own terms. The state actions page shows the membership itself.

Participating schools must tell you whether a program meets licensure requirements where you live.

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

Before enrolling from Iowa, ask an online program to confirm the three things Iowa tells candidates to verify: accreditation by an accreditor the U.S. Department of Education approves, official approval from the licensure authority where the school has its main physical presence, and a program that leads to an educator license there. Then request the school's determination under 34 CFR 668.43, which has to list the states where the program does and does not meet licensure requirements.

Then raise the Iowa points: will the program's advising official complete the verification form the application asks for, where will student teaching take place, and does the coursework prepare you for Foundations of Reading?

Which License Do Iowa Principals and School Counselors Need?

Iowa principals and school counselors need a master's degree, but the two licenses stand on different foundations. The Initial Administrator License asks for an Iowa teaching license or eligibility for one, three years of teaching experience, an administrative endorsement and a master's, and it lasts one year. A school counselor can hold the Initial Professional Service License, which asks for a master's degree and a professional service license program in an education setting, with no teaching license required.

Compare an online master's in educational leadership or school counseling against those conditions.