Puerto Rico Teacher Licensure Guide for Online Master's Students

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

Puerto Rico licenses teachers through Departamento de Educacion de Puerto Rico, Division de Certificaciones, and the exams it requires are the PCMAS, the Pruebas para la Certificacion de Maestros.

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

How Do I Get a Puerto Rico Teaching License With an Online Master's?

Getting a Puerto Rico teaching license with an online master's means choosing among the three routes in the department's certification regulation, which calls the license a Certificado Regular de Maestro. The regulation's routes are the traditional route for people with a degree in education, recertification for someone who already holds a regular teacher certificate, and an alternate route for people whose bachelor's degree is not in education.

The alternate route asks for 21 undergraduate credits or 18 graduate credits in the subject. Compare programs in our elementary education and secondary education rankings against those credit counts.

Which Exams Does Puerto Rico Require for Teacher Certification?

Puerto Rico requires the Pruebas para la Certificación de Maestros, known as PCMAS, for teacher certification, and the regulation makes passing it a general requirement for every route. The College Board's Latin America office runs it, and its PCMAS page describes three parts: fundamental knowledge, covering Spanish, English, mathematics, sciences, social sciences and humanities, then professional competencies, then an analysis of pedagogical situations.

The same page sets a minimum passing scaled score of 89. School support categories such as counselors sit outside this exam, because the regulation exempts them.

Can I Transfer a Teaching License to Puerto Rico From Another State?

A teaching license from another state can be recognized in Puerto Rico, because the Secretary of Education may extend a similar certificate to holders of a regular, standard or professional credential from any state or territory. Three conditions apply: the certificate's field must match one Puerto Rico issues, the candidate must show passing results on the exams of the issuing state, and an administrator must also hold a regular teacher certificate. Each case is judged on its merits, and the Certifications Division may ask for more evidence.

Puerto Rico is not in the 2020 Education Commission of the States comparison, so the regulation is the best guide to this route.

Which Puerto Rico Courses Must an Online Master's Transcript Show for Teacher Certification?

The online master's transcript for a Puerto Rico teacher certification must show seven courses beyond the program's own, applied to the program being certified, and the regulation lists them: introduction to the exceptional child with assistive technology and inclusion, special education intervention for the regular classroom, integration of technology in education, distance education, assessment and evaluation, Puerto Rico history and United States history.

The traditional and alternate routes also require a clinical teaching practicum lasting one school semester. A school that cannot place you in a Puerto Rico classroom, or whose catalog lacks the history courses, leaves a gap you would have to fill separately.

Which Certificate Do Puerto Rico School Principals and School Counselors Need?

Puerto Rico school principals need a regular school director certificate, and the regulation asks for a master's or doctorate in school administration and supervision, or a master's plus an 18-credit specialty in it, a regular teacher certificate, supervised practice as a director and five years of classroom teaching. Counselors and social workers use their own certificate and five school years.

A school counselor needs a professional counselor license from the examining board and a Department of Health registration, plus a master's in educational or school counseling, or a counseling master's with nine credits in educational counseling and a school internship. See our educational leadership and school counseling rankings.

Does NC-SARA Membership Cover Teacher Certification for Puerto Rico Online Master's Students?

NC-SARA membership does not cover teacher certification for Puerto Rico online master's students, because SARA does not address licensing board approval of programs. Puerto Rico was approved in June 2018, which lets participating schools serve its residents, while the Departamento de Educación alone decides who is certified.

SARA does ask each participating school to tell you whether a program meets licensure requirements where you live.

What Should I Ask an Online Program Before Enrolling From Puerto Rico?

Ask for the program's written finding on Puerto Rico, because 34 CFR 668.43 requires a school that advertises licensure preparation to list the states and territories where the program does and does not qualify, and to warn you before enrollment if the answer is no or unknown.

Then ask the Puerto Rico questions: is the school accredited by a United States regional accreditor, does the transcript carry the seven required courses, can the practicum happen in a school near you, and does the program prepare you for the PCMAS.