The Pennsylvania Department of Education issues all certificates to teach in Pennsylvania. All information provided on these pages is subject to change, and all users should consult the Pennsylvania Department of Education regularly for updates.
Who needs to be certified?
Classroom teachers, administrative and supervisory personnel, school librarians, and other school professionals (including guidance counselors, school nurses, school psychologists, and school social workers) are required to hold a Pennsylvania certificate.
Applying for Certification and Creating a New Credential
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requires all applications for credentials be completed and submitted through the new Teacher Information Management System (TIMS).
TIMS Instructions for Creating a New Credential
Note: You will need to submit the transcripts and any other requested documentation to the Pennsylvania Department of Education with a coversheet that you can print out after you have submitted and paid for your application. The system will prompt you to pay by credit card or money order.
Certified in Another State?
Out-of-state certified applicants must obtain Pennsylvania certification to qualify for employment. If you have an out-of state certification/license, please apply for a PA Certificate through the Pennsylvania Department of Education. You may contact them at (717) 787-3356 to speak with an evaluator. It may take up to two months to receive a formal reply.
Not Certified? Requesting an emergency permit?
If you have spoken with a recruiter about the district requesting an emergency permit to begin teaching, counseling, nursing, or otherwise, you should review the Emergency Certification for Teachers Overview or Emergency Certification for School Nurses Overview for specific instructions regarding what you must do to enroll in a certification program.
Please then follow these Instructions for Emergency Permit Application to apply for your emergency permit. During your onboarding, you will work with our Certification Team to complete the remainder of the emergency permit application process. You will need to obtain a $100 money order made out to the Commonwealth of PA and an official, sealed copy of your conferred bachelor’s degree transcripts.
Please note that you will not be eligible to teach with an emergency permit in the same position for more than one year without pursuing appropriate education and/or testing. If you are not currently otherwise certified in a teaching content area, the district strongly encourages you to pursue appropriate certification to remain a District employee in the years ahead.
If you are a newly hired teacher, school counselor, or nurse and are being hired under an emergency permit, you can be reimbursed for the cost of your emergency permit for your first school year only. Please follow the Emergency Permit Reimbursement Process
For Vocational Teachers:
Vocational teachers must also register to take the Occupational Competency Assessment (OCA) through Temple University.
For information regarding the Vocational Program at Temple University, prospective CTE teachers can visit the Temple University Center for Professional Development in Career and Technical Education website: www.temple.edu/cte. For certification information, contact Nancy Johnston at nancy.johnston@temple.edu.