How to Become a Teacher in Minnesota 2026
How to become a teacher in Minnesota starts with a bachelor's degree, a state-approved teacher preparation program, and licensure through the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB). Since 2023, qualifying applicants may be exempt from Minnesota's content and pedagogy exams. PELSB issues one of four license tiers depending on your preparation and classroom experience.
Minnesota runs teacher licensure through a four-tier system, and which tier you start at depends on what you've already completed. Here's the part that trips people up: qualifying candidates can be exempt from Minnesota's testing requirements entirely. This guide covers how to become a teacher in Minnesota step by step, starting with the degree and the program, and you're already most of the way through the steps to certification.
Choose What You Want to Teach
Start with grade band and subject. Elementary, middle, or secondary? A content area like math or English, or a specialty like special education? Each choice points to a different licensure field with its own preparation requirements, and PELSB publishes the full, current list of fields and grade bands on its site since they're periodically added to or restructured. If you're weighing where to teach as well as what, the process for how to become a teacher in Iowa and how to become a teacher in South Dakota follows a similar shape, though each state sets its own specific requirements.
Earn a Bachelor's Degree and Complete an Approved Preparation Program
Most Minnesota licensure fields require a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, plus a PELSB-approved teacher preparation program. Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Career Pathways fields are the exception: an associate degree, a professional certification, or five years of relevant work experience can substitute for the bachelor's.
What a Preparation Program Covers
Programs combine coursework with fieldwork. Coursework covers subject-specific teaching methods, differentiated instruction, and assessment. Fieldwork means observations, a practicum, and a student-teaching placement where you plan and deliver lessons under a licensed mentor teacher.
All candidates must also complete PELSB's Human Relations requirement: coursework demonstrating an understanding of the state's diverse cultural and economic communities, recognizing bias and discrimination, and building classrooms that respect students' backgrounds and rights. Many joint bachelor's/teacher-prep programs build this in alongside the degree itself, which is the route most traditional candidates take.
Alternative Certification in Minnesota
If you already hold a bachelor's degree, Minnesota's Licensure via Portfolio route can qualify you without a traditional teacher-prep program. Initial applicants generally need one year as teacher of record with a year-long mentorship, or two years as teacher of record. CTE candidates have a bachelor's-degree exception, matching the same associate-degree or work-experience substitution available elsewhere in CTE and Career Pathways licensure.
Completed an alternative program in another state? PELSB reviews it directly and decides whether it supports a temporary or full Minnesota license, based on how closely it matches Minnesota's own requirements. Not every out-of-state program will qualify, and if you were certified elsewhere through an alternative route, you can apply for a Minnesota license through PELSB's online licensing system.
Meet Minnesota's Testing Requirements - or Qualify for an Exemption
Minnesota licensure testing centers on two exams administered through the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Examinations (MTLE) program: a pedagogy exam matched to grade band, and a content-area exam in the licensure field. Requirements vary by tier and licensure field, and Minnesota uses its own testing system rather than the Praxis exams most other states rely on.
The 2023 Testing Exemption
Effective August 1, 2023, Minnesota exempts qualifying Tier 3 or Tier 4 applicants from the content and pedagogy exams. That exemption isn't limited to candidates who trained in Minnesota: it can also cover candidates who completed an approved out-of-state preparation program and either satisfied that state's own testing requirements or weren't required to test at all, as well as candidates recommended for licensure through Licensure via Portfolio. Eligibility depends on your license tier, preparation pathway, and completion date, so confirm your specific situation with PELSB before assuming you're exempt.
If You Still Need to Test
Candidates who aren't covered by an exemption take the pedagogy and content-area exams through MTLE. Passing scores on all Pedagogy and Content Area subtests are required for Tier 3 and Tier 4 licensure.
Apply for Your Minnesota Teaching License
Application Requirements
Once you've met the requirements for your license tier, apply through PELSB's online licensing system with:
- A completed application
- The required fingerprint card, submitted with your initial application. PELSB forwards it to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI for your background check.
- Official transcripts showing your bachelor's degree and completion of an approved preparation program
- The non-refundable processing fee
- Passing exam scores, if you're not covered by a testing exemption
- A copy of your out-of-state license, if applicable
Contact Information
Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB)
1021 Bandana Blvd. E., Suite 222, St. Paul, MN 55108-5111
Phone: (651) 539-4200
Find a Teaching Job in Minnesota
Once you're licensed, Education Minnesota's job search tools list openings for teaching, administrative, and support roles at EdPost, K12 JobSpot, and the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA) Jobsite. Minnesota's ongoing shortage areas include special education, world languages, career and technical education, and math and science at both the elementary and secondary levels.
Teacher Networks in Minnesota
Public school teachers are represented by Education Minnesota, the state's teacher union, and can also join the Minnesota affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA-Minnesota). Both provide professional development and give teachers a voice in state and national education policy.
Private School Jobs
Minnesota's several hundred private schools, most religiously affiliated, aren't required by law to hire licensed teachers, though many principals and school boards still prefer candidates who hold one.
Retirement for Teachers in Minnesota
Public school teachers in Minnesota draw a pension through the Teachers Retirement Association of Minnesota after they retire from the system.
What Minnesota Teachers Earn
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Minnesota elementary school teachers earned a median annual salary of $76,350 as of May 2025. Secondary school teachers earned a median of $76,460, middle school teachers $62,640, and kindergarten teachers $75,500.
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage | Job Growth (2024-2034) |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten Teachers | $75,500 | +1.7% |
| Elementary School Teachers | $76,350 | +1.4% |
| Middle School Teachers | $62,640 | +1.5% |
| Secondary School Teachers | $76,460 | +1.5% |
Minnesota's own outlook bucks the national trend. Projections Central expects Minnesota elementary teaching positions to grow from 25,390 to 25,730 between 2024 and 2034, with about 1,740 openings a year. Secondary teaching positions grow from 18,230 to 18,510, adding roughly 1,180 openings annually.
Continue Your Education and Professional Development
Minnesota's Job Embedded Professional Development (JEPD) initiative keeps ongoing training centered on the workday and the specific needs of a teacher's own school and students, rather than generic outside seminars.
License Renewal
Under the four-tier system, a Tier 3 license runs three years and renews on 75 approved clock hours, while a Tier 4 license runs five years and renews on 125 clock hours. PELSB's current renewal guidance centers on locally approved clock hours and mandatory components, so check with PELSB or your district for how any coursework, including a master's program, counts toward your specific renewal cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What agency handles teacher licensing in Minnesota?
The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) oversees teacher licensure in Minnesota. PELSB took over licensing responsibilities that were previously split between the Board of Teaching and the Minnesota Department of Education when the four-tier system launched in 2018.
Do I still have to take the MTLE exams to become a teacher in Minnesota?
Not necessarily. Since August 1, 2023, qualifying Tier 3 or Tier 4 applicants are exempt from the content and pedagogy exams, including candidates trained out of state or recommended through Licensure via Portfolio. Confirm your eligibility with PELSB, since it depends on your tier, pathway, and completion date.
Can I become a teacher in Minnesota without a background in education?
Yes. Minnesota's Licensure via Portfolio program can qualify candidates who already hold a bachelor's degree, generally through one year as teacher of record with a year-long mentorship, or two years as teacher of record. CTE candidates have a bachelor's-degree exception.
How long does a Minnesota teaching license last?
It depends on the tier. A Tier 3 license runs three years, and a Tier 4 license runs five years. Both renew indefinitely once you complete the required continuing-education clock hours.
Do I need a master's degree to teach in Minnesota?
No. A bachelor's degree and an approved preparation program are the baseline. Some teachers pursue a master's for pay or professional growth, but check with PELSB or your district on how any coursework counts toward your specific license renewal.
- PELSB, not MDE, issues your license - the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board took over licensure oversight in 2018 and is who you'll deal with for testing, applications, and renewal.
- You may not need to test at all - qualifying Tier 3/4 candidates, including some trained out of state, can be exempt from Minnesota's content and pedagogy exams as of August 2023.
- Four license tiers, matched to experience - Tier 1 and 2 suit candidates still finishing preparation, while Tier 3 and 4 are the licenses most fully prepared teachers hold.
- Minnesota's outlook is growth, not decline - state-level teaching positions are projected to grow through 2034, unlike the national trend.
- A degree in another field doesn't rule you out - Licensure via Portfolio can qualify career-changers who already hold a bachelor's degree through teacher-of-record experience instead of a traditional prep program.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, and High School Teachers. Job growth projections (2024-2034) are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, Projections Central. Figures reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2026.
Getting licensed is the first hurdle, but picking the right preparation program shapes how fast you clear it. The sponsored Minnesota programs below include options built for career-changers who already hold a degree, with formats that fit around a full-time job.