How to Become a Teacher in Mississippi: Certification Steps 2026
Mississippi doesn't require extra undergraduate coursework beyond the bachelor's degree most states ask for, but it does require a State Board-approved preparation program and a passing score on the Praxis Subject Assessment for your endorsement area. If you're comparing states, it helps to know how certification differs by state, since Mississippi's basic-skills flexibility isn't universal. The basic-skills piece has more flexibility than people expect: a qualifying ACT, SAT, or GPA score can stand in for the Praxis Core, depending on your program.
The steps below walk through how to become a teacher in Mississippi, from picking a grade level to landing a job once you're certified.
Choose What You Want to Teach
Start by deciding the grade band and subject you want in front of you every day. Elementary teachers work across every subject with one group of kids; secondary teachers specialize in one subject across several classes. Special education, ESL, and career/technical education are separate credential tracks with their own coursework. The Mississippi Department of Education publishes program and workforce data by subject area that's worth checking before you commit to a track.
Earn a Bachelor's Degree and Complete a Teacher Preparation Program
To become a licensed educator in Mississippi, you need a bachelor's degree and completion of a teacher preparation program approved by the state. Those are the two non-negotiables. Everything else, including which exams you take and which endorsement you earn, follows from the subject and grade band you chose above.
If you haven't started your degree yet, ask an advisor whether your school offers a blended program that combines the bachelor's coursework with teacher preparation in one track. It's the most efficient path if you already know teaching is the plan.
Complete a Teacher Preparation Program
A Mississippi teacher preparation program has two parts: coursework and fieldwork. Coursework covers pedagogy, subject-specific teaching methods, differentiated instruction, and classroom technology. Fieldwork moves from observation into a full student-teaching placement, where you plan and deliver lessons under a mentor teacher's supervision, usually while keeping lesson plans and a culminating portfolio.
The operative requirement is that your program is approved by the Mississippi State Board of Education, which is the body behind MDE's licensure guidelines. Many approved programs also carry national accreditation through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), but CAEP accreditation itself isn't the state's licensing standard, so confirm a program's status directly with MDE rather than assuming.
Already have a bachelor's degree in something other than education? You can enter a post-baccalaureate or alternative preparation program instead of starting over, and some universities also offer a joint master's option.
Alternative Teacher Certification in Mississippi
MDE currently lists six non-traditional licensure routes for candidates who already hold a bachelor's degree: Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Teach Mississippi Institute (TMI), Teach For America (TFA), Mississippi Teacher Corps, American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), and the Five-Year Alternative Certification Option. Requirements vary by program and by the endorsement you're seeking, so check the specific route's admission criteria rather than assuming they're interchangeable.
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
MAT requires a non-education bachelor's degree with a 3.0 GPA in your content-area coursework, or a qualifying Praxis Core, ACT, or SAT score. After completing six graduate credit hours and passing the Praxis Subject Assessment for your endorsement area, you can apply for a non-renewable three-year Teacher Resident License and teach while finishing the degree. Elementary Education (K-6 or 4-6) is only available through a MAT program.
Teach Mississippi Institute (TMI)
TMI is open to bachelor's-degree holders with a qualifying ACT, SAT, or Praxis Core score, a minimum 2.75 GPA in undergraduate coursework for the content area, and a passing Praxis Subject Assessment score. It's a non-degree route focused on training and licensure rather than a master's program.
Teach For America and Mississippi Teacher Corps
Both are MAT-based alternate routes tied to specific placements. Teach For America places corps members mostly in the Mississippi Delta, and Mississippi Teacher Corps, run through the University of Mississippi, places candidates in critical-need schools statewide. Both expect a multi-year teaching commitment as part of the program.
American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE)
ABCTE is a self-paced, MDE-approved national alternative certification program open to bachelor's-degree holders in any field, working through coursework independently rather than in a cohort.
Five-Year Alternative Certification Option
MDE also lists a Five-Year Alternative Certification Option among its non-traditional routes. Its process differs from the internship-then-standard-license structure used by the other routes, so confirm current eligibility and steps directly with MDE's Office of Educator Licensure before choosing it.
Elementary candidates should also check the literacy testing note below. It applies on top of, not instead of, whichever route you choose.
Testing Requirements for Teacher Certification in Mississippi
What you're required to test on depends on your licensure area and pathway, but most candidates work through some combination of a basic-skills requirement, a subject-area assessment, and a pedagogy exam.
Basic Skills Requirement
MDE's basic-skills requirement can be met in one of three ways: a passing score on the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test, a qualifying ACT or SAT score, or a 3.0 GPA in specific coursework as approved by your educator preparation provider. Which options are available to you depends on your program, so confirm with your provider rather than assuming the Praxis Core is mandatory.
Praxis Subject Assessment
MDE refers to the subject-area exam as the Praxis Subject Assessment. It tests your content knowledge in the specific licensure area you're pursuing, and you need to take the exact assessment that matches your intended endorsement, not a related one.
Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT)
Many licensure pathways also require the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) exam for your grade band, taken after your preparation program. It tests pedagogy and classroom practice rather than subject content. Requirements vary by pathway, so confirm with MDE or your preparation program whether the PLT applies to your specific licensure area.
Literacy Testing for Elementary Candidates
Candidates seeking Elementary Education licensure (K-6 or 4-6) also have a literacy testing requirement under MDE's December 2025 guidelines. You can meet it by passing the Foundations of Reading assessment, or by attempting Foundations of Reading and completing Pathways to Proficient Reading (PPR) with a score of at least 80%.
Apply for Your Mississippi Teacher Certification
Application Requirements
Mississippi's State Board of Education sets licensure policy, and MDE's Division of Educator Licensure administers applications, which are now submitted online through your Educator Management System account rather than on paper. Documentation requirements vary by license type, but most candidates need:
- An online licensure application submitted through your Educator Management System account
- A Verification of Lawful Presence (VLP) form, if you haven't previously submitted one
- Official college transcripts showing your degree and completed preparation program
- Test score reports for your required basic-skills and Praxis Subject Assessment results
- Your out-of-state teaching license or certificate, if applicable
A criminal history background check and fingerprinting are required before you can work in a Mississippi classroom, handled through the school district rather than as part of the licensure application itself.
Reciprocity for Out-of-State Teachers
If you're already licensed to teach in another state, Mississippi's reciprocity process can issue you a comparable license without repeating your entire preparation program. You'll submit proof of your current out-of-state license along with your application, and MDE will tell you if any additional coursework or testing is required to bring your credential in line with Mississippi's standards.
Contact Information
Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Educator Licensure
P.O. Box 771
Jackson, MS 39205-0771
Phone: (601) 359-3483
Find a Teaching Job in Mississippi
Once MDE processes your application, you're ready to find a teaching job in Mississippi.
Teaching in a Public School
MDE runs a teacher job board connecting Mississippi districts with certified candidates. You can submit your information to the official database to be viewed by districts, or apply directly through each district's own site.
Substitute Teaching
Mississippi doesn't require a state license to substitute teach. Each school district sets its own substitute requirements, so what qualifies you in one district may not transfer automatically to another.
Teacher Associations
Once you're hired, you can join a state professional association such as the Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE), the state chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), or the National Education Association (NEA). Membership gets you an advocate on labor and legal issues, plus ongoing professional development access.
Retirement Benefits
Mississippi teachers are covered by the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS). Which rules apply to you, including your vesting period and retirement age, depends on when you were hired, so check your specific tier with PERS rather than assuming a blanket rule.
Teaching in a Private School
Mississippi has more than 250 private schools serving tens of thousands of students. Pay and career-advancement structures at private schools vary from the public system's standardized scale, and can differ significantly school to school, so ask directly about compensation and growth paths during the hiring process.
Where Mississippi's Teacher Shortages Are
MDE has consistently designated special education and mathematics as critical-shortage subject areas in its recent educator workforce surveys, with science and foreign languages also flagged in some years. MDE updates its critical-shortage subject and district list annually, so check the MDE site directly for the current school year's designations, especially if you're weighing where in the state to apply.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mississippi's 11,060 elementary school teachers earned a median annual wage of $49,790 as of May 2025, while the state's 6,260 middle school teachers and 10,400 secondary school teachers earned medians of $50,790 and $50,980. The 2,530 special education teachers working at the kindergarten and elementary level earned a median of $50,570.
| Grade Level | Number of Teachers |
|---|---|
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | 3,600 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 11,060 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 6,260 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 10,400 |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | 110 |
| Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School | 2,530 |
| Special Education Teachers, Middle School | 1,020 |
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | 1,670 |
Projections Central estimates Mississippi's elementary teaching workforce will decline slightly, about 0.8% between 2024 and 2034, but still projects roughly 820 openings a year as teachers retire or move on. Preschool teaching is the exception: Mississippi's preschool teacher workforce is projected to grow nearly 40% over the same period, far outpacing the modest national growth rate for that role.
Continue Your Education and Professional Development
Once you're licensed, professional development becomes a career-long requirement, not a one-time box to check. Good PD has clear goals, a self-assessment component, and concrete strategies you can actually bring back to your classroom, not just a seminar to sit through.
Professional Development in Mississippi
MDE runs some of its own PD offerings and partners with outside organizations, including Mississippi Professional Educators (MPE), the Center for Mathematics & Science Education (CMSE), GEAR UP Mississippi, and the North Mississippi Education Consortium (NMEC).
Earn a Master's in Teaching or Education to Upgrade Your Educator License
Mississippi's five-year Educator License comes in four classes based on your credentials:
- Class A: Bachelor's degree and passing exam scores
- Class AA: Master's degree in education or your endorsement area
- Class AAA: Specialist degree in education or your endorsement area
- Class AAAA: Doctoral degree in education or your endorsement area
A Class A license lets you teach, but MDE gives Class AA, AAA, and AAAA holders a lighter continuing education load at renewal time.
Class A license holders must complete one of the following every five years to renew:
- 10 continuing education units (CEUs), or
- Three semester hours plus five CEUs, both in a content or job-related area, or
- Six semester hours in a content or job-related area, or
- National Board certification
Class AA, AAA, and AAAA holders need only one of these per five-year cycle:
- Three semester hours in a content or job-related area, or
- Five CEUs in a content or job-related area, or
- National Board certification
A master's, specialist, or doctoral degree also affects your pay, since Mississippi's statutory salary schedule under Miss. Code § 37-19-7 sets a higher minimum for each license class. The Mississippi Legislature has had bills active in recent sessions to raise these minimums, so check the current schedule directly with MDE or your district rather than relying on a fixed figure here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a teacher in Mississippi?
Most candidates finish in four to five years through a traditional bachelor's-plus-preparation-program track. Alternate routes like ABCTE or TMI can move faster since you're building on a degree you already hold, though the exact timeline depends on the specific program and endorsement area.
Can I teach in Mississippi without an education degree?
Yes. MDE lists six non-traditional routes, MAT, TMI, Teach For America, Mississippi Teacher Corps, ABCTE, and the Five-Year Alternative Certification Option, all built for candidates whose bachelor's degree is in a different field. Requirements differ by route and endorsement area, so check the specific program rather than assuming they all work the same way.
Does Mississippi accept teaching licenses from other states?
Yes, through reciprocity. You'll submit your out-of-state license with your application, and MDE will specify any extra coursework or testing needed to match Mississippi's requirements.
Do substitute teachers need a license in Mississippi?
No. MDE doesn't set a statewide substitute licensing requirement. Each district decides its own qualifications, so check directly with the district you want to work in.
What subjects have the biggest teacher shortages in Mississippi?
Special education and mathematics have shown up consistently in MDE's recent shortage designations, with science and foreign language also flagged in some years. Districts in shortage areas often offer added incentives, so check MDE's current-year list before choosing where to apply.
- The path has three core pieces: a bachelor's degree, a State Board-approved preparation program, and a passing Praxis Subject Assessment score for your endorsement area.
- The basic-skills requirement is flexible: a qualifying ACT, SAT, or GPA score can substitute for the Praxis Core, depending on your program.
- Six non-traditional routes exist: MAT, TMI, Teach For America, Mississippi Teacher Corps, ABCTE, and the Five-Year Alternative Certification Option all lead to licensure for non-education bachelor's degree holders, with requirements that vary by route.
- Elementary candidates have an added literacy requirement: Foundations of Reading, or Foundations of Reading plus Pathways to Proficient Reading at 80% or higher.
- Reciprocity is available: an out-of-state license doesn't mean starting your preparation program over.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Preschool Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, and Special Education 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.
Mississippi's certification path has more moving parts than most people expect going in, from choosing a route to timing your exams. The sponsored programs listed here include options built specifically for career-changers who already hold a degree outside education.