How to Become a Teacher in North Dakota 2026
How to become a teacher in North Dakota starts with the traditional route: a bachelor's degree, a state-approved preparation program, and passing licensure exam scores, issued by the Education Standards and Practices Board. Alternate routes like the Alternate Access License and American Board pathway skip that sequence for career-changers. Reciprocity options exist for out-of-state applicants too.
North Dakota's Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) runs certification here. Here's how to become a teacher in North Dakota, from ESPB's traditional path to the alternative routes that skip it. The traditional path looks like how states generally handle certification: a bachelor's degree, an approved prep program, and your licensure exams, but it isn't the only one. Career-changers have real alternatives, including a post-baccalaureate program, the Alternate Access License, the American Board pathway, or reciprocity if you're already certified elsewhere. If you're weighing options just across the border, How to Become a Teacher in Minnesota covers what changes there.
Choose What You Want to Teach
Elementary, middle, and high school licenses cover different coursework and different subject-area exams, so pick your grade band or subject before you enroll in a program. That choice decides which classes you take from here forward.
If you like teaching one subject in depth, middle or high school licensure lets you specialize in something like English, math, or science. If you'd rather teach a full slate of subjects to the same group of kids all day, elementary licensure is the more common fit. Special education is its own credential with its own coursework, regardless of grade band.
Requirements differ by area, and ESPB, not DPI, is the licensing authority that sets them, so confirm your specific subject's requirements with the Education Standards and Practices Board before committing to a program.
Meet North Dakota's Degree and Preparation Program Requirements
The traditional, in-state route to a North Dakota teaching license runs through a bachelor's degree and a state-approved educator preparation program, pairing subject-area coursework with professional education classes covering pedagogy, classroom management, and instructional technology. It isn't the only route: options like the Alternate Access License and the American Board (ABCTE) pathway don't follow this approved-EPP sequence at all, and are covered separately below.
If you don't already have a bachelor's degree, many North Dakota colleges blend the degree and the teacher prep program into one sequence, so you're not doing two separate stints of school.
Student Teaching and Fieldwork
Every prep program includes supervised fieldwork, and student teaching is the biggest piece of it. You take over a real classroom for a stretch under a licensed mentor teacher, planning lessons, teaching them, and grading the work the same way you will once you're licensed. It's usually where new teachers find out for certain whether the daily reality matches what they expected.
If You Already Have a Bachelor's Degree
Already hold a degree in something other than education? A post-baccalaureate or alternate prep program gets you to the same license without starting your undergrad over. Several North Dakota colleges also offer a joint master's track that layers licensure coursework into a graduate degree, so you finish with both credentials at once.
Alternative Routes Into the Classroom
Transition to Teaching / Clinical Practice
North Dakota's Transition to Teaching program, also called Clinical Practice, is built for people entering teaching from another career or the military, or who hold a non-teaching bachelor's degree in a shortage subject. You spend a year mentored by a master teacher while taking online and in-person coursework. Finish that year, and you've earned credit for student teaching and the Introduction to Teaching course. The remaining requirements come over the following year, set by your sponsoring university.
Alternate Access License and American Board (ABCTE)
North Dakota also recognizes the Alternate Access License and the American Board (ABCTE) certification pathway, both built for candidates whose bachelor's degree isn't in education and who don't want to go through a traditional approved-EPP sequence. Requirements and timelines differ between the two, so confirm the specifics with ESPB or your chosen program before you commit.
Teacher Certification Reciprocity
North Dakota has two different routes for people already licensed or prepared elsewhere, and which one applies depends on what you're holding. If you already have a valid out-of-state teaching license, the Other State Educator License (OSEL) is the route for qualifying applicants. If you completed an out-of-state preparation program but don't hold the corresponding license, the two-year Out-of-State Reciprocal License is the more relevant option, and it comes with a plan for finishing whatever North Dakota still requires. Check with ESPB on which one fits your situation.
Pass Your Licensure Exams
Initial licensure carries a preprofessional or basic-skills competency requirement, and North Dakota accepts more than one way to clear it: qualifying Praxis scores and qualifying ACT scores are both among the accepted routes. Testing requirements differ for alternative-route and out-of-state candidates, so don't assume the traditional-pathway combination applies to you. Some prep programs also require passing scores before you can enter or exit student teaching, so check with your program advisor early rather than finding out the week you planned to start your placement.
Apply for Your North Dakota Teaching License
What ESPB Wants From You
The application packet typically asks for a completed application form, the application fee, official transcripts showing your bachelor's degree and completed prep program, and proof of your passing exam scores. Effective August 1, 2025, first-time applicants also need to complete Mandated Reporter Training as part of the application.
Contact Information
Education Standards and Practices Board
2718 Gateway Ave., Suite 303
Bismarck, ND 58503-0585
Adding an Endorsement Later
Already licensed and want to add another subject or grade band? North Dakota lets you add an endorsement to an existing license by meeting ESPB's requirements for the endorsement being added. One available route is the Major Equivalency Praxis Testing Endorsement, but requirements vary by endorsement, so confirm the specific path with ESPB before you plan around one exam.
Find a Teaching Job in North Dakota
Public and Private Schools
The state's Office of Public Instruction keeps a listing of open teaching jobs, and some districts also post openings through SchoolSpring. Roughly 42 private schools operate in North Dakota, most with a religious affiliation. They aren't required to hire only licensed teachers, but a license is still what most of them look for.
Unions and Professional Groups
Once you're hired, you can join a labor union: ND United or the NEA are the two options here, plus a subject-specific group like the North Dakota Science Teachers Association if that fits your subject.
Retirement
Public school teachers pay into the North Dakota Teachers' Fund for Retirement, and it's mandatory, not optional. What you draw out after retiring depends on how much you and your district put in while you were working.
Where the Shortages Are
The federal Teacher Shortage Area list for North Dakota has flagged early childhood, elementary, several secondary sciences, career and technical education, world languages, and special education across grade bands as the areas with the thinnest pipeline. If your subject shows up on that list, you're likely to find more openings to choose from, not fewer.
Advance Your Career and Renew Your License
Your Initial Two-Year License is exactly what it sounds like: valid for two years. Log at least 18 months of full-time teaching in that window, and you move up to a Five-Year Renewal License, or renew the initial license again if you come up short on time.
Once you're on the Five-Year Renewal track, ESPB requires at least six semester hours of college coursework completed during that five-year period, related to education and/or your licensed teaching area. A master's in education or teaching is one common way to cover those hours.
What North Dakota Teachers Earn
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, elementary school teachers in North Dakota earned a median annual salary of $60,030 as of May 2025. Kindergarten teachers were close behind at $59,420, middle school teachers at $60,100, and high school teachers led the group at $61,210.
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage | Job Growth (2024-2034) |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten Teachers | $59,420 | 6.4% |
| Elementary School Teachers | $60,030 | 6.0% |
| Middle School Teachers | $60,100 | 5.9% |
| High School Teachers | $61,210 | 6.2% |
Projections Central data compiled for North Dakota shows all four of these roles growing between 5.9% and 6.4% through 2034, a different trend than the national numbers, where these same occupations are projected to decline. Elementary alone is expected to add about 310 openings a year across the state as teachers retire or move on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a degree in education specifically to teach in North Dakota?
No. The traditional route runs through a bachelor's degree and a state-approved preparation program, and the degree can be in your subject area rather than education itself. Routes like the Alternate Access License and the American Board pathway don't follow that approved-EPP sequence at all, so the exact requirement depends on which path you take.
How long does North Dakota teacher certification take?
It depends on your pathway. A traditional four-year program finishes with your license largely in hand. Alternative routes like Transition to Teaching typically run about a year of mentored teaching, with the remaining coursework wrapping up over the following year.
Can I transfer my teaching license from another state to North Dakota?
It depends on what you're holding. If you already have a valid out-of-state teaching license, the Other State Educator License (OSEL) is the route for qualifying applicants. If you completed an out-of-state preparation program but don't hold the license itself, the two-year Out-of-State Reciprocal License is the more relevant option instead.
What's the difference between the Initial License and the Five-Year Renewal License?
The Initial Two-Year License is your starting point. Log at least 18 months of full-time teaching and you move up to the Five-Year Renewal License, which then needs six semester hours of coursework each cycle to stay current.
Which teaching subjects are in the highest demand in North Dakota?
Early childhood, elementary, several secondary sciences, career and technical education, world languages, and special education have shown up on the federal shortage list for the state, which typically means more openings for candidates in those areas.
- The traditional route needs a bachelor's degree and an approved program - but the Alternate Access License and American Board pathway skip that sequence entirely for career-changers.
- Alternative routes exist - Transition to Teaching/Clinical Practice and other ESPB-approved options let career-changers with a non-education bachelor's degree start teaching under a mentor while finishing coursework.
- Reciprocity has two doors, not one - the OSEL fits applicants who already hold a valid out-of-state license, while the two-year Out-of-State Reciprocal License fits those who completed an out-of-state program but don't hold the license itself.
- Job growth here bucks the national trend - North Dakota's core teaching roles are projected to grow 5.9% to 6.4% through 2034, versus a national decline in the same occupations.
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.
Certification is the first hurdle, but finding a program that fits your schedule and your current degree is the next one. The sponsored programs listed here include options built for career-changers who already hold a bachelor's degree in another field, plus online formats for people juggling a full-time job while they finish coursework.