How do I get my Teaching Certificate?

Missouri State will recommend you for your Missouri Teacher's certificate once you have completed all requirements for certification.  During student teaching meetings, you will be asked to complete a green Application for Missouri Teachers Certificate.  This form will then be forwarded to the Teacher Certification office, and will be sent to DESE with your transcripts when you are ready to be certified. 

How long does the process take?

The certification process requires several steps, and takes up to 12 weeks to complete.  Following are the steps we will take to certify you, and a basic timeline.  For example, let's say you complete your last requirement at the end of spring semester:

• The Teacher Certification Office will verify through transcripts that you have successfully completed all coursework for certification.  Grades are not available on your transcripts until for approximately two weeks after the end of the semester, so nothing can be done to process your certification during that time. 
• Once we verify that all requirements have been met, we will order a new Missouri State transcript for you and send your Application for Missouri Teachers Certificate to the Dean of the College of Education for signature. 
• Once we receive your application back from the Dean's office, we will send it to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in Jefferson City.  At the same time, we will send you a confirmation letter stating that you have been recommended for certification in Missouri.  The letter will also state your content area, grade level and effective date of your certificate.  There will also be instructions for checking the status of your certificate at DESE online.  This letter can be given to your hiring school district as verification that you will be certified until your actual certificate comes. 
• Approximately 8-10 weeks after we have sent your application to DESE, you should receive your actual teaching certificate in the mail. 

Make sure you notify our office immediately if you change your address after filling out your Application for Missouri Teachers Certificate.  We use the address you write on the form at the time you fill it out, and if that changes, DESE will send your certificate to the wrong address.  Changing your address with Missouri State is also important, but does not change what you put on your form. 

What are the deadlines for certification?

When recommended for certification, your actual certificate will be back-dated to a pre-determined date based on when it was processed.  Here are the deadlines:

Received by DESE	Certification Dated
December 1st - April 30th	Dated January 1st
May 1st  - July 31st	Dated June 1st
Aug. 1st - November 30th	Dated August 15th