Who needs a license in North Carolina?
All professional employees
of public schools must hold a license for
the subject or grade level they teach or for
the professional assignment they hold.
In what areas are licenses
issued?
Licenses are issued in
administrative, supervisory, student service,
and teaching areas. Teaching areas encompass
birth through kindergarten, elementary (K-6),
middle grades (6-9), secondary grades (9-12),
special subjects (K-12), exceptional children
(K-12), and vocational education.
How do I qualify for
a North Carolina license?
The standard basis for
licensure is the completion of an approved
education program at a regionally accredited
college or university. Most out-of-state applicants
qualify through reciprocity plans that allow
educators from outside North Carolina to establish
eligibility for licensing in North Carolina.
What is "reciprocity?"
North Carolina maintains
reciprocal-licensing agreements with most
states. With this, individuals holding teaching
licenses in the following 42 states (as well
as with the District of Columbia and Guam)
may obtain a license for teaching in North
Carolina:
Alabama * Alaska * Arkansas
* California * Colorado * Connecticut * Delaware
* Florida * Georgia * Hawaii * Idaho * Illinois
* Indiana * Kansas * Kentucky * Louisiana
* Maine * Maryland * Massachusetts * Michigan
* Mississippi * Nebraska * Nevada * New Hampshire
* New Jersey * New Mexico * New York * North
Dakota * Ohio * Oklahoma * Oregon * Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island * South Carolina * Tennessee
* Texas * Utah * Vermont * Virginia * Washington
* West Virginia * Wyoming
Please note that
not all requirements are covered by these
reciprocal-licensing agreements. Certain requirements
specific to North Carolina (such as testing)
are not covered under reciprocity and must
be met in order to obtain a clear North Carolina
teaching license.
Reciprocal licensing does
not guarantee that all areas of licensure
from another state will transfer to North
Carolina—whether it involves teaching
subjects or grade levels. However, North Carolina
teaching-license applicants will receive the
closest comparable North Carolina equivalent.
Individuals holding a
teaching license in a non-reciprocal licensing
state are also encouraged to apply for a North
Carolina license.
How do I transfer my
license from another state to North Carolina?
The applicant for a North
Carolina teaching license based on reciprocity
must send the following information to the
Licensure Section at the North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction:
