Graduates from a Teaching Program
- Graduates of Florida state-approved teacher preparation programs who have passed the subject area exam, the professional education test, and all four parts of the general knowledge exam will qualify for a Professional Florida Educator’s Certificate. Graduates of Florida approved teacher preparation programs who have not passed all tests will qualify for a Temporary Certificate.
- Click here to apply for your Florida Certificate:
Out-of-State Teacher or Administrator
Florida has two reciprocity routes for certified teachers and administrators to qualify for our Professional Certificate.
- Route 1: Valid Standard Certificate Issued by a State Other than Florida
- The certificate must be a standard or Level II certificate issued by the other state or US territory, and the certificate must be valid (not expired or revoked).
- The subject(s) shown on your certificate must be considered comparable to a subject(s) issued in Florida
- Route 2: Certificate Issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
- The NBPTS certificate must be valid
- The Florida certificate will reflect the Florida subject considered comparable to the NBPTS subject.
- NBPTS certification areas can be found here.
Career Changer or College Graduate of a Non-education Program:
A graduate with a degree from an accredited or approved institution who is considering the teaching profession as a first career or a career change must first be eligible for a temporary certificate. There are three ways to achieve eligibility:
- Hold a degree in an area in which Florida offers certification.
- Hold a degree in any area and a passing score on an appropriate Subject Area Examination taken after July 1, 2002.
- Hold a bachelor's degree in any area and meet the specialization requirement through appropriate coursework.
You will apply for a Temporary Certificate, so that you may begin teaching full-time while you complete your remaining certification requirements. Your Statement of Status of Eligibility will provide you with specific and official information about your remaining requirements for the Professional Certificate.
Foreign Trained Graduate:
Applicants with academic training completed outside the United States should submit the following documentation with the completed application and fee(s):
Credential evaluation report: an original credential report that includes a statement of degree equivalency and a breakdown of coursework into descriptive course titles and semester-hour credit. Please do not submit original foreign documents to the Bureau of Educator Certification.
The credential evaluation report may be provided by one of the following:
You will apply for a Temporary Certificate, so that you may begin teaching full-time while you complete your remaining certification requirements. Your Statement of Status of Eligibility will provide you with specific and official information about your remaining requirements for the Professional Certificate. For more information, please click here.