Individuals interested in an administrative or teacher license must meet the current requirements set forth by the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) and Montana State University.  General requirements are:

  • Successful completion of an educator preparation program at an accredited institution
  • Completion of an appropriate field experience
  • Praxis Subject Exam (if required)

The Field Placement & Licensure Office (FPLO) shall ensure all academic and OPI requirements are met prior to recommending individuals for licensure in the specific classifications below. View the requirements for the endorsement you are seeking by selecting the appropriate license class.

If you graduated more than 14 semesters ago (7 years), your coursework will need to be evaluated to determine if it meets current licensure standards. For more detailed information see the LEAT Process page.

The Class 2 standard teacher license is issued by OPI and valid for five years. To be eligible for an MSU licensure recommendation in Montana, individuals must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, have successfully completed an MSU-approved teacher education program in a qualifying licensure endorsement area approved by the Board of Public Education (BPE), successfully fulfilled an appropriately supervised teaching experience, and met Montana Assessment of Content Knowledge requirements with no score under "2" and at least 7 total points.

The Department of Education offers two options for those individuals pursuing an initial teacher licensure:

  • Undergraduate Teacher Education Program
  • Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program for those qualified individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree and who live and wish to teach in rural communities within Montana. The MAT is a full-time intensive program requiring a one-year commitment.

Requirements

To be recommended for a Montana Class 2 initial educator license, teacher candidates must meet these requirements:

1. Completion of the online course “Introduction to Indian Education for All in Montana” 

2. Completion of Montana State University’s approved educator preparation program including appropriate supervised teaching experience.  

3. Bachelor or Master of Arts in Teaching degree awarded and posted.

Additionally, applicants must receive a  

  • A 3.00 or higher coursework GPA and verified by the appropriate official from the educator preparation program. 
  • A passing score/grade on a student teaching portfolio verified by the appropriate official from the educator preparation program.   

Initial Educator License Application Process

To initiate licensure, teacher candidates should:

Teacher candidates are responsible for registering an account to TeachMT. Applicants must initiate and complete your TeachMT application elements including transcript submission through OPI's website. 

Candidates are responsible for sending all official transcripts for endorsement coursework (including coursework taken at MSU) to the Office of Public Instruction.

Once all elements are completed in your TeachMT application, you can request a university recommendation from our office.  

Submit an Educator Licensure Request form to MSU FPLP Office. Requests are only accepted electronically! 

You will be emailed a submission receipt of your request. If you do not receive a receipt, your request was not received. 

The Licensure Technician will review the teacher candidate file and make a university recommendation once all requirements are met.

Please note:

Our office is dedicated to processing these in order as quickly as possible.  Wait times do vary depending on numbers of requests.  However, if you are facing a critical deadline, please contact our office, and we will do our best to accommodate your need.

 

License Information By State

If you currently hold a MT Class 1 or 2 license and are interested in adding an endorsement, go to our Added Endorsements web page for information on getting started. 

To Complete the Added Endorsement Recommendation: 

Once candidates complete the following, submit the Added Endorsement University Recommendation Request form: Added Endorsement Recomendation Request

  • Complete all requirements outlined on LEAT form
  • Taken and passed appropriate Praxis Content Area exam and shared the results with the Field Placement and Licensure Office (if required).
  • Completed summative assignment in CEEX 280 or other outlined/documented clinical experience required for your new endorsement area

Candidates are responsible for working directly with the Licensure staff at the Office of Public Instruction to apply for the new content area endorsements.

 In State Added Endorsement Application:

Added Endorsement Candidates are responsible for registering an account to TeachMT. Applicants must initiate and complete your TeachMT application elements including transcript submission through OPI's website. 

Once all elements are completed in your TeachMT application, you can request a university recommendation from our office.Candidates are responsible for sending all official transcripts for endorsement coursework (including coursework taken at MSU) to the Office of Public Instruction.

Please anticipate an multi week processing time. Incomplete applications will experience significant delay in your processing time.

Transcripts:

Candidates need to ensure that official transcripts for all coursework taken outside MSU applied to the new endorsement be sent to the Field Placement Office. Please send attention to Jamie O’Callaghan.

Additionally, candidates are responsible for sending all official transcripts for endorsement coursework (including coursework taken at MSU) to the Office of Public Instruction.

The Master of Education (MEd) in Educational Leadership degree is designed to meet the needs of those who desire positions in school leadership: K-12 Principal or Curriculum Director. The MEd in Educational Leadership degree allows candidates to gain certification in Montana as a K-12 Principal.  Once candidates complete the degree and earn principal license certification they may take additional coursework to obtain superintendent licensure.  This can be accomplished through earning an Education Specialist (EdS) degree or completing the School Superintendent Certificate program. For questions about these two endorsements, please go to the Department of Education Graduate Programs website for additional information.

Administrator candidates must meet these requirements to be recommended for the Class 3 Principal K-12 license:

  • Completed Masters of Education in Educational Leadership
  • Current Montana Class 1 or 2 License

Class 3 Principal Licensure Process

Class 3 canidates are responsible for registering an account to TeachMT. Applicants must initiate and complete your TeachMT application elements including transcript submission through OPI's website. 

Once all elements are completed in your TeachMT application, you can request a university recommendation from our office.

Candidates are responsible for sending all official transcripts for endorsement coursework (including coursework taken at MSU) to the Office of Public Instruction.

FPLO Office Reccomendation Requst Form: Complete and submit to the Field Placement and Licensure office.

  1. Educator Licensure Request Form.
  2. Verification of Teaching Experience

Administrator candidates must meet these requirements to be recommended for the Class 3 Superintendent license:

  1. Educator Licensure Request Form. Submitting this request will initiate a recommendation.
  2. Refer to OPI's Class 3 Administrator License Superintendent webpage for all required documents to submit.
  3. Visit the Educational Leadership School Superintendent Certificate Program webpage for additional information on this endorsement.

There is a pathway for individuals who already hold a bachelor's degree who wish to obtain an added endorsement through the Field Placement and Licensure Office:

Individuals will be guided through a Licensure Endorsement Assessment Tool (LEAT) process to determine the path of eligibility by our Post Baccalaureate Specialist, Jamie O'Callaghan. Individuals must contact Ms. O'Callaghan before beginning the LEAT process.

The BPE Internship added endorsement categories that MSU sponsors are: 

  •  Early Childhood-P3
  • Elementary K-8
  • Secondary Education 5-12 and K-12 (see NOTE)
  • Principal K-12
  • Superintendent
  • Library Media Certificate K-12
  • Master’s Family and Consumer Sciences (see NOTE)
  • School Counselor

MSU does not sponsor any other endorsement categories. 

NOTE:  Post-Baccalaureate individuals seeking an added endorsement in Family and Consumer Sciences will follow the LEAT process.  Otherwise, those seeking a Master’s in Family and Consumer Sciences should contact that department directly.

The Licensure Technician will make recommendation for the Class 6 School Counselor educator license when an individual satisfies all the requirements of the MSU School Counseling Program and submit/complete the following:

Career or Technical Specialists

If you desire a Class 4 Montana Teaching Certification/Licensure, please contact the Montana Office of Public Instruction rather than the MSU Office of Field Placement and Licensure.  Information about this licensure can be viewed at OPI's Class 4 Career and Technical Teaching License.

Licensed Teacher Out-of-State Seeking Montana Teaching Licensure

If you are certified to teach in another state and wish to obtain Montana teaching licensure, you must FIRST apply through OPI. If you are denied certification due to needed requirements and can document this denial, the MSU Office of Field Placement and Licensure will review your request.  Please contact their Post-Baccalaureate Specialist, Jamie O’Callaghan, (jamie.ocallaghan@montana.edu), for information on completing the Licensure Endorsement Assessment Tool (LEAT) process.

 

Montana Licensed Teachers  Or MSU Completers Seeking University Recommendation for Out of State Licensure or In State Verification

If you are a currently licensed Montana educator and are seeking university verification of your credential for another states' licensing or for MSU alumni who need verifications of program. please complete and submit the

University Verification Form for Licensed Educators or MSU Completers