Mississippi Licensure Pathways

Description:   

Prospective educators can earn an undergraduate degree in education from a college or school of education in Mississippi. Each program provides the knowledge, skills, and student-teacher experience to teach elementary, middle, or high school in Mississippi.  

Educator Preparation Providers 

Steps:  

• Complete student teaching
• Earn a four-year education degree that leads to licensure  
• Successfully complete State Board of Education-approved licensure assessment(s)
• Obtain an online recommendation from your institution 
• Apply for a license

Applicants can submit requests for licensure online through the Mississippi Educator Career Continuum Archive (MECCA) system. MECCA is the fastest, most secure way to submit your application and supporting documents to the Division of Educator Licensure. Your educator management account will provide you with your Educator ID number and allow you to upload certain documents for your application. After you start an application, the system will produce a built-in checklist of elements required for licensure according to the selected application category.

License Details:  

• Five-year validity 
• Renewable  
• Can be upgraded to a higher-class level  
• Additional endorsements can be added by an acceptable coursework credit hours option, completion of an approved program, or by obtaining a passing score on an MBE-approved licensure subject assessment
• Transferable between districts or eligible nonpublic schools

Resources:

Please review our Document Submission webpage for additional information required for successful retrieval of official transcripts and official Mississippi assessments.

For current licensure requirements, please review the Guidelines for Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12.

For the most up-to-date test information, please view the licensure guidelines or visit the following website(s): 

• Mississippi Praxis Website
• Mississippi Foundations of Reading (required for Elementary Education and certain Special Education licenses)

Description:

Prospective educators who hold a (non-education) bachelor’s degree can complete an approved alternate route program in education from a college or school of education in Mississippi. Each program provides the knowledge, skills and supervised internship experience to teach elementary, middle, or high school in Mississippi.

Educator Preparation Providers

Steps:

• Hold a four-year degree in non-education
• Successfully complete State Board of Education-approved licensure assessment(s)
• Complete the Mississippi alternate route program requirements
• Obtain an online recommendation from your institution
• Apply for a license

Applicants can submit requests for licensure online through the Mississippi Educator Career Continuum Archive (MECCA) system. MECCA is the fastest, most secure way to submit your application and supporting documents to the Division of Educator Licensure. Your educator management account will provide you with your Educator ID number and allow you to upload certain documents for your application. After you start an application, the system will produce a built-in checklist of elements required for licensure according to the selected application category.

License Details:

• Initial license issued is a provisional non-renewable license (length of provisional license may vary based on the alternate route program)
• The standard license has a five-year validity cycle
• Five-year renewable license can be upgraded to a higher-class level
• Additional endorsements can be added by an acceptable coursework credit hours option, completion of an approved program, or by obtaining a passing score on an MBE-approved licensure subject assessment
•  Transferable between districts or eligible nonpublic schools

Special Note: The initial alternate route license is issued as a one-year or three-year nonrenewable license and must be converted by meeting the current five-year licensure requirements.

Resources:

Please review our Document Submission webpage for additional information required for successful retrieval of official transcripts and official Mississippi assessments.

For current licensure requirements, please review our Guidelines for Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12.

For the most up-to-date test information, please view the licensure guidelines or visit the following website(s): 

• Mississippi Praxis Website
• Mississippi Foundations of Reading (required for Elementary Education and certain Special Education licenses)

Description:

Prospective educators who hold an associate degree or higher can complete license-specific requirements to teach occupational or technical subjects.

Research and Curriculum Unit at Mississippi State University

Steps:  

• Hold an associate’s or higher degree in a career-oriented or technical subject or already hold a Mississippi teaching license
• Successfully complete State Board of Education licensure requirements
• Apply for a license

Applicants can submit requests for licensure online through the Mississippi Educator Career Continuum Archive (MECCA) system. MECCA is the fastest, most secure way to submit your application and supporting documents to the Division of Educator Licensure. Your educator management account will provide you with your Educator ID number and allow you to upload certain documents for your application. After you start an application, the system will produce a built-in checklist of elements required for licensure according to the selected application category.

License Details:

• Three-year nonrenewable or five-year renewable
• Five-year renewable license can be upgraded to a higher-class level
• Additional endorsements can be added to the five-year renewable license by an acceptable coursework credit hours option, completion of an approved program, or by obtaining a passing score on an MBE-approved licensure subject assessment
•  Five-year renewable license transferable between districts or eligible nonpublic schools

Special Note: If the applicant meets all requirements, that applicant will be issued a five-year license. If the applicant meets the educational and occupational experience requirements, but does not meet all other requirements, the applicant may be issued one (1) three-year endorsement (license), and all requirements stated above must be satisfied prior to the ending date of that license.

Resources:

The Division of Educator Licensure accepts degrees or coursework from any nationally or regionally accredited institution. An institution’s accreditation status can be verified using the United States Department of Education website (https://www.ed.gov/accreditation) or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation website (https://www.chea.org/).

Please review our Document Submission webpage for additional information required for successful retrieval of official transcripts.

For current licensure requirements, please review our Career and Technical Education Guidelines.

Description:

The department shall grant a standard five-year license to any individual with a valid standard renewable license from another state. 

Steps:

• Hold a valid, standard renewable out-of-state teaching license
• Apply for a license

Applicants can submit requests for licensure online through the Mississippi Educator Career Continuum Archive (MECCA) system. MECCA is the fastest, most secure way to submit your application and supporting documents to the Division of Educator Licensure. Your educator management account will provide you with your Educator ID number and allow you to upload certain documents for your application. After you start an application, the system will produce a built-in checklist of elements required for licensure according to the selected application category.

 License Details:

• Five-year validity 
• Renewable  
• Can be upgraded to a higher-class level  
• Additional endorsements can be added by an acceptable coursework credit hours option, completion of an approved program, or by obtaining a passing score on an MBE-approved licensure subject assessment
• Transferable between districts or eligible nonpublic schools

Resources:

The Division of Educator Licensure accepts degrees or coursework from any nationally or regionally accredited institution. An institution’s accreditation status can be verified using the United States Department of Education website (https://www.ed.gov/accreditation) or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation website (https://www.chea.org/).

Please review our Document Submission webpage for additional information required for successful retrieval of official transcripts.

For current licensure requirements, please review our Guidelines for Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12.

Description:   

Prospective and practicing educators seeking to obtain licensure in the state of Mississippi by way of completion of a traditional state-approved or nationally accredited licensure-track teacher, administrator, certain supplemental service provider, and supplemental endorsement preparation program from a regionally/nationally accredited institution of higher education program outside of Mississippi.

Educator Preparation Providers

Steps:  

• Complete a licensure preparation program outside of Mississippi  
• Obtain an Institutional Program Verification Form (IPV) from the educator preparation provider in the state where the preparation occurred
• Successfully complete State Board of Education-approved licensure assessment(s) after the Institutional Program Verification (IPV) form has been verified by a licensure specialist
• Apply for a license

Applicants can submit requests for licensure online through the Mississippi Educator Career Continuum Archive (MECCA) system. MECCA is the fastest, most secure way to submit your application and supporting documents to the Division of Educator Licensure. Your educator management account will provide you with your Educator ID number and allow you to upload certain documents for your application. After you start an application, the system will produce a built-in checklist of elements required for licensure according to the selected application category.

License Details:  

• Five-year validity 
• Renewable  
• Can be upgraded to a higher-class level  
• Additional endorsements can be added by an acceptable coursework credit hours option, completion of an approved program, or by obtaining a passing score on an MBE-approved licensure subject assessment
• Transferable between districts or eligible nonpublic schools

Resources:

The Division of Educator Licensure accepts degrees or coursework from any nationally or regionally accredited institution. An institution’s accreditation status can be verified using the United States Department of Education website (https://www.ed.gov/accreditation) or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation website (https://www.chea.org/).

Please review our Document Submission webpage for additional information required for successful retrieval of official transcripts.

For current licensure requirements, please review our Guidelines for Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12.

For the most up-to-date test information, please view the licensure guidelines or visit the following website(s): 

• Mississippi Praxis Website
• Mississippi Foundations of Reading (required for Elementary Education and certain Special Education licenses)