Certificate Requirements
Instructions for completing a Professional Education Certificate Application
Adding an Endorsement to a Professional Certificate
Professional Education Certificate Renewal
Validity of the Professional Education Certificate
Applicants with a Criminal Conviction
When the Michigan Provisional Certificate expires at the end of the six year time span, an individual who has met the requirements below are eligible to apply for a Professional Education Certificate. This certificate will be valid for up to five years and will be renewed on the basis of six semester hours of appropriate coursework or the equivalent of eighteen hours of State Board Continuing Education Units (CEU's).
The applicant must have completed eighteen (18) semester hours of coursework in an approved 18-semester hour "planned program" at a state approved Michigan teacher preparation institution such as SVSU. These credits must have been earned after the issuance of the applicant's provisional certificate.
The 18-semester hour program is planned with an SVSU College of Education Certification Advisor and may include an individualized program designed around various subject areas, certificate endorsements, and graduate programs available through the SVSU College of Education. Selection of an appropriate program for each teacher is based upon individual career goals, occupational needs, and level of certification. Additional minors may be added to an elementary or secondary certificate for middle school and high school subject areas. The College of Education also offers programs to prepare teachers for certificate specialization endorsements in Early Childhood Education, Special Education (Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cognitive Impairment, Emotional Impairment, and Learning Disabilities), Elementary, Secondary Classroom Teaching, and Reading Education. Coursework in these areas may be applied to a Master of Arts in Teaching Degree in each of the designated specialties. Additional minors in certain endorsement areas may require the successful completion of the corresponding Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (M.T.T.C.). For further information on planning a program of study for continued certification, contact the College of Education Admissions and Certification Office for an appointment.
The applicant must have successfully completed a minimum of three (3) years of teaching experience within the endorsement areas on their Michigan Provisional Certificate. This experience may include teaching in other states or other countries. 450 days of substitute teaching equals three years of experience. The teaching experience must be after the issuance of the Michigan Provisional Teaching Certificate.
The State of Michigan requires six (6) semester hours of satisfactory credit in reading methodology for elementary certification and three (3) semester hours of satisfactory reading methodology for secondary certification. Such reading credit may have been completed at any stage of the applicant's college-level preparation. A recommendation for a Professional Education Certificate cannot be made by SVSU if this requirement has not been met, regardless of the number of credits earned or degree level completed by the applicant. Satisfactory completion of a 3-credit course of study with appropriate field experiences in the diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities and differentiated instruction is also required.
If the applicant has earned a master's degree or higher before the provisional certificate was issued, or concurrent with the completion of the requirements for the provisional certificate, the 18-semester hour coursework requirement is waived.
The application and required documents should be submitted to the SVSU College of Education Admissions and Certification Office.
Processing the application takes several weeks. SVSU will recommend your application to the Michigan Department of Education upon verification of:
Upon receipt of your application, the Michigan Department of Education will send you an e-mail notification advising you to pay a certification fee online in the amount of $160.00. Once you have paid the fee, the Michigan Department of Education will forward your new certificate to you within 7-14 business days.
If you are completing an endorsement program as part of your 18 hour "Planned Program", you have the option to add the endorsement at the time you are applying for your Professional Education Certificate. All coursework requirements for the endorsement and the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (if required) must be complete at the time you submit your application for the Professional Education Certificate. There is an area on the application on the MOECS for you to indicate that you want the endorsement added. A photocopy of the MTTC results must be submitted with your application. There is no additional fee for the endorsement if you add it in conjunction with your application for the Professional Certificate. The Michigan Department of Education will bill you only for the cost of the Professional Education Certificate.
Applicants seeking a renewal of their Professional Education Certificate must apply directly through the Michigan Department of Education. The cost for a Professional Education Certificate renewal is $160.00. The renewal application is available on-line through the Michigan Department of Education or you may contact them at:
Michigan Department of Education
Office of Professional Preparation & Certification
PO Box 30008
Lansing, MI 48909
517.373.3310
According to Michigan law, the Professional Education Certificate is valid for up to five years, and all certificates, including the Professional Education Certificate, expire on June 30 of a given year.
Professional Education certificate, R390.1135 of the Administrative Rules Governing the Certification of Michigan specifies that:
If the candidate's Provisional Certificate has already expired, their Professional Education Certificate will be issued and valid for the full five year term regardless of their processing date.
If you have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, you must include court documents indicating the crime of which you were convicted, dates and sentences imposed with your application materials. The Admission and Certification Office will forward your application with all supporting materials (including your court documents) to the Michigan Department of Education for consideration of a teaching certificate.
The SVSU College of Education cannot guarantee approval of any recommendation made to the State of Michigan for any type of of certification. Final approval of a recommendation made by SVSU is granted only by the Michigan Department of Education based on their policies and procedures current at the time the recommendation for certification is made. The Michigan Department of Education will contact you in writing once they have reviewed your application materials and made their decision.
