Aspiring, New & Veteran Teachers: Certification, Degrees, Careers
Whether you're an aspiring teacher researching a degree in teaching, ready to start your career, or a veteran educator looking into continued professional development, Teacher.org has what you need for the next step.
Start with the basics: what teacher certification actually requires, and which degree fits your goals, from elementary and secondary education to school counseling, school administration, or teaching college. We also cover online degree programs for people who need the flexibility, plus real numbers on job outlook and teacher salary, which shifts by degree, experience, and state.
Once you're teaching, our teacher resources and tools cover lesson plans, scholarships and grants, and the best teacher discounts.
What is a Teacher?
A teacher is the person who helps students build knowledge and skills, in a school, a tutoring practice, or one-on-one. It takes subject-matter expertise and training in pedagogy, the craft of teaching itself, to make that knowledge land for students from kindergarten through college.
Why Become a Teacher?
There's no single right reason, but the ones that hold up over time tend to be concrete: you like the subject enough to teach it every day, you don't mind the parts that aren't glamorous, and you want a hand in how kids learn to think, not just what they memorize. If you're drawn to trying new approaches instead of doing things the way they've always been done, that's a real asset in this field.
Should I Become a Teacher?
Education needs teachers who push past the basics instead of coasting on classroom minimums, and who care whether students actually understand the material, not just whether they can repeat it back. It's also a bigger field than the classroom alone. A career in education can range from teaching to school administration to counseling to library science.
Still weighing it? Should I Become a Teacher? walks through the questions worth answering before you commit to a program.
What Degree Do You Need to Be a Teacher?
At minimum, you'll need a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited education program. Beyond that baseline, the stronger your grasp of your subject area, the more prepared you'll be once you're actually running a classroom.
Compare degree programs, whether you want an in-person classroom experience or the flexibility of an online teaching degree, and start narrowing down your options.
Earn Your Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate Degree in Education
There are also plenty of other degree programs students use to start a career in education. Browse the list below for program details and to search schools.
Early Childhood Education & Development
Teaching and Instruction
Special Education and Counseling
Elementary and Secondary Education
Education Administration and Leadership
Library Science
Meet Certification Requirements & Start Teaching in Your State
Every state has different requirements for how to become a teacher. However, in most states, it is required that candidates:
- Hold at least a Bachelor's Degree
- Complete a Teacher Preparation Program
- Pass the required state examinations
Teacher Certification by State
- Alabama Teacher Certification
- Alaska Teacher Certification
- Arizona Teacher Certification
- Arkansas Teacher Certification
- California Teacher Certification
- Colorado Teacher Certification
- Connecticut Teacher Certification
- Delaware Teacher Certification
- Florida Teacher Certification
- Georgia Teacher Certification
- Hawaii Teacher Certification
- Idaho Teacher Certification
- Illinois Teacher Certification
- Indiana Teacher Certification
- Iowa Teacher Certification
- Kansas Teacher Certification
- Kentucky Teacher Certification
- Louisiana Teacher Certification
- Maine Teacher Certification
- Maryland Teacher Certification
- Massachusetts Teacher Certification
- Michigan Teacher Certification
- Minnesota Teacher Certification
- Mississippi Teacher Certification
- Missouri Teacher Certification
- Montana Teacher Certification
- Nebraska Teacher Certification
- Nevada Teacher Certification
- New Hampshire Teacher Certification
- New Jersey Teacher Certification
- New Mexico Teacher Certification
- New York Teacher Certification
- North Carolina Teacher Certification
- North Dakota Teacher Certification
- Ohio Teacher Certification
- Oklahoma Teacher Certification
- Oregon Teacher Certification
- Pennsylvania Teacher Certification
- Rhode Island Teacher Certification
- South Carolina Teacher Certification
- South Dakota Teacher Certification
- Tennessee Teacher Certification
- Texas Teacher Certification
- Utah Teacher Certification
- Vermont Teacher Certification
- Virginia Teacher Certification
- Washington Teacher Certification
- Washington, D.C. Teacher Certification
- West Virginia Teacher Certification
- Wisconsin Teacher Certification
- Wyoming Teacher Certification
Ready to Begin Your Teaching Career? Let's Go!
Not every job lets you watch someone learn something they couldn't do the day before. Teaching does, and it's worth pursuing if that's the kind of work you want. Explore teaching careers across grade levels and subjects to find where you'd fit.
What subject area or education major is your calling?
Informative & Thought-Provoking Articles About Teaching
Expert Interviews with Educators
Teacher.org talks with working teachers, principals, and school leaders about what actually happens in their classrooms and schools, not just what the job description says. Read their interviews for a real look at the day-to-day, before you commit to a path of your own.
Charles Wakefield, Chief HR Officer – Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools - Chief Human Resources Officer "A teacher can never stop learning. They must always strive to grow and get better"Nick Swartz, Talent Acquisition Manager at Grand Rapids Public Schools
Grand Rapids Public Schools - Talent Acquisition Manager "Authenticity goes a long way to being a good teacher."Caleb Fields, Talent Acquisition Manager at Denver Public Schools
Denver Public Schools - Manager of Teacher Through Leader Talent Acquisition "A good teacher is joyful, rigorous, and personalized."
Teacher.org's Scholarship Resources
Teacher.org believes that teachers and educators have the power to inspire our future. Your dedication to the field of education is immensely commendable. Whether you are an experienced teacher who is continuing their education or a teacher candidate who has just begun the process - we want to help support you with as many teaching scholarship and grant resources as we can.
