Office of Teacher Licensure
Welcome to the MTSU Office of Teacher Licensure
Our office is located on the 2nd floor of the College of Education Building (COE on the Campus Map). We are open Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 4:30
Beginning August 1, 2023, candidates seeking to obtain, renew, or advance a teaching license with at least one qualifying endorsement must demonstrate compliance with TLSA requirements when submitting licensure transactions.
Educators may elect to demonstrate compliance using one of the below pathways. Both the trainings and the assessment are free to all educators. Individuals seeking the following recommendations from MTSU: Early Childhood Pre-K-3, Elementary Education K-5, Special Education Comprehensive K-12, Special Education Interventionist K-8, English as a Second Language pre-K-12, and Instructional Leader must complete either of the following options to satisfy this requirement:
- Foundational Literacy Skills Training: Complete Course 1 of either the Early Reading Training or Secondary Literacy Training.
- An assessment is included at the end of the module, but does not require a passing score.
OR
- Assessment: Pass the Tennessee Early Literacy Assessment (TELA). The Tennessee Early Literacy Assessment (TELA) is now available online.
- This must be passed with an 80% or higher and may be taken multiple times.
Initial Licensure Candidates
Undergraduate Students
If you are an undergraduate student, you will be advised by a COE advisor for the program in which you are enrolled. Those seeking licensure in early childhood education, elementary education, middle level leducation or special education can find detailed information about your program through the Department of Elementary and Special Education. If you are an undergraduate student who is working toward a license for a subject area in secondary education, you will be advised by both an advisor in your major subject and a faculty member in the secondary education minor. For information about the secondary education minor, contact the Womack Family Educational Leadership Department.
Post-Baccalaureate Students
If you have already obtained a bachelor's degree and intend on pursing an initial teaching license as a non-degree seeking post-baccalaureate student at Middle Tennessee State University, you will need to submit a Request for Transcript Analysis form and all transcripts of previous coursework to the MTSU Office of Teacher Licensure. After your materials are reviewed, you will be issued a Program of Study detailing any remaining coursework to be completed to satisfy licensure requirements.
If you would like to enroll in a College of Education graduate program to pursue a master’s degree and an initial teaching license, programs are available in Elementary Education, English as a Secondary Language, Library Science, Secondary Education (6th-12th grade licensure), and Special Education Interventionist. Please go to the website to learn more about the program as the application for enrollment would be different than what is required for a non-degree seeking student.
For a current listing of licensure areas offered at MTSU, check the Tennessee Department of Education Office of Teacher Licensing - Educator Preparation website at the Tennessee Department of Education. Please note that as a part of licensure requirements, candidates must submit passing scores on the Praxis Subject exams and/or any other required assessment scores specified for Tennessee to the MTSU Office of Teacher Licensure.
Job-Embedded Practitioner License
MTSU, in conjunction with middle Tennessee school districts, participates in Tennessee's Job-Embedded Practitioner license program. This program offers a separate and distinct path to licensure with different requirements from our regular licensure path. Entry into the program is contingent on a conferred degree, passing score on the Praxis, NES, or ALTA content area exam (if applicable), and an offer of employment as a teacher of record for a school district.
The school must be geographically located in one of the following counties: Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Davidson, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Rutherford, Sumner, Warren, Williamson, or Wilson. Once offered employment, there are three applications that you will need to complete:
- Job-Embedded Eligibility Form
- University enrollment (for details on how to enroll, please see the link for the endorsement you are seeking below)
- Job-Embedded Admission to Teacher Education Application Form https://www.mtsu.edu/education/admission.php#JobEmbedded
For further information, contact Ms. Patti Agnew (Patti.Agnew@mtsu.edu).
Program requirements vary depending on your endorsement. Please follow the program requirements below for the Job-Embedded endorsement for which you are being hired:
Early Childhood Education PreK-3 (Integrated Early Childhood Licensure)
Elementary K-5 Education
English as a Second Language (ESL)
Library Science
Middle Grades 6-8
School Counseling
Secondary 6-12 and K-12 Education
Special Education
- Special Education Comprehensive K-12
- Special Education Interventionist K-8
- Special Education Interventionist 6-12
Additional Endorsements
Once an individual has received an initial license, he/she can add endorsements for other subjects to the license. Individuals who would like to add endorsements may submit a Request for Transcript Analysis form and supporting materials to our office as described above. Some endorsements may be added to an initial licenses by a test-only option. Please refer to the Tennessee Department of Education Office of Teacher Licensing - Add an Endorsement for endorsements that may be added by submitting documentation of having passed the appropriate Praxis Subject test(s) and/or other required assessment.
If you intend on pursing an add-on endorsement in our post-baccalaureate program, please check with your advisor to determine if you should apply to MTSU as a undergraduate or graduate domestic non-degree seeking student. The courses required (graduate and/or undergraduate) determine how you enroll as a student. Please talk to your advisor if you choose to take graduate course work which may be applied towards a graduate degree.
Applying for a License
If you are applying for a license, please complete and submit the Preliminary Application for Tennessee Teaching Licensure along with official transcripts and all applicable assessment scores. If you have additional questions, please contact the following Licensure Analysts:
Ms. Flora McCullough
(615) 904-8001
Mailing Address:
Middle Tennessee State University
Office of Teacher Licensure
P. O. Box 14
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
