Teacher Certification and Renewal

How To Apply For Your Nebraska Teaching Certificate

1. Apply on-line to the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) at: www.education.ne.gov/tcert and click on "TEACH Dashboard LogIn" on the left side of the page.  Make payment at time of application. 
2. If you have not been a continuous Nebraska resident for the past five (5) years the Nebraska Department of Education requires that you submit fingerprints. Click on the link for directions: https://cdn.education.ne.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FP-Directions.pdf
3. If you are a recent graduate, UNL will send your Institutional Verification to the NDE after your student teaching grades/degree post, so no additional action is required. You are responsible for ordering an official UNL transcript through MyRed.

RENEWING YOUR NEBRASKA TEACHING CERTIFICATE Through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Expired Nebraska teaching and administrative certificates may be renewed using two options, regardless of how long the certificate has been expired 

1. Complete 6 credit hours or
2. Complete equivalent professional development at the employing school district

UNL’s College of Education & Human Sciences offers numerous classes online and on campus. Please access the Schedule of Classes.
 

To complete 6 credit hours, which may include coursework required to add an endorsement, you should apply to the UNL Graduate College.  If you will not be adding an endorsement or pursuing a degree, apply as a non-degree student and select renewal within the application at www.unl.edu/gradstudies.

*ADMISSION TO THE UNL GRADUATE COLLEGE*

The first step to renewing your certificate is to apply to the UNL Graduate College. You should apply as a non-degree student and select renewal within the application, which can be found at www.unl.edu/gradstudies

Alternative Permit Pathway 6 (6-credit hour renewal): Choose six graduate hours from 1) TEAC – Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education, EDPS – Educational Psychology, SPED – Special Education & Communication Disorders, SLPA – Speech Language Pathology, or CYAF – Child, Youth & Family Studies OR your endorsement area.

Alternative Permit Pathway 7: Contact the Certification Officer (sskretta2@unl.edu) to determine what courses you will take and how you will fulfill the practicum requirement. The NDE requires that you complete a course in Instructional Techniques; a Practicum consisting of 100 clock hours of contact with students in the classroom setting; a course addressing Current Issues in Education (i.e.,special education, gifted education, reading and writing in the content area, school law); and coursework directly related to your area of endorsement.

When you have completed the required coursework:

• Apply online at NDE (https://www.education.ne.gov/tcert/) and pay the fee. 
• No additional paperwork is required from UNL.

The Nebraska Department of Education does not require licensure exams for licensure if a program was completed at an approved educator preparation program.  

The University of Nebraska issues academic degrees which may not satisfy all requirements for professional credentials (e.g. certification, licensure) in other states or countries. The UNL educator preparation program is accredited and designed to align with the rules and regulations of Nebraska’s education credentialing entity, the Nebraska Department of Education. For additional licensure information, please go to the Executive Vice Chancellor's Licensure page.

The UNL preparation program meets all Nebraska requirements for a teacher or administrator license. It may not meet licensure requirements for other states.

If you wish to pursue a teacher or administrator license in another state, please contact that state’s department of education for a list of requirements.

If a student does not have a satisfactory criminal background check they will be denied admission and/or removed from the program.  Criteria for denial or removal is determined by the standards set by the Nebraska Department of Education in Rule 20 and 21. Students who have an offense which would preclude them from receiving a Nebraska Teaching Certificate will be contacted immediately by the Office of Accreditation, Placement & Licensure to determine next steps. Students who have an offense which would not preclude them from receiving a Nebraska Teaching Certificate but had not previously been reported must complete a self-disclosure form.