How To Become a Teacher Through an Online Degree

You want to teach, and an online program looks like the only way to fit school around your job and family. You can become a public school teacher through an online program, but only if it is a state-approved educator preparation program for the state where you'll teach, and you'll still complete student teaching in a real classroom and pass your state's licensure exams.

Licensing is set by each state, not by the school or the degree. This guide walks through what every route has in common, how alternative certification works if you already have a bachelor's, and how to check that an online program will lead to a license where you live. Sources were checked on November 10, 2026.

Know What a Teaching License Requires

Public school teachers must be licensed or certified for the grade level they teach, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) pages on kindergarten and elementary school teachers and high school teachers. Private school teachers generally don't need a license.

Requirements vary by state, but the BLS says they generally include:

• A bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA
• A student teaching program
• A background check
• Passing a general teaching certification test and a test of subject knowledge

Many states also want high school teachers to have a major in the subject they teach, and some states require a master's degree after a teacher is certified and hired. The educator preparation program is the piece that ties these together: a program your state has approved to train teachers and, in many states, to recommend you for a license when you finish.

Step 1: Pick the Grade Level and Subject First

Your certificate is tied to a grade band (such as elementary, or grades 7–12 for high school, per the BLS) and often a subject. That choice decides which program you enroll in and which tests you take. Look at what schools near you are hiring for before you choose; special education and some secondary subjects may have more openings than others, though that varies by district.

For context, the BLS reports May 2025 median pay of $63,970 for elementary teachers, $62,680 for kindergarten teachers and $72,040 for secondary teachers. It projects little or no change in employment for either group from 2025 to 2035, with about 99,400 kindergarten and elementary openings and 63,500 high school openings a year, mostly to replace teachers who leave.

Step 2: Choose Your Route

There are two broad paths, depending on whether you already have a bachelor's degree.

The BLS says all states offer an alternative route for people with a bachelor's degree who didn't study education. Some let you start teaching right away under supervision; others require education classes first.

How Alternative Certification Works in Two States

The details differ enough that you need to read your own state's rules. Two examples:

• Texas: The Texas Education Agency's page on alternative certification programs says only approved programs on its list can recommend you for a Texas certificate. You meet the program's entry screening (such as basic skills, GPA and content knowledge), find a teaching job, and apply for a one-year probationary certificate with the program's recommendation and a background check. TEA says many programs can be finished in about a year, often while you teach as a paid intern, and you may not teach more than three school years on temporary credentials before earning a standard certificate.
• Colorado: The Colorado Department of Education's alternative teacher overview requires a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, background checks, a teaching job in your endorsement area and enrollment in a Colorado-approved alternative program. Most programs take one to two years. You show subject knowledge through a degree in the area, 24 semester hours of coursework or a Colorado-approved Praxis score; if you can't yet, you may teach on an Interim Authorization while you finish that requirement.

Both routes start with a job offer from a school, which makes them very different from enrolling in an online degree and waiting until the end. That Colorado degree rule is also a reason to know how your bachelor's was accredited; see regional vs. national accreditation.

Step 3: Plan for In-Person Student Teaching

Online teacher preparation programs put coursework online, but classroom experience happens in a school. In the program pages checked for this guide:

• At Arizona State University, the online Elementary Education MEd with teacher certification requires a daytime internship and/or student teaching commitment and a fingerprint clearance card before the first field experience term, according to ASU Online's program page.
• At Grand Canyon University, the BS in Elementary Education includes about 120 hours of observation and practice-based experience plus a 15-week student teaching placement, according to GCU's program page.

Student teaching happens during the school day, so ask each program how many weeks it lasts, whether it's full time, whether it's paid and where it can place you. If you work full time, plan for that stretch early: savings, leave from work or a schedule change.

Step 4: Pass Your State's Licensure Exams

Most states require a general teaching test and a subject test. Many use the Praxis exams; others use their own state tests. ETS, which runs Praxis, says on its state requirements page that each state and licensing organization sets its own certification and Praxis qualifying score requirements. Pick your state there to see which tests and scores apply. If your state uses its own exams, its education department lists them.

Step 5: Confirm the Online Program Leads to a License in Your State

This is the step that catches online students. A program approved in one state does not automatically lead to a license in another.

Federal rules require schools to tell you. According to the Federal Student Aid 2026–27 handbook chapter on consumer information, schools must disclose the states where a program that prepares students for licensure does and does not meet educational requirements. For distance education students in another state, the school must determine that the program meets the requirements in the state where the student is located at initial enrollment. If it hasn't made that determination, or the program doesn't meet them, it cannot enroll students from that state into the program.

Here is how that looks in practice, using programs in CollegeHub's directory:

• ASU's online elementary education master's leads to an institutional recommendation for Arizona certification, and its disclosure warns that completing the program may not fulfill requirements in other states.
• GCU says its BS in Elementary Education leads to initial licensure in Arizona and asks students to review their own state's requirements before enrolling.

Before you apply anywhere, find the program's professional licensure disclosure, then check it against your state education department's list of approved programs and reciprocity rules. If you might move, ask what you'd need to transfer the license.

A Checklist Before You Enroll

• Is the program state-approved for the grade level and subject you want, and does its licensure disclosure list your state as "meets"?
• Will the program recommend you for a license when you finish, or only award a degree?
• Where and when does student teaching happen, and who arranges the placement?
• Which exams does your state require, and does the program prepare you for them?
• Does your state require a fingerprint card or background check before field experience?
• If you're using an alternative route, do you need a job offer first?

What CollegeHub's Directory Lists

The CollegeHub directory lists 84 programs in its education category at 10 schools. Most are for people who already teach or work outside the classroom: curriculum and instruction, instructional design, educational leadership, higher education and doctorates. Only a few name teacher certification or initial licensure, and those are the ones worth checking first:

• Arizona State University lists five MEd programs with a teacher certification concentration (early childhood, early childhood special education, elementary, secondary and special education) and a graduate certificate in teacher certification, aimed at people who already hold a bachelor's.
• Grand Canyon University lists bachelor's degrees in elementary education and early childhood education, for students who don't yet have a degree.

Other education master's in the directory, such as elementary and secondary education M.Ed. programs, may be designed for current teachers rather than initial licensure; ask each school before you enroll. If you need to fund a certification master's, see how to pay for a master's degree without Grad PLUS loans.

---

Looking for a teacher preparation program that fits your state? Compare accredited education programs and their formats in the CollegeHub directory.

---