If you completed a traditional program that led to certification, click here to apply for your certificate.

If you are looking for a bachelor's degree program in teaching, click here for approved programs.

Do you hold a bachelor's degree or higher but are looking for a career change?  You can go to school to become a certified teacher while you are teaching by taking an Alternative Path to Certification.

If your out-of-state certificate meets certain requirements, it is possible to get a Georgia certificate based on interstate reciprocity (how to apply). In order to qualify, you must hold a valid or expired certificate in a field that is comparable to one of Georgia’s certificate fields. The certificate must also meet the following conditions:

• Issued by another U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or other qualifying jurisdiction such as the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA); if you hold an educator certificate in a U.S. territory or another country, please visit the International Educators page.
• Is a professional certificate based on completion of a state-approved educator preparation program including pedagogy and clinical practice in the base field of certification. If you hold only a temporary or provisional certificate, please visit the Become a Georgia Educator page. If you do not know if your out-of-state certificate is considered “professional”, please view this table of some acceptable out-of-state certificates.

It is important to note that reciprocity does not mean that an out-of-state educator will automatically qualify for a Georgia certificate. Like most other states, Georgia imposes specific state requirements on all educators, including those already certified out-of-state. If you come to Georgia with a professional certificate from another state, you may have to fulfill some Special Georgia Requirements before receiving your Georgia certificate, or within a certain period of time after receiving your first certificate. Please feel free to peruse the Special Georgia Requirements in order to determine what additional requirements you might face. However, if you hold a professional out-of-state certificate and submit a complete application package for Georgia certification, the GaPSC will evaluate your documents and outline any outstanding requirements you may need to fulfill.

GaTAPP (Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy) is a certification only program.  The program takes 2 to 3 years to complete.  At the completion of the program, you will be eligible for professional certification and salary at the bachelor's level.  This program is ideal for those wanting to add certification only, or already hold a master's degree or above in a field outside of education.  Please visit the First District GaTAPP website for more information. 

MAT (Masters in the Art of Teaching) is an education preparation program that leads to teacher certification in addition to a master's degree.  Programs typically take 2 years to complete.  At the completion of the program, you will be eligible for professional certification and salary at the master's level.  This program is ideal for those wanting to add certification through an advanced degree.  You can check Approved Programs Leading to Certification by visiting the GaPSC approved programs section on their website. 

First, find an approved program by logging in to MyPSC and use the Upgrade Advisor Tool.  You will be able to identify degree(s) of interest and save your results to your certification file as a record of GaPSC’s verification of eligibility. GaPSC will honor all upgrade advisor approvals up to one year.

1. Request for an electronic copy of your official transcripts from your university be sent to the GaPSC (mail@gapsc.com). (Make sure the degree is posted to your transcript.)
2. Log in to your MyPSC account 
3. Click on Personal Affirmation Questions and answer the questions.  (If for any reason you feel the answer is "Yes", please consult HR before submitting.)
4. Click on Applications/Documentation/Status.
5. Follow the application instructions and answer all questions selecting the appropriate boxes for certificate upgrade based on your current certificate.
6. Make sure to click Submit when finished.
7. Your HR Specialist will verify employment with GaPSC which will waive the $20 fee.  
8. You will receive an email notification from the GaPSC once your certificate has been upgraded.  Contact Human Resources when the new certificate has been awarded.  Please note that the salary increase will be effective from the date of the certificate upgrade as determined by the PSC.

Log in to your MyPSC account to view your certificate.

Certificate renewal is initiated and completed by the district. If you are no longer employed with the district, you can find out more information on the GaPSC website on certificate renewal.

For direct questions about all things certifications from GaPSC:

Phone Contact

• (800) 869-7775 (Toll Free Outside the Metro Atlanta Area)
• (404) 232-2500 (Metro Atlanta and Long Distance Line)

The Certification Call Center is open 8:00 am to 11:30 am and 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, except for state holidays.

You can also visit the GaPSC Contact Certification page for a online submission.

GaPSC also has their own extensive Frequently Asked Questions list to reference.

You can contact your District Certification Specialist, Austin Bell, at austin.bell@glynn.k12.ga.us.