North Carolina Licensure Requirements

Graduating from a NC College and Seeking Licensure

"This path requires the candidate for a North Carolina teaching license to have graduated from an approved teacher-education program of a regionally accredited college/university in North Carolina. While each college/university has its own program requirements, a typical program would require a student to take general courses for the first two years (freshman and sophomore years) while maintaining at least a 2.5 grade point average (4.0 scale); during the sophomore year the student would also be required to take and pass the PRAXIS I exams. In the third year of study (junior year), the student would gain formal acceptance to the college/university's education program, which requires taking additional coursework in education. In the fourth year (senior year), the student must complete a student-teaching assignment and pass the PRAXIS II exam(s). Prior to graduation, however, the student may begin to search for a permanent, full-time teaching position, as well as apply for open positions. Upon graduation, the student—through his/her college/university—then applies to the Licensure Section of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for a teaching license." (From http://teach4nc.org/teaching_professionals/instate.html 12/22/2002)

Undergraduate physical education majors who want to teach in North Carolina must pass two series of tests. One test is required for entry into undergraduate teacher education.  The Praxis I must be passed to get into the teacher education program.  The Praxis II test must be passed to be fully licensed to teach in North Carolina. The Praxis II test now required of physical educators is Physical Education: Content Knowledge (0091).

Temporary Permit Licensure Policy Revised

The State Board of Education grants a two-year Temporary Permit Licensure to recent graduates. The Temporary Permit License qualifies the candidate to teach until they have satisfied the Praxis testing requirements. However, the applicant must take the exams at least once prior to the first year of teaching.

More Information about Licensure in North Carolina

You can get more information about licensure and teaching in North Carolina from Teach 4 NC and NC Public Schools.

You can find answers to your questions about licensure in North Carolina by using the following links. There is a lot of information available on the NC Public Schools website, but it can be hard to locate.  Much of the information is posted as Adobe Acrobat Reader files.