Virginia Teaching Licensure Requirements

The Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise provides specific courses to meet the professional and core education requirements for teachers who have obtained a provisional license issued by the Virginia Department of Education. UVA Wise does not provide an online program to earn initial licensure.

To apply for provisional teaching licensure, you must first be hired by a school division. If you have at least a bachelor’s degree and wish to teach, you may apply for teaching positions, disclosing in your application that you do not hold a Virginia teaching license.

If you are hired, your school division’s licensure specialist or human resources office should send your transcripts to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for review, and the VDOE will send you or your licensure specialist a transcript analysis and statement of requirements you must meet. The VDOE’s statement could include coursework, licensure assessments, or other requirements that you must complete within a specific time frame to be eligible for a renewable Virginia teaching license.

The Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise can assist in your selection of courses based upon the content identified in the VDOE’s letter of analysis and statement of requirements.

Specific areas of coursework provided by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) include (1) Human Development and Learning, (2) Curriculum and Instruction, (3) Classroom and Behavior Management, (4) Assessment of and for Learning, (5) Foundations of Education, and (6) Language and Literacy.

The CTE provides core coursework for provisionally licensed special education teachers that include (1) Foundation and Legal Aspects of Special Education, (2) Assessment and Evaluation in Special Education, (3) Collaboration, Consultation, and Case Management, and (4) Management of Classroom Instruction and Behaviors.

In addition, the CTE provides the following general curriculum coursework for teachers who hold a provisional license in Special Education – General Curriculum: (1) Characteristics of Students with Disabilities, (2) Individualized Education Program Development and Implementation, (3) Transitioning Students with Disabilities, (4) Instructional Strategies in Reading and Writing, and (5) Instructional Strategies in Mathematics.

You can view course offerings and descriptions at cte.uvawise.edu

Licensure in States Other Than Virginia

The coursework provided online by The University of Virginia’s College at Wise does not align with initial or alternative licensure requirements for any states other than Virginia, as described above. Some courses may be accepted by the licensing entities in other states, but that could be determined solely on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the state entity.

You may view specific guidelines by state.