There are a lot of steps to earning your teaching credentials, so read on to learn more.
Michigan Teaching Degrees and Tests
Once you decide you want to pursue Michigan teaching credentials, it's important to follow some simple steps. First, you should pursue a bachelor's degree from an accredited university (and possibly a master's degree, especially depending on the level of education you wish to teach at). According to the Michigan Department of Education, as of 2014, there are 34 colleges and universities that are approved to offer teacher education programs in the state.
After earning a degree in teaching or education, the next step is to pass the MTTC, or Michigan Test for Teacher Certification. The level of certification you are seeking determines which version of the test you should take: the MTTC Test of Basic Skills, the MTTC Elementary-Level certification, or the MTTC Secondary-Level Certification.
Michigan Teaching Certifications and Credentials
Michigan offers a Provisional Education Certificate, valid for up to six years, and a Professional Education Certificate, renewable every five years. In order to move up from a Provisional Education Certificate to a Professional Education Certificate, Michigan does require a total of 18 credit hours in "a planned course of study."
Other specialized Michigan teaching credentials and certificates are offered as well:
- Two-Year Provisional Extended Certificate
- Interim Occupational Certificate
- Occupational Education Certificate
- Preliminary School Psychologist Certificate
- School Psychologist Certificate
- Temporary Teacher Employment Authorization
- Interim Teaching Certificate
- School Guidance Counselor License
- Temporary School Counselor Authorization
- Preliminary School Counselor Authorization
- Administrator Certificate
Career Outlook for Teachers in Michigan
Using data from Projections Central and U.S. Department of Labor, we compiled this list of promising careers that require Michigan teaching credentials -- and their respective predicted growth in employment from 2012 to 2022:
- Post-secondary Education Teachers: 10.8%
- Post-secondary Vocational Education Teachers: 10.2%
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Vocational: 0.1%
- Preschool Special Education Teachers: 7.7%
Pulling data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we've compiled this list of the highest-paying jobs requiring Michigan teaching credentials in 2014:
- Post-secondary Education Teachers: $71,030
- Secondary School Special Education Teachers: $65,720
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education: $63,640
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: $62,870
- Middle School Special Education Teachers: $62,380
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: $62,040
- Middle School Career/Technical Education Teachers: $61,370
- Secondary School Career/Technical Education Teachers: $61,310
Sources:
- Become a Teacher in Michigan, Teach.com, http://teach.com/states/become-a-teacher-in-michigan
- Facts on Educator Certification, Michigan Department of Education, https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Facts_About_Teacher_Certification_In_Michigan_230612_7.pdf
- Long-Term Occupational Projections, Projections Central, http://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm
- May 2014, State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan, http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_mi.htm
- Michigan Department of Education, https://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-5683_14795 -- -,00.html
- State & County QuickFacts, U.S. Census Bureau, Michigan, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/26000.html