Renew your Missouri teaching certificate with accredited online courses
Missouri counts professional development in contact hours, and you can earn them with PD clock-hour courses or graduate credits. Your IPC needs 30 hours to upgrade and the CCPC needs 15 per year. Model Teaching offers both paths, self-paced and 100% online, and the same credits move you up the pay scale.
Are you looking to renew your certificate or advance your salary?
Renew my MO certificate
Earn your professional development contact hours with PD clock-hour courses or graduate credits, on your own schedule.
See what Missouri requiresAdvance my salary
Bank graduate-level credits that move you up your district's salary schedule, earn a master's, and reach PD-exempt status.
Explore salary advancementMissouri Professional Certificate renewal requirements
Missouri issues the Initial Professional Certificate (IPC), valid for 4 years, and the Career Continuous Professional Certificate (CCPC), valid for 99 years. Missouri measures professional development in contact hours. A core-area teacher completes 30 contact hours over the 4 years to upgrade the IPC to a CCPC, then 15 contact hours each year on the CCPC until reaching PD-exempt status. 1 college credit equals 15 contact hours, so graduate credits, or PD clock-hour courses that fit your district plan, can both build the hours you need.
How many hours do I need?
Missouri sets the hours by certificate classification, not by grade band. Select your role to see your annual CCPC hours and 4-year IPC upgrade total.
What you need
Core teachers, K-12, and librarians complete 30 contact hours over 4 years to upgrade the IPC, then 15 hours each year on the CCPC. That is 2 graduate credits to upgrade, or 1 credit per CCPC year.
Career education teachers complete 90 contact hours over 4 years to upgrade the IPC, then 30 hours each year on the CCPC. PD clock-hour courses or graduate credits earn either total.
Student services complete 40 contact hours over 4 years to upgrade the IPC, then 20 hours each year on the CCPC. PD clock-hour courses or graduate credits earn either total.
Administrators complete 120 contact hours over 4 years to upgrade, then 30 hours each year (principals and directors may instead earn an EdS). PD clock-hour courses or graduate credits earn the hours.
Our graduate credits and PD clock-hour courses can both go toward your contact hours, in one place.
See the bundleWhat counts toward your contact hours
- Graduate semester credits from a regionally accredited university. Each credit converts to 15 contact hours, so a single 1-credit course covers a full CCPC year. These credits also raise your pay, count toward a master's, and help you reach PD-exempt status. (What we recommend.)
- PD clock-hour courses, a lower-cost option worth checking. Model Teaching's PD clock-hour courses come with a certificate of completion. Missouri approves professional development through your district plan rather than a state provider list, so if you take this route, plan to include the courses in the PD plan your district committee approves, and check with your district on how they apply to your situation.
- District PD, workshops, Regional Professional Development Center offerings, and beginning teacher assistance programs that align with your district plan.
Upgrading an IPC to a CCPC also requires 4 years of DESE-approved experience, 2 years in a district mentoring program, a successful Performance-Based Teacher Evaluation, and a professional development plan on file with your district. Reactivating a lapsed certificate takes 24 contact hours plus the annual requirement. You file renewals through the DESE Certification Account Portal.
How Model Teaching courses count toward your Missouri renewal
Model Teaching gives Missouri teachers two ways to earn the contact hours. Our professional development clock-hour courses come with a certificate of completion. Missouri approves professional development through your district plan rather than a state provider list, so if you go the clock-hour route, it is worth confirming with your district that the courses fit your approved PD plan before you count on them. Our university-partnered graduate courses award accredited semester credits, and each credit converts to 15 contact hours, so a single 1-credit course covers a full CCPC year. Those same credits raise your salary, count toward a master's, and help you reach PD-exempt status, which ends annual reporting. To confirm a course, download its syllabus from any course page and share it with your district before you enroll.
Read more about Missouri teacher certification renewal and recertification
Missouri issues teachers an Initial Professional Certificate, valid for 4 years. To upgrade it to a Career Continuous Professional Certificate, a core-area teacher completes 4 years of DESE-approved experience, 2 years of a district mentoring program, 30 contact hours of professional development, a beginning teacher assistance program, a successful Performance-Based Teacher Evaluation, and a professional development plan on file with the district. The CCPC is then valid for 99 years, which is why teachers still search "Missouri license renewal" even though the credential is a certificate that rarely expires.
The ongoing requirement on a CCPC is professional development. A core-area teacher completes 15 contact hours each year until reaching PD-exempt status. Missouri measures this in contact hours, and 1 college credit converts to 15 contact hours, so a single graduate course covers a full year, or you can earn the hours through PD clock-hour courses and district professional development. The number of hours depends on your classification: core teachers and librarians complete 15 per year, student services 20, and career education and most administrators 30.
Because Missouri counts contact hours, professional development clock-hour courses can be part of the mix, since Missouri approves PD through your district plan rather than a state provider list. You build a professional development plan with your district's professional development committee, and the hours you complete, whether PD clock-hour courses, graduate credits, or district workshops, count when they align with that plan and your committee signs off. If you plan to use clock-hour courses, it is worth confirming they fit your approved plan before you start. Model Teaching provides a certificate of completion for its PD courses and an official transcript for its credit courses, either of which you submit with your district's verification.
Two milestones end or reduce the annual requirement. You become PD-exempt, and stop reporting professional development to DESE, once you meet two of three conditions: 10 years of experience, the next-highest degree, or national certification. Earning a master's is the path many teachers choose, because it grants an exemption and moves them up the salary schedule at the same time. Model Teaching's Augustana University M.Ed. is built for that: you complete 9 credits through Model Teaching, roll them into the Augustana master's, and finish a full degree for well under the national average.
A quick note on terms. Missouri calls the credential a "certificate," and some teachers search "license renewal" or "recertification." Whichever term you use, the credential is your Professional Certificate, and the professional development you complete is measured in contact hours. You can review the official rules on the DESE Required Professional Development Hours page.
Build your own Missouri PD plan
Earn your contact hours with PD clock-hour courses, graduate credits, or a mix, then keep the same credits working for salary and a master's.
- PD clock-hour courses come with a certificate of completion for your district-approved plan
- Graduate credits convert at 15 contact hours each and count for salary and PD-exempt status
- Regionally accredited credits with an official transcript
- Self-paced, 100% online, with a full year of access
Every course is delivered through a regionally accredited university partner. Your credits and official transcript come directly from that university.
Credits and official transcripts issued directly by our university partners
Move up your Missouri salary schedule with graduate credits
Missouri salary advancement happens at the district level, through your district's negotiated salary schedule, where graduate credits and degrees move you into a higher pay lane. A master's degree does double duty in Missouri, since the next-highest degree is one of the ways to reach PD-exempt status and end annual professional development reporting. Because each district sets its own steps and lanes, check your contract or your district office for how credits and a degree translate to pay, and whether they need pre-approval. The graduate credits you earn for your contact hours can also count toward a lane change.
Accredited transcripts that count
Every Model Teaching course sends an official transcript and letter grade from a regionally accredited university partner, which is what your district needs for a lane change and what DESE recognizes for professional development.
Fast rolling processing
We process credits on a rolling basis, so you can request transcripts when you finish and meet your district's salary-schedule deadlines.
Cost-effective bundling
Bundle your credits once and pay as you complete courses, which keeps your per-credit cost low whether you are earning contact hours, moving up a lane, or working toward a master's.
Earn a master's, reach PD-exempt, and raise your pay
A master's is one of the ways to reach PD-exempt status and end annual reporting, and it moves you up the salary schedule. Complete 9 credits through Model Teaching, roll them into the Augustana University M.Ed., and finish a full degree for well under the national average.
Choose how you earn your contact hours
You can earn contact hours with PD clock-hour courses or with graduate credit bundles. Bundles are pay-as-you-go: a one-time fee reserves your credits, then you pay $70 per credit as you finish each course. Every option is 100% online and self-paced.
Pick PD clock-hour courses for your contact hours.
1 clock hour = 1 contact hour
A lower-cost way to work toward an annual 15 hours.
- Contact hours with a certificate of completion, for your district plan
- Can go toward an annual 15 hours or a 30-hour IPC upgrade
- Align with your district professional development plan
We recommend using clock-hour courses as part of the PD plan your district approves. Check with your district first.
Build your PD bundleDue now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$289 total for 2 credits.
- Worth 30 contact hours, a full IPC upgrade or two CCPC years
- Choose any university-partnered courses
- Official transcript and letter grade
- Salary-schedule eligible credits
Due now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$919 total for 9 credits.
- Roll 9 credits into the Augustana University M.Ed.
- Reaches PD-exempt status and moves you up the pay scale
- Choose any university-partnered courses, official transcript
1 credit = 15 contact hours. Build a bundle in any size to match your annual hours or IPC upgrade.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Missouri teacher certification renewal, contact hours, and DESE requirements.
Requirements How many professional development hours do Missouri teachers need?
A core-area teacher completes 30 contact hours over 4 years to upgrade the Initial Professional Certificate, then 15 contact hours each year on the Career Continuous Professional Certificate until reaching PD-exempt status. Career education, student services, and administrators have higher totals.
Process Where do I submit my renewal?
You file through the DESE Certification Account Portal, and your district verifies your professional development and evaluation record.
Credits How do credits convert to contact hours in Missouri?
1 college credit equals 15 professional development contact hours. So a 1-credit course covers a full CCPC year, and a 2-credit course covers the 30-hour IPC upgrade.
Salary Can the same credits raise my salary?
Yes. Missouri districts move you up the salary schedule for graduate credits and degrees, and a master's also grants PD-exempt status. Check your district contract for the steps.
Renewal What if my certificate lapsed?
Reactivating a lapsed certificate takes 24 contact hours of professional development plus the annual requirement for your classification.
Credits Do professional development clock hours count in Missouri?
Missouri counts contact hours and approves professional development through your district plan rather than a state provider list. Model Teaching's PD clock-hour courses come with a certificate of completion, and they can count when they are part of the PD plan your district approves, so it is worth confirming your plan includes them.
Requirements How do I upgrade from an IPC to a CCPC?
You complete 4 years of DESE-approved experience, 2 years of district mentoring, 30 contact hours of professional development, a beginning teacher assistance program, a successful Performance-Based Teacher Evaluation, and a professional development plan on file with your district.
Renewal What is PD-exempt status?
You stop reporting professional development to DESE once you meet two of three conditions: 10 years of experience, the next-highest degree, or national certification. Earning a master's is a common way to qualify.
Ready to renew your Missouri teaching certificate?
Earn your professional development contact hours with PD clock hours or graduate credits, and move up the salary schedule, all at your own pace.
Model Teaching strives to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on renewal and salary advancement requirements for every state. Requirements can change and vary by district, so we encourage you to do your own research and confirm exactly what you need with your state licensing agency and district before you enroll.
