Advance your Wisconsin teaching license and salary with accredited courses
Wisconsin does not require professional development to renew a teaching license. Coursework in Wisconsin is used for district salary advancement, Educator Effectiveness goals, and the master's degree required for the Master Educator License. Earn graduate credits online, at your own pace, from regionally accredited universities.
Are you advancing your salary or your degree?
Wisconsin teacher license renewal requirements
Renewing a Wisconsin teaching license requires no coursework. Per the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), there is no professional development required to reissue a Provisional license, and educators are not required to complete a Professional Development Plan or an Educator Effectiveness Plan for license renewal. Wisconsin uses a 4-tier licensing system. Advancement from Tier II to Tier III is based on classroom experience, and Tier IV requires a master's degree.
What's your goal?
Wisconsin requires no credits for renewal. Coursework applies to district PD, salary advancement, and a master's degree. Select your goal to see the requirements.
What you need
None. DPI requires no professional development, PDP, or EEP to reissue a Tier II Provisional license, and it can be reissued an unlimited number of times. Lifetime licenses require a new background check at least once every 5 years.
Districts set their own salary schedules, and graduate credits and degrees are the usual way into a higher pay lane. Check your handbook or negotiated agreement for the exact number of credits a lane takes.
Complete 9 credits with Model Teaching, roll them into the Augustana University M.Ed., then finish the degree with Augustana. That master's is what the WMEAP route to a Master Educator License requires.
No courses are required for renewal. Graduate credits apply to salary advancement and a master's degree instead.
See salary advancementBundle graduate credits once, then pay as you finish each course toward your next pay lane.
Build your bundleThe WMEAP route to the Master Educator License requires a related master's degree.
Explore the M.Ed.Wisconsin's license tiers
Wisconsin licenses teachers, administrators, and pupil services professionals through the same 4 tiers, so the ladder is the same whichever category you are in.
For educators who have not completed an approved preparation program in the license area.
A full license, issued to educators who completed an approved preparation program. You can reissue it an unlimited number of times, and no professional development is required to do so.
You qualify after 6 semesters of successful Wisconsin experience in the area of your Provisional license, completed in the 5 years immediately before the July 1 start date, in a position providing direct services to students or administrative oversight in a pre-K through grade 12 setting. Short-term substitute experience does not count.
No expiration. Requires National Board certification or the Wisconsin Master Educator Assessment Process, and the WMEAP route requires a related master's degree plus 5 years at the lifetime license level.
Note for lifetime license holders: a Tier III or Tier IV license does not expire, but you must complete an application for a new background check at least once every 5 years to keep it valid.
How Wisconsin teachers use coursework
No coursework is required for renewal. Wisconsin teachers use courses for the following purposes.
- Meets your Educator Effectiveness goals. DPI does not require professional development for your license, but public school teachers and principals do have to complete Educator Effectiveness Plans as a condition of employment, and other educators may have a PDP or EEP required by their employer. Our PD clock-hour courses give you a certificate of completion you can put toward those goals. (Recommended if your district PD plan is what you are trying to satisfy.)
- Moves you up your district's salary schedule. Graduate credits and degrees are how most Wisconsin districts move a teacher into a higher pay lane. These have to be graduate-level semester credits from a regionally accredited university, which is what our university-partnered courses award. (Recommended if pay is your goal.)
- Builds toward a master's degree. The WMEAP route to the Master Educator License requires a related master's, and Model Teaching credits roll into the Augustana University M.Ed.
- Credits apply to more than one goal. Credits earned for a salary lane change can later count toward a master's degree.
Since Wisconsin sets no state PD requirement for licensure, there is no DPI approved-provider list and no state pre-approval step. Approval happens at the district level. Download a syllabus from any course page and share it with your administrator before you enroll.
How Model Teaching courses fit a Wisconsin teacher's plan
Model Teaching offers two course types for Wisconsin teachers. Our professional development clock-hour courses provide a certificate of completion that can be submitted toward an Educator Effectiveness goal or a district PD plan. Our university-partnered graduate courses award accredited semester credits with an official transcript and letter grade, the documentation most districts require for salary lane advancement. 9 of those credits may also be applied to the Augustana University M.Ed., the master's degree that qualifies you for the WMEAP route to a Master Educator License. Every course is self-paced and 100% online, with a full year of access.
Read more about Wisconsin teacher license renewal and advancement
Wisconsin does not require professional development, credits, or a Professional Development Plan to renew a teaching license. Wisconsin structures educator licensing into 4 tiers, and DPI states that no professional development is required to reissue a Provisional license and that educators are not required to complete a Professional Development Plan or an Educator Effectiveness Plan for licensure. A teacher who holds a Tier II Provisional license may reissue it an unlimited number of times without submitting credits.
Tier advancement is based on experience. A Provisional Educator License is valid for 3 years and is issued to educators who completed an approved preparation program. After 6 semesters of successful Wisconsin experience in the area of that license, earned in the 5 years before the July 1 start date of the new license, you can apply for a Tier III Lifetime Educator License, which does not expire. Lifetime license holders must apply for a new background check at least once every 5 years to keep the license valid.
Professional development requirements in Wisconsin are set at the district level, not by the state. Teachers and principals in public schools complete Educator Effectiveness Plans as a condition of employment, and other educators may have a PDP or an EEP required by their employer. None of this runs through DPI licensing, so there is no state approved-provider list and no pre-approval form. Districts decide what counts, so download the course syllabus and share it with your administrator before enrolling.
Salary advancement in Wisconsin is set district by district. Wisconsin runs no statewide salary program, so each district sets its own compensation structure, and graduate credits and degrees are the usual way teachers move into a higher pay lane. The value of a lane change, the number of credits it takes, and whether coursework needs prior approval are published in your district's handbook or negotiated agreement. Check there first, then plan your credits.
The Tier IV Master Educator License is optional, does not expire, and includes state grant funding. It is earned through National Board certification or through the Wisconsin Master Educator Assessment Process. The WMEAP route requires a related master's degree, at least 5 years of successful experience at the lifetime license level, evidence of contributions to the profession, evidence of improved pupil learning, and a 4-entry portfolio completed within 2 years. Wisconsin reimburses up to 2,000 dollars of certification costs and pays 9 annual grants of 2,500 dollars, or 5,000 dollars a year for teachers in schools where at least 60 percent of pupils qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Over 9 years that totals 22,500 dollars, or 45,000 dollars in a high-poverty school, in addition to any district salary lane increase from the master's degree.
Wisconsin uses the term "license," not "certificate," and calls renewal "reissuance." Teachers searching "Wisconsin teacher certification renewal" or "recertification" are covered by the same rules. The official requirements are published on the DPI licensing FAQs, the DPI lifetime license directions, and the DPI Master Educator License page.
Build your own Wisconsin credit bundle
Pick your credits once, then choose any university-partnered courses until you have what your salary lane or your master's needs.
- Regionally accredited graduate credits with an official transcript and letter grade
- Pay as you go, so your per-credit cost stays low
- 9 credits roll into the Augustana University M.Ed.
- 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
The Wisconsin Master Educator License, and what it pays
Wisconsin's Tier IV Master Educator License is optional and does not expire. It is the only Wisconsin license tier that requires a master's degree, and the only one that pays annual state grants to the educators who hold it. It is earned through National Board certification, or through the Wisconsin Master Educator Assessment Process for administrators, pupil services staff, and teachers in subjects National Board does not cover.
What the WMEAP route asks for:
- A related master's degree
- At least 5 years of successful experience in the licensure area at the lifetime license level
- Evidence of contributions to the profession and evidence of improved pupil learning
- A portfolio with 4 entries, submitted within 2 years of your application being approved
How Model Teaching fits: bundle 9 Model Teaching credits, complete the courses at your own pace, then apply them to the Augustana University M.Ed. and finish the degree. The same credits can also count toward a district salary lane change.
That comes to $22,500 over 9 years, or $45,000 if you teach in a school where at least 60 percent of pupils qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
DPI opens the reimbursement and annual grant applications on an annual cycle, and the 2025-26 window has closed. The amounts above are current. Check the DPI page for the current application window.
Move up your Wisconsin salary schedule with graduate credits
Wisconsin does not run a statewide salary program. Pay is set district by district, and graduate credits and degrees are the usual way a teacher moves into a higher lane. Because every district builds its own structure, the number of credits a lane takes, what it is worth, and whether coursework needs approval before you enroll all live in your district's handbook or negotiated agreement. Check there first, then plan your credits. Credits earned for a lane change can also count toward a master's degree.
Accredited transcripts that count
Every Model Teaching course sends an official transcript and letter grade from a regionally accredited university partner, which is the documentation a district asks for on a lane change.
Fast rolling processing
We process credits on a rolling basis, so you can request your transcript as soon as you finish and still hit your district's salary-schedule deadline.
Cost-effective bundling
Bundle your credits once and pay as you complete each course, which keeps your per-credit cost low whether you are moving one lane or building toward a degree.
Choose how you earn your credits
Bundles are pay-as-you-go: a one-time fee reserves your credits, then you pay 70 dollars per credit as you finish each course. Every option is 100% online, self-paced, and includes an official transcript.
Pick PD clock-hour courses for your district PD.
Certificate of completion for each course
A lower-cost option when graduate credits are not required.
- A certificate you can put toward an Educator Effectiveness goal or a district PD plan
- Choose any PD courses from our full menu until you use your hours
- Self-paced and 100% online, with a full year of access
Wisconsin sets no state PD requirement for licensure, so confirm with your district what counts toward your plan.
See PD bundlesDue now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$359 total for 3 credits.
- A first step toward your next district pay lane
- Choose any university-partnered courses until you use the 3 credits
- Official transcript and letter grade, self-paced over 1 year
Due now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$919 total for 9 credits.
- Roll the 9 credits into the Augustana University M.Ed., then finish the degree with Augustana
- The master's the WMEAP route to a Master Educator License requires
- The credits move your salary lane on the way there
Need a different number of credits? 6, 15, and 30-credit bundles are also available.
View bundled optionsFrequently asked questions
Common questions about Wisconsin license renewal, the Master Educator License, and salary.
Requirements Does Wisconsin require professional development to renew a teaching license?
No. DPI states that there is no professional development required to reissue a Provisional license, and that educators are not required to complete a Professional Development Plan or an Educator Effectiveness Plan for license renewal. Public school teachers and principals do complete Educator Effectiveness Plans, but that is a condition of employment, not licensure.
Renewal How long is a Wisconsin teaching license good for?
A Tier II Provisional Educator License runs 3 years and can be reissued an unlimited number of times. A Tier III Lifetime Educator License and a Tier IV Master Educator License do not expire.
Process How do I move from a Provisional to a Lifetime license?
You need 6 semesters of successful Wisconsin experience in the area of your Provisional license, completed in the 5 years immediately before the July 1 start date of the lifetime license, providing direct services to students or administrative oversight in a pre-kindergarten through grade 12 setting. Short-term substitute experience does not count.
Renewal Does a lifetime license ever need anything from me?
Yes. You must apply for a new background check at least once every 5 years to keep a lifetime license valid.
Salary What is the Master Educator License worth?
Wisconsin reimburses up to $2,000 of the costs you personally paid, then pays 9 annual grants of $2,500, or $5,000 a year if you teach in a school where at least 60 percent of pupils qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is $22,500 over 9 years, or $45,000 in a high-poverty school. DPI opens the applications on an annual cycle, so check the current window before you plan around it.
Credits Do I need a master's degree for the Master Educator License?
For the WMEAP route, yes. It requires a related master's degree plus 5 years of successful experience at the lifetime license level. The National Board route does not require a master's, but it is only available for the subjects National Board covers.
Salary Can graduate credits raise my pay in Wisconsin?
Usually yes, though it depends on your district. Wisconsin has no statewide salary program, so each district decides how credits and degrees move you between lanes. Check your handbook or negotiated agreement for the number of credits a lane takes and whether coursework needs approval first.
Credits Do professional development clock hours count for anything in Wisconsin?
Not for licensure, because nothing is required there. They can count for your district, since Educator Effectiveness goals and district PD plans are set locally. Our PD clock-hour courses come with a certificate of completion you can submit to your district.
Ready to advance your salary or earn your master's?
Wisconsin requires no coursework for renewal. Apply your credits toward salary advancement, district PD, and the master's degree required for a Master Educator License.
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.
