Renew your Michigan teaching certificate with accredited online courses
Earn the graduate-level, university-accredited credits that count toward your 150 professional learning hours for Michigan certificate renewal, and put the same credits toward salary advancement. Affordable, self-paced, and 100% online.
Are you looking to renew your certificate or advance your salary?
Renew my MI certificate
Meet your 150-hour Michigan certificate renewal with accredited credits you can finish on your own schedule.
See what Michigan requiresAdvance my salary
Bank graduate-level credits that move you up your district's salary schedule and can apply toward a master's program.
Explore salary advancementMichigan teaching certificate renewal requirements
Michigan issues teaching certificates through MDE, and both the Standard Teaching Certificate and the Professional Teaching Certificate are valid for 5 years with unlimited renewals. You renew by completing 150 hours of education-related professional learning since your last certificate or renewal. You can meet the 150 hours with 6 semester credits, 150 SCECHs, 150 DPPD hours, or a combination. Michigan counts 1 semester credit as 25 hours, so 6 graduate credits cover a full renewal.
How many hours do I need?
Michigan applies the same 150 hours to teachers and administrators. Counselors follow a different split. Select your role to see what you need.
What you need
Elementary and K-5 teachers renew on 150 hours. Six graduate semester credits cover it in full (6 credits at 25 hours each).
Secondary and 6-12 teachers renew on 150 hours. Six graduate semester credits cover it in full (6 credits at 25 hours each).
School administrators renew the School Administrator Certificate on the same 150-hour standard. Six graduate credits cover it in full.
School counselors complete 150 hours, split into 50 hours of college and career preparation and 100 hours of education-related professional learning. Graduate credits cover the 100-hour learning portion.
Our graduate credit bundle covers your renewal, 6 credits for a full 150 hours, in one place.
See the bundleWhat counts toward Michigan certificate renewal
- Graduate semester credits from a regionally accredited university. Each credit is worth 25 hours, so 6 credits reach the full 150. Model Teaching courses fall under this option. (What we recommend.)
- State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECHs) from an MDE-approved provider. 1 SCECH equals 1 hour.
- District Provided Professional Development (DPPD) hours, which your district enters into MOECS. 1 DPPD hour equals 1 hour.
General, non-credit professional development that is not credit, an approved SCECH, or DPPD does not count toward renewal, so accredited college credit is a dependable path. All learning must fit the content and grade level of your certificate and endorsement, and you enter your hours into the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS) before you apply.
How Model Teaching courses count toward your Michigan renewal
Model Teaching partners with regionally accredited universities to award graduate-level semester credits, and Michigan counts each credit as 25 hours of education-related professional learning. Six credits meet a full 150-hour renewal. Because general non-credit professional development does not count in Michigan, accredited college credit is a reliable way to renew, and each course sends an official transcript you upload to MOECS. Pick courses that fit the content and grade level of your certificate, then submit your transcript with your renewal application. To confirm a course, download its syllabus from any credit course page and share it with your district before you enroll.
Read more about Michigan teacher certificate renewal and recertification
Michigan issues teachers a certificate rather than a license. New teachers start on a Standard Teaching Certificate, the state's initial certificate, and can later advance to a Professional Teaching Certificate and then an Advanced Professional Teaching Certificate. Each certificate is valid for 5 years with unlimited renewals, and every renewal adds 5 years. You can request a renewal any time in your expiration year, before the certificate lapses.
To renew, you complete 150 hours of education-related professional learning since your most recent certificate or renewal. Michigan gives you three ways to earn those hours: 6 semester credits from a regionally accredited college or university, 150 State Continuing Education Clock Hours from an MDE-approved provider, or 150 District Provided Professional Development hours. You can also combine them. The conversion is straightforward, since 1 semester credit equals 25 hours, 1 SCECH equals 1 hour, and 1 DPPD hour equals 1 hour, so 6 graduate credits reach the full 150.
One Michigan rule catches teachers off guard. General non-credit professional development does not count toward renewal unless it is college credit, an MDE-approved SCECH, or DPPD. Since July 1, 2020, DPPD that a district allows for renewal is entered into MOECS as SCECHs. You record all of your hours in the Michigan Online Educator Certification System before you apply, and college coursework has to appear on an official transcript that you upload.
Some educators have their own paths. Advancing from a Standard to a Professional Teaching Certificate takes 150 hours of professional learning or an education-related master's or higher degree. School counselors who hold a School Counselor License or the School Counselor endorsement complete 150 hours split into 50 hours of college and career preparation and 100 hours of education-related professional learning. School administrators renew their School Administrator Certificate on the same 150-hour standard as teachers.
A quick note on terms. Michigan calls the credential a “certificate,” and many teachers still search “license renewal” or “recertification.” Whichever term you use, the credential you renew is your teaching certificate, and the requirement is 150 hours of education-related professional learning every 5 years. You can review the official rules on the MDE Teacher Recertification page.
Build your own Michigan renewal bundle
Pick your credits once, then choose any university-partnered courses until you have the hours you need for renewal or salary advancement.
- 6 credits meet a full 150-hour Michigan certificate renewal
- Choose from every course in our university-partnered menu
- Regionally accredited credits with an official transcript for MOECS
- 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 Michigan salary schedule with graduate credits
Michigan does not run a statewide salary-increment program. Pay 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. Because each district sets its own steps and lanes, check your contract or your district office for how many credits shift you to the next lane and whether they need pre-approval. The graduate credits you earn for certificate renewal can do double duty here, since the same accredited transcript that gives you renewal hours can also count toward a district 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 MOECS and your district need for renewal hours and a lane change.
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 renewing, moving up a lane, or working toward a master's.
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.
Due now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$359 total for 3 credits.
- Worth 75 Michigan professional learning hours, half of a renewal
- Choose any university-partnered courses
- Official transcript, self-paced over 1 year
Due now to access and take your courses.
Then $70 per credit as you go
$619 total for 6 credits.
- Worth 150 Michigan professional learning hours, a complete certificate renewal
- 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
Renew plus stack extra graduate credits.
- Renew and stack extra credits toward a lane change or a master's
- Choose any university-partnered courses
- Official transcripts, usable toward an M.Ed.
We offer a full range of bundles, sized to exactly how many credits you need.
View bundled optionsFrequently asked questions
Common questions about Michigan teacher certification renewal, professional learning hours, and MDE requirements.
Requirements How many hours do Michigan teachers need to renew a certificate?
You need 150 hours of education-related professional learning every 5 years. You can meet it with 6 semester credits, 150 SCECHs, 150 DPPD hours, or a combination.
Process Where do I submit my renewal?
You record your hours and apply in the Michigan Online Educator Certification System (MOECS). College credit has to appear on an official transcript that you upload.
Credits How do college credits convert to Michigan renewal hours?
1 semester credit from a regionally accredited university equals 25 hours, so 6 credits reach the full 150. A SCECH and a DPPD hour each count as 1 hour.
Salary Can the same credits count for salary advancement?
Yes. Michigan salary advancement runs through your district's salary schedule, and the graduate credits you earn for renewal can also move you into a higher pay lane. Check your district contract for the exact steps.
Renewal What is the difference between the Standard and Professional certificate?
The Standard Teaching Certificate is the initial certificate, and the Professional Teaching Certificate is the next tier. Both are valid 5 years and renew on 150 hours. Advancing from Standard to Professional takes 150 hours or an education-related master's degree.
Costs What is the most affordable way to renew?
The 6-credit bundle covers a full 150 hours for $199 up front plus $70 per credit as you finish, which is $619 total. Bundling lowers your per-credit cost compared with single courses.
Requirements What counts as education-related professional learning?
College credit, MDE-approved SCECHs, and District Provided Professional Development count. General non-credit professional development does not count unless it is one of those, and all learning must fit your certificate's content and grade level.
Requirements Do school counselors have different requirements?
Yes. School counselors complete 150 hours split into 50 hours of college and career preparation and 100 hours of education-related professional learning.
Ready to renew your Michigan teaching certificate?
Earn accredited credits that cover your 150 professional learning hours and move you 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.
