Candidates for certification in Pennsylvania must identify the certificate type and subject area for which they plan to apply before entering the online application system, the Teacher Information Management System (TIMS). The various certificate types and subject areas currently offered by Pennsylvania are listed below. Additional information about each can be found in the Certification Staffing Policy Guidelines (CSPGs).
For educators holding a Pennsylvania certificate and applying for certification in another state or for other state departments of education, the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Stages of Licensure for each certificate type is listed at the bottom of this page. To understand the NASDTEC Stages of Licensure, refer to NASDTEC information on this site.
Instructional Certificates – Type Code 61
The Instructional certificate is issued to a person whose primary responsibility shall be direct contact with learners in teaching-learning situations.
| Subject Code | Subject Areas |
|---|---|
| 1200 | Agriculture PK-12 |
| 1405 | Art Education PK-12 |
| 1603 | Business, Computer and Information Technology PK-12 |
| 1610 | Business Education-Accounting 7-12 (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 1625 | Business Education-Data Processing 7-12 (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 1640 | Business Education-Marketing 7-12 (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 1658 | Business Education-Office Technologies 7-12 (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 1655 | Business Education-Secretarial 7-12 (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 2600 | Career and Technical Instructional 7-12 |
| 8825 | Citizenship Education 7-12 |
| 3200 | Communications 7-12 |
| 1657 | Computer Science 7-12 |
| 2361 | Cooperative Education 7-12 |
| 2255 | Dance PK-12 |
| 2840 | Early Childhood Education N-3 (discontinued 8/31/2013) - See Grades PK-4 |
| 2810 | Elementary Education K-6 (discontinued 8/31/2013) - See Grades PK-4 or Grades 4-8 |
| 3230 | English 7-12 |
| 4820 | Environmental Education (Environmental Literacy & Sustainability) PK-12 |
| 5600 | Family and Consumer Science PK-12 |
| See table below | Foreign/World Languages PK-12 (see following table for areas and subject codes) |
| 3100 – 09 | Grades 4-8 (4-6, English Language Arts and Reading 7-8) |
| 3100 – 01 | Grades 4-8 (4-6, Mathematics 7-8) |
| 3100 – 05 | Grades 4-8 (4-6, Science 7-8) |
| 3100 – 08 | Grades 4-8 (4-6, Social Studies 7-8) |
| 2825 | Grades Pre-Kindergarten – 4 |
| 4810 | Health Education PK-12 |
| 4805 | Health and Physical Education PK-12 |
| 5605 | Home Economics K-12 (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 6005 | Industrial Arts/Tech Ed K-12 (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 6420 | Library Science PK-12 |
| 1666 | Marketing (Distributive) Education PK-12 |
| 6800 | Mathematics 7-12 |
| 2870 | Middle Level Citizenship Ed 6-9 (discontinued 8/31/2013) |
| 2850 | Middle Level English 6-9 (discontinued 8/31/2013) |
| 2860 | Middle Level Mathematics 6-9 (discontinued 8/31/2013) |
| 2880 | Middle Level Science 6-9 (discontinued 8/31/2013) |
| 7205 | Music Education PK-12 |
| 7650 | Reading Specialist PK-12 |
| 5215 | Safety/Driver Education 7-12 |
| 8405 | Science – Biology 7-12 |
| 8420 | Science – Chemistry 7-12 |
| 8440 | Science – Earth and Space 7-12 |
| 8450 | Science – General Science 7-12 |
| 8470 | Science – Physics 7-12 |
| 8865 | Social Science 7-12 |
| 8875 | Social Studies 7-12 |
| 9226 | Special Education PK-8 (discontinued 12/31/2021) |
| 9227 | Special Education 7-12 (discontinued 12/31/2021) |
| 9231 | Special Education PK-12 (available 1/1/2022) |
| 9205 | Special Education – Hearing Impaired PK-12 |
| 9235 | Special Education – Mentally and/or Physically Handicapped K-12 (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 9265 | Special Education – Speech and Language Impaired PK-12 |
| 9290 | Special Education – Visually Impaired PK-12 |
| 6075 | Technology Education PK-12 |
Foreign/World Languages (all PK-12)
| Subject Code | Subject Areas | Subject Code | Subject Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4003 | American Sign Language | 4455 | Persian Farsi |
| 4005 | Arabic | 4460 | Polish |
| 4405 | Chinese | 4470 | Portuguese |
| 4410 | French | 4473 | Punjabi |
| 4420 | German | 4475 | Romanian |
| 4010 | Greek | 4480 | Russian |
| 4023 | Hindi | 4485 | Slovak |
| 4430 | Italian | 4490 | Spanish |
| 4440 | Japanese | 4486 | Swahili |
| 4025 | Korean | 4487 | Turkish |
| 4030 | Latin | 4493 | Ukrainian |
| 4450 | Lithuanian | 4494 | Urdu |
| 4453 | Pashto | 4495 | Vietnamese |
Educational Specialist Certificates – Type Code 31
The Educational Specialist certificate is issued to a person whose primary responsibility shall be to render professional service other than classroom teaching.
| Subject Code | Area/Field |
|---|---|
| 1830 | Specialist – Dental Hygienist PK-12 |
| 1836 | Specialist – Elementary School Counselor (discontinued 1/1/2016) |
| 1837 | Specialist – Secondary School Counselor (discontinued 1/1/2016) |
| 1839 | Specialist – Elementary & Secondary School Counselor PK-12 (1st issued 9/1/2013) |
| 1850 | Specialist – Home and School Visitor PK-12 |
| 1825 | Specialist – Instructional Technology PK-12 |
| 1890 | Specialist – School Nurse PK-12 |
| 1875 | Specialist – School Psychologist PK-12 |
| 1851 | Specialist - School Social Worker PK-12 |
| 1883 | Specialist – School Speech and Language Pathologist PK-12 |
| 9800 | Specialist – Social Restoration 7-12 (discontinued) |
Program Specialist Certificates – Type Code 86
The Program Specialist certificate is required for an assignment for which no instructional, educational specialist, supervisor or administrative certificate exists.
| Subject Code | Area/Field |
|---|---|
| 4499 | Program Specialist – English as a Second Language PK-12 |
Supervisory Certificates – Type Code 76
The Supervisory certificate is issued to a person whose primary responsibility shall be to supervise educational programs and direct the activities of professional and non-professional employees in such programs.
| Subject Code | Area/Field |
|---|---|
| 1415 | Supervisor – Art PK-12 |
| 3215 | Supervisor – Communication (English) 7-12 |
| 2515 | Supervisor – Cooperative Education 7-12 |
| 2915 | Supervisor – Curriculum and Instruction PK-12 |
| 2827 | Supervisor – Early Childhood K-6 |
| 2815 | Supervisor – Elementary Education K-6 |
| 4897 | Supervisor – Environmental Education PK-12 |
| 4415 | Supervisor – Foreign Languages PK-12 |
| 4815 | Supervisor – Health and Physical Education PK-12 |
| 5915 | Supervisor – Industrial Arts/Technology Education PK-12 |
| 1829 | Supervisor – Instructional Technology Specialist PK-12 |
| 6415 | Supervisor – Library Science PK-12 |
| 6815 | Supervisor – Mathematics 7-12 |
| 7215 | Supervisor – Music PK-12 |
| 2930 | Supervisor – Pupil Personnel Services PK-12 |
| 7615 | Supervisor – Reading PK-12 |
| 5227 | Supervisor – Safety/Driver Education 7-12 |
| 1815 | Supervisor – School Guidance Services PK-12 |
| 1891 | Supervisor – School Health Services PK-12 |
| 1877 | Supervisor – School Psychological Services PK-12 |
| 1855 | Supervisor – School Social Services K-12 |
| 8415 | Supervisor – Science 7-12 |
| 8815 | Supervisor – Social Studies 7-12 |
| 9215 | Supervisor – Special Education PK-12 |
Career and Technical
Supervisory Certificate – Type Code 19
| Subject Code | Area/Field |
|---|---|
| 2615 | Supervisor – Comprehensive Career and Technical Education 7-12 |
Administrative Certificates Administrative I (Principal) – Type Code 75
Administrative (Career and Technical Director) – Type Code 78 Administrative Provisional I – Type Code 72
The Administrative certificate is issued to a person whose primary responsibility shall be to direct, operate, supervise and administer the organizational and general education activities at a school.
| Subject Code | Area/Field |
|---|---|
| 1100 | Elementary Principal (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 1105 | Secondary Principal (discontinued 8/31/2003) |
| 1115 | School Admin. – Principal PK-12 |
| 2300 | School Admin – Career and Technical Administrative Director 7-12 |
Letter of Eligibility – Type Code 90
The District Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility is issued to a person whose formal preparation and experience qualify the person for appointment and commissioning as:
| Subject Code | Area/Field |
|---|---|
| 1150 | Superintendent PK-12 |
The Intermediate Unit Executive Director’s Letter of Eligibility is issued to a person whose formal preparation and experience qualify the person for appointment and commissioning as:
| Subject Code | Area/Field |
|---|---|
| 1160 | Intermediate Unit Executive Director PK-12 |
Career and Technical Instructional – Type Code 21 and Career and Technical Intern – Type Code 24
The Career and Technical Instructional or Career and Technical Intern certificate is issued to a person whose primary responsibility is career and technical instruction within occupational/technical curricula. Refer to the Career and Technical certification page for a list of career and technical areas and codes.
Endorsements – Type Code 58
An Endorsement is a credential attained through an approved program. It is a short program not to exceed 12 credits and is available in new and emerging areas where formal certification does not exist. The Program Endorsement is intended to improve a teacher’s skills in dealing with complex classroom settings. These endorsements are added to existing Level I or Level II certificates but are not required to perform service in the endorsed areas.
| Subject Code | Area/Field |
|---|---|
| 1180 | Autism Spectrum Disorders PK-12 |
| 1191 | Creative Movement PK-12 |
| 1189 | Gifted PK-12 |
| 1182 | Instructional Coach PK-12 |
| 1183 | Mathematics Coach PK-12 |
| 1184 | Online Instruction Program PK-12 |
| 1181 | Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) PK-12 |
| 1193 | Skills for Teacher Leaders PK-12 |
| 1192 | Social, Emotional and Behavioral Wellness of PK-12 Students |
| 1190 | Theatre PK-12 |
| 1194 | School Leader Endorsement PK-12 |
Other Certificates:
Intern Certificate – Type Code 51 Residency Certificate – Type Code 57 Military Science (ROTC) – Type Code 12
Private Academic Certificates
In addition to public school certification, there is also private academic school certification. Either certification is appropriate for nonpublic and private academic schools in the appropriate content areas. Teachers who teach in a private academic school licensed by the Department of Education are required to be Pennsylvania certified through the Pennsylvania Department of Education, School Code Chapter 22, Section 51.34. Teachers who teach in a nonpublic school (religious school) registered by the Department of Education are not required to be Pennsylvania certified; however, the school can choose to request certification for their teachers. Additional information can be found under Private Academic Certificates.
Pennsylvania Certification Identified by the NASDTEC Stages of Licensure
Teacher – person whose primary responsibility is to instruct students or as otherwise defined by the Member Jurisdiction.
Support Personnel – person, other than a teacher or administrator, who is required to hold an educator license based upon at least a bachelor’s degree (i.e., Educational Specialists in Pa. such as School Counselor, School Nurse, etc.)
Stages of Teacher or Support Professional Licensure:
| | Stage 1 License | Stage 2 License | Stage 3 License | Stage 4 License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher or Support Personnel Certification or License | Intern, Residency, Temporary Teaching Permit (TTP) | Instructional I, Educational Specialist I | Instructional II, Educational Specialist II | N/A |
Administrator – an educator whose primary duties may include the supervision of programs or curriculum; or supervision or management of a local educational agency, a school building, a school program or a school system. This includes principal and career and technical directors, for example.
Stages of Administrator Licensure:
| | Stage 1 License | Stage 2 License | Stage 3 License |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrator Certification or License | Administrative Provisional I | Administrative I, Administrative II, Letter of Eligibility (Superintendent) | N/A |