Upgrading to Professional

General Information

Professional Licenses are licenses that qualify its holder to teach in Oregon public school districts, education service districts (ESDs) and charter school assignments. The Professional License signifies that its holder is experienced and has successfully demonstrated an advance level of knowledge, skills and dispositions.

Professional Licenses are optional* and have two separate eligibility requirements:

1. Completion of sufficient Experience; and
2. Completion of an Advanced Program

NOTE: Continuing PDUs do not count toward meeting either of these requirements. Please go to "Professional Development Requirements: Continuing PDUs" page for details on completion of Continuing PDUs.

Experience Requirement

All experience must be verified on a PEER form and experience must be completed while holding a Reciprocal, Preliminary, or equivalent non-provisional license from a National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) jurisdiction.

NOTE: For educators verifying experience completed out of state, the PEER form is found on our Forms and Instructions page and needs to be submitted to contact.tspc@tspc.oregon.gov.

Advanced Program Requirement

Professional Teaching License

Note: All evidence of advanced professional education programs must be equal to at least 150 professional development units as calculated below and must have been obtained by the applicant after the date of issuance of their first non-provisional teaching license in Oregon or another National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) jurisdiction.

Professional Development Units (PDUs) are calculated as follows:

(a) One (1) hour of professional activity equals one (1) PDU;

(b) One (1) semester hour of college credit equals thirty (30) PDUs; or

(c) One (1) quarter hour of college credit equals twenty (20) PDUs

Professional Teaching License Information