Graduate Credits for Maryland Teacher License Renewal: What Counts and How to Use Them

Which graduate credits count toward Maryland teacher license renewal? In short: coursework from a regionally accredited college or university, taken in a subject related to your certification field, and documented on an official transcript. Each semester hour equals 15 Professional Development Points (PDPs), so 6 semester hours cover the 90 PDPs a Maryland Professional License needs, as long as your activities also cover the four required areas. That’s the fastest of the three renewal paths the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) accepts — and unlike non-credit PDPs or Continuing Education Units (CEUs), those same graduate credits usually count toward your district’s salary lane at the same time. Here’s exactly what qualifies, how many credits you need, and how to submit them.

Graduate Credits for Maryland Teacher Renewal: What Counts

MSDE recognizes three renewal paths for teachers who aren’t relying on an employer-managed Individualized Professional Development Plan (IPDP). Graduate coursework is the most efficient of the three, both in terms of time and long-term value: To qualify, graduate coursework generally needs to meet three conditions: it must come from a regionally accredited institution (not just any provider offering “continuing education” credit), it must be documented on an official transcript rather than a certificate of completion, and it should be reasonably related to your certification field or professional growth as an educator. If you teach early childhood, elementary, generic special education, or ESOL, remember that the science-of-reading proficiency requirement (effective July 1, 2025) is separate from your 90-PDP renewal requirement — check your TEACH dashboard to confirm whether it applies to you.

How Many Credits Do You Actually Need?

If you’re not employed by a Maryland local education agency (LEA) — for example, you’re between jobs, teaching out of state, or on leave — you apply for renewal directly through your TEACH account, and a Professional License needs 90 PDPs within its five-year validity period. 6 semester hours of graduate credit equal 90 PDPs, as long as your activities also cover the four required areas. If you hold an older certificate issued before Maryland’s 2024 switch to licenses, you can renew under the rules in place when it was issued, including six acceptable credits. Six credits typically break down to two 3-credit graduate courses, though many teachers spread it across three 2-credit courses or one larger course sequence, depending on their program. If you are employed by a Maryland LEA, your employer’s certification office manages renewal through your IPDP, tracked in Professional Development Points. The math still lines up the same way underneath: 1 semester credit equals 15 PDPs, so 6 credits equal the full 90 PDPs, as long as your activities also cover the four required areas — even though your paperwork looks different from an unemployed or out-of-state teacher’s. Our Maryland teacher license renewal guide walks through the full process step by step.

Which Universities Are Accepted?

MSDE doesn’t publish a narrow, state-specific list of pre-approved universities the way some states do — the standard is regional accreditation, not a specific institution name. In practice, that means credit from any regionally accredited college or university (public or private, in-state or out-of-state) generally qualifies for renewal, as long as it’s documented on an official transcript. CFT’s university partners are all regionally accredited for exactly this reason, so their transcripts satisfy MSDE’s requirement without any additional verification step on your end.

How to Submit Your Transcript to MSDE

Once your coursework is complete, submission runs through the same TEACH portal that handles the rest of your licensure activity:

• Request an official transcript from your university partner — this typically arrives electronically or by mail directly from the institution, not from the course provider itself.
• Log in to your TEACH account and upload or submit the transcript as part of your renewal application.
• If you’re employed by a Maryland LEA, also send a copy to your school system’s certification office so it can be logged against your IPDP and, separately, considered for salary lane advancement.
• Submit at least 90 days before your license expires to avoid a processing gap that could put your credential — and your contract — at risk.

The Dual Benefit: Renewal and Salary Lane, From the Same Credits

This is the part most Maryland teachers miss. Because your district’s salary schedule rewards graduate-level education separately from your MSDE license, the same 6 credits that count toward your renewal can also move you up a lane — as long as your district accepts the credits, which most do when they come from a regionally accredited institution. Districts vary, but a single lane change is often worth $2,000–$6,000 per year, and it applies every year you keep teaching in that district, not just once. The mistake is treating renewal and salary advancement as separate projects. Teachers who default to PDPs or CEUs because they’re cheap often leave that lane-change money on the table — the same hours spent on non-credit PD could have produced a transcript that pays for itself many times over.

Ready to Start? What CFT Offers Maryland Teachers

Credits for Teachers’ graduate courses are built for exactly this situation: regionally accredited, transcripted, and self-paced enough to complete alongside a full teaching schedule — most 3-credit courses take 4–8 weeks. Because the same transcript typically satisfies both MSDE renewal and district salary-lane requirements, most CFT students submit one set of documentation that does double duty, rather than juggling separate PD tracks throughout the year.