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

Graduate credits are the most efficient and financially valuable tool in Kansas teacher license renewal. One semester credit hour earns 20 PDC points under the Kansas Professional Development Council system — which means six credit hours of graduate coursework satisfies the full renewal requirement for Professional License holders with a graduate degree, and eight credit hours satisfies the full requirement for non-degree holders. More importantly, the same graduate credits that satisfy your renewal requirement also advance your salary lane on your district’s pay schedule, producing a permanent salary increase that compounds over your career.

This article explains exactly what counts as a graduate credit for Kansas teacher license renewal, how to verify that a course will be accepted by your PDC, how to use graduate credits strategically for both renewal and salary advancement, and how to submit credits for both PDC verification and HR lane change requests.

What Counts as a Graduate Credit for Kansas Teacher License Renewal

Kansas teacher license renewal accepts college credits from regionally accredited institutions. The institution must hold regional accreditation — the standard institutional accreditation held by most traditional colleges and universities, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. This is not the same as programmatic accreditation (such as NCATE or CAEP), which applies to specific degree programs rather than the institution as a whole.

Both graduate and undergraduate credits earn PDC points at the same rate (20 points per credit hour) for Kansas teacher license renewal. However, for salary lane advancement, most Kansas districts require graduate-level credits. This means that while undergraduate credits technically satisfy the PDC point requirement for renewal, they cannot be used to advance your salary lane — making graduate credits the strategically superior choice for most Kansas teachers.

Credits must also be included in your PDC-approved Individual Development Plan (IDP) before you complete the coursework. This is the most important procedural requirement in Kansas teacher license renewal. Activities completed outside an approved IDP — including graduate coursework from regionally accredited institutions — may not be accepted for renewal if they were not included in your plan before completion.

What Does NOT Count

Several types of professional development do not count as college credits for Kansas teacher license renewal, even if they are commonly used in other states or for other purposes:

PDUs and contact hours: Professional Development Units, contact hours, or continuing education units (CEUs) from workshops, conferences, or online courses that do not issue college credit do not earn PDC points at the college credit rate. They may earn PDC points at a lower rate under your approved IDP, but they are not equivalent to college credits.

Credits from non-accredited institutions: Credits from institutions that do not hold regional accreditation are not accepted for Kansas teacher license renewal. This includes some online providers that issue their own “credit” certificates without partnering with an accredited institution.

Credits completed outside an approved IDP: Even legitimate graduate credits from regionally accredited institutions do not count for renewal if they were not included in your PDC-approved IDP before you completed the coursework. This is the most common source of renewal problems for Kansas teachers.

Graduate vs. Undergraduate Credits: The Salary Advancement Difference

For Kansas teacher license renewal purposes, graduate and undergraduate credits are equivalent — both earn 20 PDC points per credit hour. But for salary lane advancement, the level of the credit matters significantly. Most Kansas districts require graduate-level credits for salary lane changes beyond the bachelor’s degree. A teacher who completes undergraduate coursework for renewal will satisfy the PDC point requirement but will not be able to use those same credits to advance their salary lane.

The practical recommendation for most Kansas teachers is to choose graduate-level credits whenever possible. The salary advancement benefit alone justifies the choice: in Wichita USD 259, the salary difference between the BA lane and the MA lane at Step 5 is $5,208 per year. Over a 25-year career, that difference — compounded across annual step increases — represents more than $130,000 in additional earnings. Graduate credits are the mechanism that unlocks this difference, and the credits you earn for Kansas teacher license renewal are the same credits that produce it.

Using Graduate Credits for Both Renewal and Salary Advancement

The most powerful aspect of using graduate credits for Kansas teacher license renewal is that the same credits serve two purposes simultaneously. You are not completing separate coursework for renewal and separate coursework for salary advancement — one set of graduate courses satisfies both requirements at once.

A Kansas teacher at the BA lane who completes six graduate credit hours for renewal has also earned six credits toward the BA+10 lane (most Kansas districts require 10 credits for the first lane change beyond BA). Over two renewal cycles (10 years), that teacher has accumulated 12 graduate credits — enough to advance to BA+10 and make progress toward BA+20. Teachers who are strategic about this can advance one full salary lane every one to two renewal cycles, depending on the credit thresholds in their district.

The key is to choose graduate credits — not undergraduate — and to confirm with your district’s HR department that the specific course provider and credit type are accepted for lane advancement before enrolling. Most Kansas districts accept graduate credits from regionally accredited institutions for lane changes, but a quick confirmation with HR before you enroll prevents surprises at transcript submission time.

How to Submit Graduate Credits for Kansas Renewal and Lane Changes

Graduate credits for Kansas teacher license renewal are submitted in two separate processes: PDC verification for renewal, and official transcript submission to HR for salary lane changes. Both require official transcripts from the issuing institution.

For PDC verification: Your PDC coordinator will verify your completed professional development activities as part of the renewal application process. You will need to provide documentation of your completed coursework — typically official transcripts or grade reports — to your PDC coordinator. The PDC then submits verification to KSDE as part of your renewal application through the Kansas Licensure Application System (KLAS).

For salary lane changes: Submit official transcripts directly to your district’s HR department before the annual deadline — typically September 1 or October 1 in most Kansas districts. Official transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing institution; student copies are not accepted. Request your transcript well before the deadline to allow time for processing. If you complete coursework through Credits for Teachers, official transcripts are available from the university partner that issued the credit.

One important timing note: you can submit transcripts for a lane change before your renewal application is complete. The two processes are independent — you do not need to wait for your renewal to be processed before requesting a salary lane change. Submit your transcripts to HR as soon as your coursework is complete and your transcript is available, regardless of where you are in the renewal cycle.

The Bottom Line

Graduate credits are the most efficient and financially valuable tool in Kansas teacher license renewal. Six credit hours from a regionally accredited institution satisfies the full renewal requirement for Professional License holders with a graduate degree; eight credit hours satisfies the full requirement for non-degree holders. The same credits that satisfy your PDC point requirement also advance your salary lane — producing a permanent salary increase that compounds over your career. The critical procedural requirement is to have your IDP approved before completing any coursework. Teachers who plan their graduate credits strategically — choosing courses that are relevant to their practice, included in an approved IDP, and accepted by their district for lane advancement — consistently get the highest return from the same investment of time and money.