Minnesota teachers need either 75 clock hours (Tier 3 license) or 125 clock hours (Tier 4 license) every five years to renew their teaching license through PELSB. Understanding exactly what counts toward your minnesota teacher clock hours requirement — and how to earn those hours as efficiently as possible — can save you significant time and money while also advancing your salary. This guide covers everything you need to know about the minnesota teacher clock hours requirement: what counts, what doesn’t, how graduate credits convert, and how to make sure your hours are properly reported before you apply for renewal.
Clock hours in Minnesota are not self-reported. They must be approved by your local continuing education committee — typically your district’s professional development coordinator or HR department — and then reported to PELSB by your district. This means the process of accumulating clock hours involves your district at every step, and pre-approval of activities before you complete them is strongly recommended. Hours that have not been officially reported to PELSB will not appear in your license account, and your renewal application will be incomplete without them.
Minnesota Teacher Clock Hours Requirements by License Tier
The number of clock hours you need depends on which tier of PELSB license you hold. Most practicing classroom teachers in Minnesota hold either a Tier 3 or Tier 4 license. Here is a complete breakdown:
Tier 4 teachers also have a category requirement: at least 75 of the 125 clock hours must fall within Categories A through D (content/pedagogy, diverse learners, technology, and school improvement). The remaining 50 hours can be Category E (other approved PD). Graduate-level courses typically qualify under Category A or B, making them one of the most efficient ways to meet both the total hour requirement and the category distribution requirement simultaneously.
What Counts Toward Minnesota Teacher Clock Hours
Minnesota teacher clock hours can come from a wide variety of professional development activities, as long as they are approved by your local continuing education committee. The following types of activities commonly qualify toward your minnesota teacher clock hours requirement:
Graduate-level coursework from a regionally accredited institution is one of the most efficient and financially beneficial ways to earn clock hours. Under PELSB’s conversion formula, 1 graduate semester credit equals 15 clock hours. A 3-credit graduate course earns 45 clock hours — more than half of a Tier 3 teacher’s entire 5-year requirement in a single course. Graduate courses also qualify for salary lane advancement, making them the highest-value option for most teachers.
District-provided professional development is the most common source of clock hours for most teachers. PD days, staff development workshops, curriculum planning sessions, and instructional coaching activities provided by your district typically qualify and are automatically reported to PELSB by your district. Check with your HR office to confirm which district PD activities are being logged as clock hours.
Conferences and external workshops can qualify if they are pre-approved by your continuing education committee. Education conferences, subject-area workshops, and professional organization events are commonly approved. Submit a pre-approval request with the conference agenda and learning objectives before attending.
National Board Certification activities, including the preparation process and portfolio work, typically qualify for significant clock hours. Contact your district’s continuing education committee for the specific hour allocation.
Curriculum development and instructional coaching activities that go beyond your normal job duties may qualify under Category D (school improvement/leadership), subject to committee approval.
How Graduate Credits Convert to Minnesota Teacher Clock Hours
The conversion formula for graduate credits is one of the most important things to understand about the minnesota teacher clock hours system. PELSB uses a straightforward ratio: 1 graduate semester credit = 15 clock hours. Here is how that plays out across different credit amounts:
Most teachers combine graduate credits with district-provided PD to meet their total requirement. A Tier 4 teacher might complete 6 graduate credits (90 clock hours) and supplement with 35 hours of district PD, for a total of 125 hours. This approach is both efficient and financially beneficial — the graduate credits advance your salary lane while the district PD is often provided at no cost.
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Mandatory Trainings That Must Be Included in Your Clock Hours
In addition to the total clock hour requirement, PELSB mandates that specific training topics be completed as part of every renewal cycle. These mandatory trainings count toward your total clock hours — they are not extra requirements on top of the 75 or 125 hours. The current mandatory training topics include suicide prevention (2 hours), mental health awareness (2 hours), cultural competency and DEI training, reading instruction (for K–6, ESE, Reading, and ESOL teachers), and positive behavioral supports.
Many districts incorporate these mandatory trainings into their regular professional development calendar, so you may have already completed some or all of them through district-provided PD days. Check with your HR office or professional development coordinator to confirm which mandatory trainings have been logged in your clock hour record. If any are missing, you will need to complete them before your renewal application can be approved.
How to Track and Report Your Minnesota Teacher Clock Hours
Clock hours in Minnesota are tracked and reported by your district’s continuing education committee — not by you directly. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that your hours are being recorded and reported correctly. Here are the best practices for staying on top of your clock hours throughout your 5-year license period:
First, keep your own personal log of all PD activities, including dates, hours, activity descriptions, and whether each activity was pre-approved by your committee. This personal record is your backup in case of discrepancies between what you completed and what PELSB shows in your account. Second, verify your clock hour balance annually by logging into the PELSB online licensing system at mn.gov/pelsb. You will need your File Folder Number and License Serial Number to access your account. Third, do not rely on third-party tracking systems such as Keep Certified to report hours to PELSB — those systems are for your personal tracking only. Hours must be officially reported by your district. Fourth, submit pre-approval requests for any external courses or PD activities before you complete them. Hours from unapproved activities will not be accepted by your committee.