Courses for Virginia Teachers

Virginia Collegiate Professional, Postgraduate Professional, and Technical Professional license holders must earn 270 Professional Development Points (PDPs) during each 10-year license validity period. Using college coursework, each semester credit hour equals 30 PDPs — so three 3-credit graduate courses (9 credits total) fully satisfy the entire 10-year renewal requirement. Teachers with a 5-year renewable license need 180 PDPs (6 semester credit hours).

Yes. Virginia regulations (8VAC20-23-110) accept graduate-level coursework from accredited colleges and universities as a PDP activity (1 semester credit = 30 PDPs). All of CFT's university partners — University of Massachusetts Global, Valley City State University, CSU Pueblo, and Adams State University — hold regional accreditation. Courses must relate to improving educator effectiveness, and documentation (official transcript) must be submitted to the VDOE Office of Professional Licensure.

Many Virginia school divisions use lane-based salary schedules where graduate credits earned beyond your degree can advance you to higher-paying lanes — but policies vary by district. Some districts have formal lane change policies, while others handle credit recognition differently. We recommend verifying with your district HR department that credits from our regionally accredited university partners will count toward your salary lane advancement. You can also use our District Credit Approval Tool to check how your district handles graduate credit recognition.

Many Virginia school divisions use a lane-based salary schedule where your pay is determined by your degree level and graduate credits earned. Common lanes include: BA (Bachelor's degree), BA+15, BA+30, MA (Master's degree), MA+30, and PhD/EdD — though lane names and structures vary by district. In many districts, you submit official transcripts to your HR department to request a lane change, which may take effect at the start of the next school year. Policies differ, so we recommend checking with your district directly or using our District Credit Approval Tool to see how your district handles graduate credit recognition.

Yes — this is one of the most powerful aspects of earning graduate credits through CFT. The same official transcript from your university partner can be submitted to the VDOE Office of Professional Licensure for PDP documentation and to your district HR department for salary lane advancement. You earn the renewal PDPs and the lane advancement simultaneously from a single course investment.

In addition to PDPs, Virginia educators must complete certain mandatory training as part of renewal. These include CPR/First Aid/AED certification, dyslexia awareness training, child abuse recognition and intervention training, and training on supporting students with disabilities and IEPs. Additional requirements may apply depending on your endorsement area (e.g., African American history instruction for history/social science endorsements). These are separate from the PDP requirement — check with your VDOE account or division HR office to confirm which apply to you.

Virginia educators submit renewal applications to the VDOE Office of Professional Licensure. Your school division will recommend renewal based on your PDP documentation. For college coursework, submit your official transcript as documentation. You can access your licensure information and renewal status through your VDOE educator account. Contact your division's HR office or the VDOE directly for current processing times and submission instructions.

Yes. All Credits for Teachers courses are 100% online and self-paced. There are no set class times, no live sessions to attend, and no commuting. Most teachers complete a 3-credit course in 4–8 weeks while continuing to teach full-time. You can work on coursework during evenings, weekends, or summer break — entirely on your own schedule.