All school search, finder, or match results, as well as colleges and universities displayed as "Featured School(s)" or "Sponsored Content" are advertisers that compensate us for placement on this site. The resources, editorial content, and school evaluations published on this site are developed independent of the schools that advertise here.
Teaching is a great way to use your passion and talents to make a positive contribution to the world. By choosing this career path, you can positively affect hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of lives!
The following steps will help guide your journey toward becoming a teacher in the state of Georgia.
First, you need to think about where you want to teach. For example, would you like to see yourself teaching in elementary school? Would you like to be in special education? Answering these questions will determine some of the steps you take. The Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission have guidelines for becoming a teacher in Georgia and choosing the right pathway for yourself.
In Georgia, the basic education requirements for becoming a teacher are:
For a list of regionally accredited institutions, refer to the GA Department of Education's list of Approved Programs.
Most colleges and universities offer joint teacher education and bachelor's degree programs. In other words, you can earn your degree and teaching certificate simultaneously.
If you have not yet earned your bachelor's in education, consider deciding on a college major based on the grade level and subject(s) you wish to teach. This is recommended but not required in Georgia. For example, you may pursue a bachelor's degree in Chemistry if you wish to become a chemistry teacher. If you are not sure what to major in, a school advisor or counselor may assist you in deciding on the one right for you.
There are four main induction paths to becoming a teacher in Georgia depending on the level of education with which you are beginning. The main pathways for those with a bachelor's degree include:
Pathway 1: You've completed a GA teacher preparation program.
Pathway 2: You've completed a teacher preparation program in a state other than GA.
Pathway 3: You've completed a teacher preparation program in a state other than GA or are certified as a teacher in another state (with less than 3 years of experience), or you are certified as a teacher in another state and have meet the induction score (but not Professional) for the GA certification exams.
Pathway 4: You've not completed a teacher preparation program but have been hired to teach in a GA school.
For more information on these alternative paths to teacher certification, consult the Georgia Professional Standards Commission's Induction section.
Another pathway to obtaining a certificate to teach in Georgia is the completion of an advanced degree program (e.g., Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education). You may wish to do this while you do a teacher preparation program. If choosing this route, you may elect to take Induction Pathway 4 (listed above) which will allow you to teach for up to three years during your graduate studies.
You can also do a "certification-only" program which does not lead to a degree (therefore, you should already have a bachelor's degree) but does lead to GA teacher certification.
Yet another pathway is completing a GA alternative educator preparation program which can be completed if you have a bachelor's degree and have been hired by the Local Unit of Administration (LUA). This pathway gives more flexible schedule options than a traditional teacher preparation program.
Sponsored ContentAfter completing your education requirements, the next step to becoming a teacher in Georgia is to pass the required state tests.
At some colleges or universities, you may have to pass some or all of these tests before entering or exiting a teacher preparation program. Consult with a program advisor or counselor to find out more about requirements.
