Under the authorization of the South Carolina State Board of Education, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) issues the following types of educator certificates.
Initial Certificate
The Initial certificate is a standard educator credential valid for a period of three school years and is issued to eligible individuals who have completed an approved undergraduate- or graduate-level educator preparation program. The Initial certificate is issued primarily to beginning educators or those without recent teaching experience. Beyond the three-year validity period, an educator who does not meet requirements to advance to a renewable Professional certificate must reapply for a new Initial certificate or be eligible for an annual extension at the request of the employer. For additional information, please see the Initial Certificate webpage.
Provisional Initial Certificate
Authorized by the State Board of Education in August 2022 as part of a three-year pilot, the Provisional Initial certificate may be issued at the request of an employing district to an individual who has completed all requirements of an approved college- or university-teacher preparation program, including student teaching, and has met all other certification requirements with the exception of standard scores on both the subject area and pedagogy exams. For eligibility, the individual must have earned assessment scores within two standard errors of measurement below the adopted cut score. The Provisional Initial certificate may be issued for one school year and renewed annually for two consecutive school years based on continued employment and successful progress. To advance to a renewable Professional certificate, the educator must demonstrate three years of effective teaching and document knowledge of the subject area and pedagogy through options approved by the State Board. For additional information on eligibility and requirements, please see the Provisional Initial Certificate webpage.
Professional Certificate
The Professional certificate is a standard educator credential valid for a period of five school years and may be renewed by meeting continued professional learning requirements established by the State Board of Education. For additional information, please see the webpage for Renewing a Professional Certificate.
Limited Professional Certificate
The purpose of the Limited Professional certificate is to provide a certificate advancement option for an educator who holds a South Carolina Initial certificate and is employed as an educator in eligible, non-regulated educational entities in South Carolina (e.g., independent schools). Limited Professional certificates may be renewed by meeting continued professional learning requirements established by the State Board of Education. For additional information, see the list of other options on the Initial Certificate webpage.
Retired Educator Certificate
In 2018, the South Carolina General Assembly authorized the Retired Educator certificate to allow retired South Carolina educators to maintain certification for the purpose of substituting without having to meet renewal requirements. The Educator Assistance Act of 2025 amends the Retired Educator certificate to become a lifetime credential, allowing a retired South Carolina educator to maintain certification for the purpose of returning to employment with a school district on a full- or part-time basis. The Retired Educator certificate is initially issued for a period of five school years and may be maintained every five years by submitting the required request to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE). The educator does not have to complete professional development or course credits to renew this credential type. This certificate is not available to individuals who retired from another state. For additional information, please see the Retired Educator Certificate webpage.
Internship Certificate
The Internship certificate is authorized pursuant to State Board of Education regulation 43-53, Credential Classification, and is valid for a one-year period.
The Internship certificate for a classroom teaching field may be issued to an eligible teacher candidate who has completed all requirements of a South Carolina teacher preparation program with the exception of student teaching and has earned passing scores on all required certification exams. The certificate must be requested by the college or university and the school district.
The Internship certificate for Speech Language Pathology may be issued to an eligible individual who has completed an approved program and has been issued an SLP Intern license by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.
The Internship certificate for School Psychologist may be issued to an eligible individual who is currently serving the required internship component of an approved program for the preparation of school psychologists. Individuals must have a conferred master’s degree or have completed graduate semester hours equivalent to a master’s degree to qualify for issuance of the Internship certificate in the field of School Psychologist.
For more information, please see the Internship Certificate webpage.
International
The International certificate is issued to eligible educators teaching in a South Carolina school district as part of an exchange visitor teacher program. The International certificate is valid for a period of one year and may be extended based on the length of the individual’s approved exchange program. The International certificate is not eligible for advancement to any other type of educator certificate. For more information, see the webpage for Exchange Visitor Teacher Programs.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Induction and Pre-professional Certificates
These certificate types may be issued to an eligible educator completing the five-year certification process based on professional experience in a trade or industry. Completion of the CTE work-based certification process qualifies educators for advancement to a renewable Professional certificate. To learn more, please see the webpage for CTE Work-based Certification.
Alternative Route Certificate
The conditional Alternative Route certificate may be issued to an eligible candidate participating in a South Carolina-approved alternative route preparation program. The Alternative Route certificate is valid for one school year and may be renewed annually for a defined period as allowed by state and federal statutes and regulations with continued employment in a South Carolina public school and successful progress toward completion of the specific program. Upon successful completion of all requirements of the approved alternative route program within the certification period, the educator is eligible for advancement to a renewable Professional certificate. Please see the webpage for Alternative Route Certification Programs for additional information.
Adjunct
The Adjunct certificate is authorized in State Board of Education Regulation 43-62 and allows an employing school district to request an educator certificate for a locally identified content area expert to meet a limited instructional need. A public school or school district in the state must be willing to employ the individual as a teacher on a part-time basis in a content field at the middle or secondary school level or in the related arts or physical education at the elementary level. The Adjunct certificate does not lead to any other type of educator certificate but may be renewed. To learn more, please see the webpage for Adjunct Certification.
PACE Adjunct
The Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (PACE) Adjunct certificate is an available option for PACE candidates who possess a valid Statement of Eligibility for program participation but were hired too late in the school year to attend either the Summer or Winter PACE I Institute. An employing school district may request issuance of a PACE Adjunct certificate for an eligible candidate for the remainder of the specific school year. A PACE Adjunct certificate issued under this option cannot be renewed and does not lead to a Professional certificate. If offered continued employment by the school or school district, the educator must attend the next available PACE I Institute and qualify for a first-year PACE Alternative Route certificate. Additional information is available on the PACE Adjunct Certificate webpage.
