How to Become a Teacher in Alabama: Tests, Fees and Routes

By the Transforming Education editorial team. Every fact on this page was checked against the source linked beside it on November 7, 2026.

Note: The Alabama State Department of Education, Educator Certification website could not be reached from our network on November 7, 2026, so the routes, license, renewal and background-check details on this page come from Alabama's administrative rules, Ala. Admin. Code 290-3-2, Educator Certification. Rules set the requirements but not always the current procedures or fees, so confirm both with the agency before you apply.

No degree yet: the traditional route

For high school students, college students and anyone without a bachelor's degree. You earn the degree and the teacher preparation in one program.

State-Approved Program Approach

A person who completes a State-approved educator preparation program may be eligible for a Professional Educator Certificate. The certification officer at the institution where the program was completed must recommend the applicant, and the application must reach the Educator Certification Section within 60 calendar months of program completion. Class B programs lead to an initial certificate at the bachelor's degree level, and Alternative Class A programs lead to an initial certificate at the master's degree level. Applicants must also meet the Alabama Special Requirements and the Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) tests in effect when the application is received.

1. Complete a Class B (bachelor's level) or Alternative Class A (master's level) State-approved educator preparation program.
2. Meet the Alabama Special Requirements, including the criminal history background check and citizenship verification.
3. Pass the AECAP tests in effect when the application is received.
4. Submit the current application for this approach to the certification officer at the institution where the program was completed.
5. Have the certification officer send the recommendation and documentation to the Educator Certification Section within 60 months of program completion.

Source: law.cornell.edu

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

For people who already hold a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education.

Provisional Certificate in a Teaching Field (PCTF) Approach

A superintendent or school administrator who wants to hire a candidate can request a Provisional Certificate in a Teaching Field (PCTF), which the rule describes as alternative certification. It covers 6-12 teaching fields and, for grades K-12, music, dance, languages other than English, theatre and visual arts. Each PCTF is valid for one scholastic year and the candidate teaches full time with a mentor while completing required coursework, for three full years within four scholastic years. The candidate then applies for a Class B Professional Educator Certificate in the same teaching field.

1. Earn a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with at least a 2.75 overall GPA (or a master's or higher degree with at least a 3.0).
2. Pass the AECAP basic skills assessments and the prescribed Praxis subject test for the teaching field, where one is adopted.
3. Secure a full-time teaching job whose superintendent or administrator submits the PCTF recommendation by October 1.
4. Teach full time with an assigned mentor while completing courses in classroom management, evaluation of teaching and learning, methods for the teaching field, and teaching special needs students in inclusive settings.
5. Pass the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching test before the third PCTF is issued.
6. Apply for the Class B Professional Educator Certificate by October 1 of the calendar year the third PCTF expires.

Source: law.cornell.edu

Changing careers into teaching in Alabama

If you already have a bachelor's degree and some years in another job, start with the alternative route described above. It is built for people who did not study education.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in Alabama was $61,990 in May 2025, according to the BLS OEWS state estimates. If your background matches a subject on the state's shortage list, that list is further down this page.

State-approved alternative certification programs

Not verified yet: the state's website could not be reached when we checked. Check with the agency.

Licensed in another state

For teachers who hold a license from another state and want to teach in Alabama.

Certificate Reciprocity (Certificates Issued by Another State Approach)

A person who holds a valid professional educator certificate issued by another state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory or the Department of Defense Education Activity may seek an Alabama Professional Educator Certificate. The out-of-state certificate must be in an area, grade level and degree level for which Alabama offers comparable certification; endorsement or supplemental areas that depend on another certificate do not qualify. Teaching-field applicants need at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution and must meet the Alabama Special Requirements and the AECAP requirements for this approach. The Alabama certificate is issued at the degree level of the out-of-state certificate.

1. Confirm the out-of-state certificate is valid and in an area, grade level and degree level that Alabama offers.
2. Complete the Alabama Special Requirements, including the fingerprint background check and citizenship verification.
3. Provide official transcripts for all degrees earned (at least a bachelor's degree for teaching fields).
4. Submit the original out-of-state certificate or Supplement CER completed by the issuing authority.
5. Meet the AECAP requirements for this approach.
6. Send the current application for this approach and all documentation to the Educator Certification Section.

Source: law.cornell.edu

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

Alabama uses Praxis for teacher licensure. The table lists the core tests by license area, with the qualifying score and fee exactly as the source publishes them. Which tests you take depends on the license area you are seeking, so check the full list for your subject before you register.

Scores and fees change. Confirm both on the testing company's page before you register.

Fees, background check and license validity

Background check

Applicants for certification who have not completed a background check since July 1, 1999 must be fingerprinted by the third-party contractor designated by the Alabama Department of Education for a criminal history check through the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. A certificate is issued only after the State Superintendent of Education makes a suitability determination. Candidates must also clear this check before admission to a State-approved teacher education program. The rule requires a nonrefundable fee but does not state the amount. Source

Your first license

License: Class B Professional Educator Certificate. It is valid for Remainder of the scholastic year of issue, then 5 consecutive scholastic years. The Professional Educator Certificate is renewable and is issued at the Class B (bachelor's degree), Class A (master's degree) or Class AA (planned sixth-year program) level. Teaching-field certificates are issued only in fields listed in the state's Subject and Personnel Codes. Source

Renewal

A valid Professional Educator Certificate is continued in the calendar year it expires, and the application and documentation must reach the Educator Certification Section by June 30 of that year. Work experience, credit and professional development must be completed during the current valid period, and a continued certificate is valid for the rest of that scholastic year plus five more. An expired certificate can be reinstated, but one that has lapsed for more than twelve months generally requires passing the current Praxis subject test. Requirement: One of six options, e.g. 3 years of full-time educational work experience plus 50 clock hours of professional development, 6 semester hours of allowable credit, or valid NBPTS certification. Source

Teacher pay in Alabama

Elementary teachers in Alabama earned a median of $61,380 a year in May 2025, $2,590 below the national median of $63,970. Half of teachers in each occupation earn more than the median and half earn less. What you earn in a given district depends on its salary schedule, your experience and any graduate credits.

Annual wages, cross-industry estimates, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 state tables, retrieved through the BLS Public Data API on November 7, 2026. Special education teachers are shown separately; our guide to the online master's in special education covers the add-on and initial-license options.

Teacher shortage areas, 2026-27

Alabama reported these subject areas to the US Department of Education as teacher shortage areas for the 2026-27 school year.

• Core Subjects: Elementary Education (statewide)
• Mathematics (statewide)
• Special Education (statewide)

Source: US Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas report, retrieved November 7, 2026.