How to Become a Teacher in Tennessee: 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.

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.

Practitioner Teacher License through an approved educator preparation program

Applicants must be at least 18, hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution and be enrolled in or have completed a State Board-approved educator preparation program that recommends them. They also submit qualifying scores on the professional assessments set by the State Board, official transcripts and, where applicable, proof of meeting Tennessee Literacy Success Act requirements. Every licensure transaction is submitted through TNCompass; paper applications are no longer accepted.

1. Earn a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution
2. Complete a State Board-approved educator preparation program
3. Pass the required content and pedagogical assessments
4. Meet Tennessee Literacy Success Act requirements if they apply to your endorsement
5. Create a TNCompass account and submit the application
6. Have official transcripts sent to the Office of Educator Licensure

Source: tn.gov

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

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

Job-embedded pathway

People who hold a bachelor's degree in another field can enroll in an approved educator preparation program with job-embedded clinical practice and serve as teacher of record while completing it. In Tennessee, job-embedded means holding a Practitioner license while enrolled in the program; teaching on a permit does not count. The program applies for the Practitioner license on the candidate's behalf once requirements are met, and the edTPA is waived for in-state job-embedded educators.

1. Hold a bachelor's degree
2. Contact state-approved educator preparation providers about job-embedded programs
3. Enroll in a program and secure a teaching position
4. Meet the Practitioner license requirements so your program can apply on your behalf
5. Complete the program while teaching as teacher of record

Source: tn.gov

Changing careers into teaching in Tennessee

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. The 7 programs below are on the state's approved list.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in Tennessee was $61,860 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

Programs shown are a selection from the state's approved list, checked November 7, 2026. "Online" reflects what the program or the state says about its coursework; teaching practice is always in a real school. The full, current list is on the agency's approved-program page.

Licensed in another state

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

Out-of-state educators

Teachers with a professional-level license from another state can receive a Tennessee Professional license, valid six years, with a bachelor's degree and transcripts. Teachers with an initial-level out-of-state license, or who completed an out-of-state preparation program with a recommendation, receive a three-year Practitioner license, with content or pedagogical assessments due at application or before renewal depending on the pathway. All applications are submitted in TNCompass.

1. Create a TNCompass account
2. Choose the out-of-state pathway that matches your license level
3. Upload your out-of-state license and the Out-of-State Educator Preparation Verification form if your pathway requires it
4. Have official transcripts sent to the Office of Educator Licensure
5. Submit qualifying assessment scores if your pathway requires them

Source: tn.gov

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

Tennessee uses Praxis, edTPA and NES 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

Not published by the state; check with the agency.

Your first license

License: Practitioner Teacher License. It is valid for 3 years. Advancing to the Professional license (6 years) requires completing an approved program, passing required content assessments, 25 months of qualifying experience and 30 PDPs or a Director of Schools recommendation. Source

Renewal

Licenses must be renewed in TNCompass on or before the expiration date. Renewing a Practitioner license requires 30 professional development points earned during the license's validity period, and renewing a Professional license requires 60 PDPs or two years of qualifying experience; Tennessee Literacy Success Act requirements also apply where relevant. Requirement: 60 PDPs or two years of qualifying experience per Professional license period. Source

Teacher pay in Tennessee

Elementary teachers in Tennessee earned a median of $59,980 a year in May 2025, $3,990 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

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

• English as a Second Language: English as a Second Language (statewide)
• Mathematics (statewide)
• Special Education (statewide)
• World Languages: Any World Language (statewide)

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