Montana offers 3 main categories of Licensure:
Teacher (elementary and secondary, career and technical education, Native American Language and postsecondary faculty/dual credit teachers)
| Class 2: Standard |
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| Class 1: Professional |
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| Class 4: Career and Technical |
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| Class 7: Native American Language and Culture | Granted upon recommendation from the tribe. |
| Class 8 Dual Credit-Only Post Secondary Faculty License |
For those college instructors who teach university courses in which a high school students enroll and receive both college and high school credit for completion. Eligible instructors must verify employment at a university and eligibility for licensure. Please see your college or university Chief Academic Officer for additional information. |
Please carefully review the "Qualifications" documents next to your chosen category of licensure, then apply for the most appropriate license. If you qualify for more than one category (e.g. teaching and administration), you can apply for both on the same application form. All applicants for an initial Montana License or reinstatement of a lapsed Montana license must complete a fingerprint based background check through the Montana Department of Justice. APPLICANTS LICENSED IN OTHER STATES MUST COMPLETE THE ENTIRE LICENSURE PROCESS FOR MONTANA. Include a copy of your current license from the other state. Due to Montana's federally approved definition of a "highly qualified teacher", applicants from out of state who completed an alternative route to license or licensure/endorsement via testing may not qualify for full licensure in Montana. Please apply for the appropriate license, and if you do not meet the qualifications, our Licensure Division will offer you the appropriate license after our review. The preceeding summary is provided to give you an overview of Montana Educator Licensing. Once you determine the Class(es) of licensure for which you may qualify, please review the Application for more specific information. All licenses are valid for 5 years except the Class 5 Alternative License (3 years). All applicants for initial licensure or reinstatement of a previous license must complete a fingerprint based background check through the Montana Department of Justice. |
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Administrator (principals, superintendents and subject-area supervisors)
| Class 3: Administrator |
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Please carefully review the "Qualifications" documents next to your chosen category of licensure, then apply for the most appropriate license. If you qualify for more than one category (e.g. teaching and administration), you can apply for both on the same application form. All applicants for an initial Montana License or reinstatement of a lapsed Montana license must complete a fingerprint based background check through the Montana Department of Justice. APPLICANTS LICENSED IN OTHER STATES MUST COMPLETE THE ENTIRE LICENSURE PROCESS FOR MONTANA. Include a copy of your current license from the other state. Due to Montana's federally approved definition of a "highly qualified teacher", applicants from out of state who completed an alternative route to license or licensure/endorsement via testing may not qualify for full licensure in Montana. Please apply for the appropriate license, and if you do not meet the qualifications, our Licensure Division will offer you the appropriate license after our review. The preceeding summary is provided to give you an overview of Montana Educator Licensing. Once you determine the Class(es) of licensure for which you may qualify, please review the Application for more specific information. All licenses are valid for 5 years except the Class 5 Alternative License (3 years). All applicants for initial licensure or reinstatement of a previous license must complete a fingerprint based background check through the Montana Department of Justice. |
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Specialist (School Counselors and School Psychologists)
| Class 6: Specialist | Available only with
Must have:
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Please carefully review the "Qualifications" documents next to your chosen category of licensure, then apply for the most appropriate license. If you qualify for more than one category (e.g. teaching and administration), you can apply for both on the same application form. All applicants for an initial Montana License or reinstatement of a lapsed Montana license must complete a fingerprint based background check through the Montana Department of Justice. APPLICANTS LICENSED IN OTHER STATES MUST COMPLETE THE ENTIRE LICENSURE PROCESS FOR MONTANA. Include a copy of your current license from the other state. Due to Montana's federally approved definition of a "highly qualified teacher", applicants from out of state who completed an alternative route to license or licensure/endorsement via testing may not qualify for full licensure in Montana. Please apply for the appropriate license, and if you do not meet the qualifications, our Licensure Division will offer you the appropriate license after our review. The preceeding summary is provided to give you an overview of Montana Educator Licensing. Once you determine the Class(es) of licensure for which you may qualify, please review the Application for more specific information. All licenses are valid for 5 years except the Class 5 Alternative License (3 years). All applicants for initial licensure or reinstatement of a previous license must complete a fingerprint based background check through the Montana Department of Justice. |
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Alternative License
| Class 5: Alternative |
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Please carefully review the "Qualifications" documents next to your chosen category of licensure, then apply for the most appropriate license. If you qualify for more than one category (e.g. teaching and administration), you can apply for both on the same application form. All applicants for an initial Montana License or reinstatement of a lapsed Montana license must complete a fingerprint based background check through the Montana Department of Justice. APPLICANTS LICENSED IN OTHER STATES MUST COMPLETE THE ENTIRE LICENSURE PROCESS FOR MONTANA. Include a copy of your current license from the other state. Due to Montana's federally approved definition of a "highly qualified teacher", applicants from out of state who completed an alternative route to license or licensure/endorsement via testing may not qualify for full licensure in Montana. Please apply for the appropriate license, and if you do not meet the qualifications, our Licensure Division will offer you the appropriate license after our review. The preceeding summary is provided to give you an overview of Montana Educator Licensing. Once you determine the Class(es) of licensure for which you may qualify, please review the Application for more specific information. All licenses are valid for 5 years except the Class 5 Alternative License (3 years). All applicants for initial licensure or reinstatement of a previous license must complete a fingerprint based background check through the Montana Department of Justice. |
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Application Materials
Renewals
| Educators | Renewal Application Forms | |
Renewal Requirements Paper Application Forms |
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| For Providers | I Provide Multiple Events throughout the year Online Approval & Reporting Application Annual Report Form |
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| I want to provide a single event Online Approval & Reporting Application Completion Report |
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Lapsed License
| Fingerprinting | Print Instructions for Law Enforcement Request Fingerprint Packet Redisseminate Request |
| I have earned the credits | Reinstatement Application |
| I have NOT earned the credits | Class 5 Application |
Adding Endorsements
| With Internship | If your school district has an opening in an area outside of your existing endorsement(s), you may be eligible to participate in an internship. The internship is an agreement between the licensee, their school district and a Montana university's accredited educator preparation program. The licensee has 3 years to complete the requirements for the endorsement. The school district can report the intern as the "educator of record" for purposes of the Annual Data Collection (accreditation report). Teaching Internship Application School Counselor Internship Application Principal Internship Application Superintendent Internship Application |
| Without Internship | Follow these steps to add an endorsement without an internship: 1. Contact a university's accredited educator preparation program offering the endorsement you wish to add. 2. Complete the specific coursework 3. Work with the university's licensure official to submit the documentation required to add the endorsement to OPI. Teacher Preparation Program |
Recommendation and Experience Forms
RecommendationTeacher Administrator
School Psychologist
School Counselor
Work Experience
Class 4 Career Work Experience
Class 1 & 3 Experience as an Educator
Map to OPI
Application Materials
Code of Ethics Fingerprinting |
Professional Educators of Montana Code of Ethics Print Instructions for Law Enforcement Request Fingerprint Packet Redissemination Request |
For Renewals, Click Here | |||
| Teacher | Applications Class 1 or 2: Elementary or Secondary Academic Subjects Recommendation for Teaching Endorsements Class 4: Career and Technical Class 4 Verification of Work Experience Class 4 Qualifications Class 7: Native American Language and Culture Class 8: Postsecondary Faculty Dual Credit-Only Class 5: Alternative (not eligible for full licensure) Degree(s) Earned Outside the US |
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| Administrator | Note: Administrators applying for both teacher and administrator licenses may do so on 1 (one) application form. Application Class 3: Full License Institutional Recommendation Class 1 & 3 Experience as an Educator Application Class 5: (Not eligible for full license) |
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| Specialist |
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Renewals
| Educators | Renewal Application Forms | |
Renewal Requirements Paper Application Forms |
||
| For Providers | I Provide Multiple Events throughout the year Online Approval & Reporting Application Annual Report Form |
|
| I want to provide a single event Online Approval & Reporting Application Completion Report |
||
Lapsed License
| Fingerprinting | Print Instructions for Law Enforcement Request Fingerprint Packet Redisseminate Request |
| I have earned the credits | Reinstatement Application |
| I have NOT earned the credits | Class 5 Application |
Adding Endorsements
| With Internship | If your school district has an opening in an area outside of your existing endorsement(s), you may be eligible to participate in an internship. The internship is an agreement between the licensee, their school district and a Montana university's accredited educator preparation program. The licensee has 3 years to complete the requirements for the endorsement. The school district can report the intern as the "educator of record" for purposes of the Annual Data Collection (accreditation report). Teaching Internship Application School Counselor Internship Application Principal Internship Application Superintendent Internship Application |
| Without Internship | Follow these steps to add an endorsement without an internship: 1. Contact a university's accredited educator preparation program offering the endorsement you wish to add. 2. Complete the specific coursework 3. Work with the university's licensure official to submit the documentation required to add the endorsement to OPI. Teacher Preparation Program |
Recommendation and Experience Forms
Teacher Administrator
School Psychologist
School Counselor
Work Experience
Class 4 Career Work Experience
Class 1 & 3 Experience as an Educator
