Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Arizona teacher certification renewal needs 15 clock hours of professional development for each year of the certificate: 180 hours for a 12-year certificate and 120 for an 8-year one. Under R7-2-619, each semester hour of a course related to education or a subject taught in Arizona schools, from an accredited institution, counts as 15 clock hours, so 12 semester hours cover 180.
Under Ariz. Admin. Code R7-2-619, a 12-year Arizona certificate renews with 180 clock hours of professional development (15 for each year), an 8-year certificate with 120, and each semester hour of an education or subject-area course from an accredited institution counts as 15 clock hours.
The rule asks for 180 clock hours for a 12-year certificate = 12 semester hours; 120 clock hours for an 8-year certificate = 8 semester hours. The legal source is R7-2-619.
| Certificate term | Clock hours to renew | Semester hours equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 12-year (issued since August 2017) | 180 (15 a year) | 12 |
| 8-year (issued 2016-2017) | 120 (15 a year) | 8 |
| Conferences and workshops | Capped at 30 clock hours a year | Not applicable |
Arizona Department of Education, Educator Certification; Arizona State Board of Education (rule R7-2-619) decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Arizona Department of Education, Educator Certification; Arizona State Board of Education (rule R7-2-619).
Directly related to education; 3 semester hours would equal 45 clock hours if ADE counts it.
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Related to teaching diverse classrooms.
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Useful background for special education and counselling roles.
Self-paced online Abnormal Psychology course (Psychology 180). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
A subject taught in Arizona schools, for social studies teachers.
Self-paced online US History 1 course (HIST 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
A subject course for math teachers and for data-driven instruction.
Self-paced online Principles of Statistics course (Statistics 101). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; the transcript ADE would see is the partner college's.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Maricopa Community Colleges (county resident) | $97 per credit hour | 12 semester hours: about $1,164 before books | 15 Nov 2026 |
Maricopa credit is already from an accredited institution. Online credit adds the partner college step; ask ADE in writing first.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Ask ADE Educator Certification in writing whether the partner college transcript would count under R7-2-619 before you enrol.
Renewal runs through the Arizona Department of Education's Educator Certification unit. For a Standard Professional certificate you show 15 clock hours of professional development for each year of the certificate term, then apply through the ADE educator portal before the expiry date.
The hours can come from a mix of activities: district training, conferences and workshops, leadership in a professional organisation and college courses. ADE caps some activities, such as 30 clock hours a year for conferences and workshops, so college courses are often the cleanest way to cover a large part of the total.
ADE says every certificate issued since August 2017 is a 12-year certificate and needs 180 clock hours to renew. Certificates issued in 2016 or 2017 on an 8-year term need 120 hours. The hours may be built up in different amounts across the term.
Because one semester hour equals 15 clock hours, 12 semester hours of qualifying courses cover the full 180, and 8 semester hours cover 120. Four three-credit courses would cover a 12-year renewal on their own.
R7-2-619 counts courses related to education or to a subject area taught in Arizona schools, taken from an accredited institution. That covers education courses such as educational psychology, and subject courses that match what you teach, such as history for social studies teachers or statistics for math teachers.
UPI Study is not an accredited institution, so its own course record is not enough. The route to ask about is a partner college transcript: a partner such as TESU, a regionally accredited college, considers ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit and can place it on its own transcript. Ask ADE in writing whether it would count that transcript before you enrol.
Log in to the ADE educator portal, check your certificate term, and gather proof of 15 clock hours of professional development for each year of the term. Then submit the renewal application and fee before the certificate expires. ADE's Renew Your Certification page lists the current steps.
A 12-year certificate, which covers every certificate issued since August 2017, needs 180 clock hours. An 8-year certificate issued in 2016 or 2017 needs 120. That is 15 clock hours for each year of the term, built up in any amounts across the years.
Fifteen. Under R7-2-619 each semester hour of a qualifying course equals 15 clock hours of professional development. A three-credit course is 45 clock hours, and 12 semester hours cover the 180 hours a 12-year certificate needs.
A course must be related to education or a subject taught in Arizona schools and come from an accredited institution. For online courses from a provider that is not a college, ask ADE in writing whether a partner college transcript listing the credit would count.
Yes. ADE caps conferences and workshops at 30 clock hours a year, and leadership in a professional organisation at 30 a year. Courses do not have that yearly cap, which is why many teachers use them for most of the 180 hours.
Twelve semester hours at Maricopa Community Colleges cost about $1,164 for county residents at $97 per credit hour. On UPI Study PRO at $99 a month, four courses in two to three months cost about $198-$297, plus the partner college fee, if ADE agrees.
Ask ADE in writing first, then take the courses that fit what you teach.