Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
For Mississippi teacher license renewal at Class A, you need one of these in your content or job/skill area: 10 CEUs, 3 semester hours plus 5 CEUs, or 6 semester hours. Classes AA to AAAA need 3 semester hours or 5 CEUs. College courses need a C or higher from a regionally or nationally accredited college, earned within the renewal cycle.
Under Miss. Admin. Code 7-4 (Part 4, Guidelines for Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12, December 2025) a Class A five-year standard licence is renewed with 10 CEUs, or 3 semester hours plus 5 CEUs, or 6 semester hours in the content or job/skill related area; Class AA, AAA and AAAA need 3 semester hours or 5 CEUs.
The rule asks for Class A: 6 semester hours, or 3 semester hours + 5 CEUs, or 10 CEUs; Class AA-AAAA: 3 semester hours or 5 CEUs (10 clock hours = 1 CEU). The legal source is Miss. Admin. Code 7-4.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Class A renewal | 10 CEUs, or 3 semester hours + 5 CEUs, or 6 semester hours | [1] |
| Class AA, AAA, AAAA | 3 semester hours or 5 CEUs | [1] |
| Other routes | National Board process; PERS retirement letter or valid out-of-state licence in the final year | [1] |
| College courses | Undergraduate or graduate, C or higher, regionally or nationally accredited college | [1] |
| Time window | Only credit earned within the renewal cycle on your licence | [1] |
| Conversion | 10 contact or clock hours = 1 CEU | [1] |
Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), Division of Educator Licensure; applications go through the educator's MECCA account 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 Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), Division of Educator Licensure; applications go through the educator's MECCA account.
Learning, motivation and classroom behaviour: a clear job/skill related topic for most teachers.
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Teaching students and families from many backgrounds.
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Background for teachers and counsellors supporting students with mental health needs.
Self-paced online Abnormal Psychology course (Psychology 180). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
A current technology topic; the code names computer technology as a job/skill example.
Self-paced online Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course (Computer Science 373). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Reading and using education research.
Self-paced online Research Methods in Psychology course (Psychology 111). NCCRS recommends 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; ask the partner college whether its transcript meets MDE's accredited-college rule and can be sent electronically before you rely on it.
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 |
| Teaching Channel graduate course | $489 for a 3-credit graduate course | About $978 for the 6 semester hours a Class A renewal needs by coursework alone | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning subscription | $99 a month, $299 for four months or $799 a year | Two courses in one or two months, plus the cost of a college transcript that records the credit | 15 Nov 2026 |
District professional learning and college continuing education CEUs can be low cost or paid by your school. College credit is worth paying for when you want the 6-semester-hour route or need hours that also count toward a higher class.
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 MDE's Division of Educator Licensure in writing whether each named course, on a transcript from a regionally or nationally accredited college, fits your content or job/skill related area, before you enrol.
Mississippi renews a five-year standard licence based on its class level. A Class A licence, the bachelor's level, has three ways to renew by learning: 10 continuing education units (CEUs), or 3 semester hours plus 5 CEUs, or 6 semester hours. Classes AA, AAA and AAAA need less: 3 semester hours or 5 CEUs.
Every option must be in your content area or a job/skill related area. The code says content area means your endorsement area, such as mathematics, science or special education. Job/skill related means pedagogy and skills for effective teaching and leadership; the code's examples are computer technology, cooperative learning, learning styles and methodology.
There are also routes that need no coursework: completing the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process, an official retirement letter from the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS), or a valid standard out-of-state licence. The last two can only be used in the final year of your Mississippi licence.
College courses may be undergraduate or graduate. Each needs a grade of C or higher, from a regionally or nationally accredited senior college, university or community college. The code repeats the C rule in a special note covering renewal, reinstatement and added endorsements.
Timing matters. Only credits earned within the renewal cycle shown on your current licence count, so a course from before your licence was issued does not help. The college must send an official transcript to the Division of Educator Licensure electronically, through a service such as National Student Clearinghouse or Parchment. A copy you upload yourself is not enough for coursework.
Ten contact or clock hours of professional learning equal one CEU. That makes the full Class A CEU route 100 hours, and the mixed route 50 hours plus one 3-credit course. MDE no longer approves professional learning programmes itself; providers apply to a credit granting agency, and the code says any continuing education office at a college or community college is one. Professional associations such as ASHA and NBCC are also listed.
CEU certificates are uploaded as PDFs in MECCA when you apply. College credit is different: it must come straight from the college. If you mix the two, plan which part is which before you start, and keep every certificate.
UPI Study courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended undergraduate courses. They are not a college transcript on their own. The credit reaches MDE via a college transcript: a regionally or nationally accredited college that considers recommended credit reviews the courses and, if it awards credit, sends the transcript. That makes this route most useful for a teacher who wants the 6-semester-hour option or one course toward the mixed option.
Because the rule asks for content or job/skill relevance, pick courses with an obvious link to your teaching, such as Educational Psychology. Then ask MDE in writing before you enrol, naming the course and the college that would record it.
For a Class A licence, 10 CEUs, which is 100 contact or clock hours, in your content or job/skill related area. You can also use 3 semester hours plus 5 CEUs, or 6 semester hours. For Class AA, AAA or AAAA, 5 CEUs or 3 semester hours is enough. Only work from your current renewal cycle counts.
Yes. The code says renewal coursework may be undergraduate or graduate, with a grade of C or higher, from a regionally or nationally accredited senior college, university or community college. The course must be in your content area or a job/skill related area, and the college must send the transcript electronically. Confirm in writing with MDE that a named course fits.
No. Only credits earned within the renewal cycle shown on your current Mississippi licence can be used. A course taken before your licence was issued or last renewed will not count toward this renewal, even with a good grade. Check the issue and expiry dates in your MECCA account before you plan your courses.
Ask your college to send the official transcript electronically and directly to the Division of Educator Licensure, through National Student Clearinghouse, Parchment or a similar service. Then apply for renewal through your MECCA account. CEU certificates and National Board documents are uploaded as PDFs in MECCA instead.
The code describes it as pedagogy and skills for effective teaching and leadership. Its examples are computer technology, cooperative learning, learning styles and methodology. Content area means your endorsement, such as mathematics or special education. A course outside both is unlikely to count, so ask MDE in writing before you enrol.
Yes, through official documentation of retirement from Mississippi public schools. You request a letter from PERS, and it can only be submitted in the final year of the valid licence. The letter must be dated in the year you submit it. The same retirement route also works for reinstating an expired licence.
Ask MDE in writing first, then take the courses that fit your content or job/skill area at your own pace.