Educational Psychology
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →MississippiTeachers
Renewing a Mississippi licence when you are not in a classroom
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
To renew a Mississippi teaching license while not teaching, you meet the same class-level requirement as a working teacher: for Class A, 10 CEUs, 3 semester hours plus 5 CEUs, or 6 semester hours. None of these options needs a classroom job. If the licence has already expired, the code offers reinstatement by coursework, a one-year licence, reciprocity or retirement.
The renewal options do not ask for a job
Teachers step out of the classroom for many reasons: raising children, caring for a parent, moving into a district office, or working outside education for a while. The Mississippi licensure code sets renewal by class level and lists the same learning options for everyone. A Class A licence needs 10 CEUs, or 3 semester hours plus 5 CEUs, or 6 semester hours. Classes AA, AAA and AAAA need 3 semester hours or 5 CEUs.
None of these options requires you to be employed in a school. What they do require is that the learning sits in your content area or a job/skill related area, and that it was earned within the renewal cycle on your licence. The code also says the licence may be renewed for one five-year period beyond its present expiration date.
Why college credit suits teachers who are away
Working teachers often pick up clock hours through district training. Away from a school, those hours dry up, and finding approved CEU sessions on your own takes effort. College courses solve that: undergraduate or graduate credit with a C or higher from a regionally or nationally accredited college counts directly, and you can study from home on your own schedule.
UPI Study courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. The credit reaches MDE via a college transcript: an accredited college that considers recommended credit reviews the courses and, if it awards credit, sends the transcript electronically. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. Ask MDE in writing first whether the named course and college would count.
- Class A: two 3-credit courses meet the 6-semester-hour option.
- Class AA to AAAA: one 3-credit course.
- Grade: C or higher.
- Timing: inside your current cycle.
Routes that need no coursework
Two routes suit people who have left Mississippi schools. If you retired from service in Mississippi public schools, an official letter from the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) renews the licence. It can only be submitted during the final year of the valid licence, and the letter must be dated in the year you submit it.
If you moved and now hold a valid standard licence in another state, that licence can also be used for renewal, again in the final year of your Mississippi licence. Completing the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process is a third route, though it is usually done while teaching.
If your licence has already expired
Missing the date is common for teachers who are away. The code lists ways to reinstate an expired five-year standard licence:
| Route | What you send | Licence issued |
|---|---|---|
| One-year reinstatement | An application; then meet the renewal requirement for your class during that year | 1 year, not renewable, then apply for the remaining 4 years |
| Coursework or professional learning | Semester hours with a C or higher, or CEUs, clock or contact hours, matched to your class level, done within or after the most recent cycle | 5 years |
| Reciprocity | A valid standard out-of-state licence | 5 years |
| Retirement | A PERS letter dated in the year you submit it | 5 years |
Planning a return to the classroom
If you expect to return within a year or two, the coursework route to reinstatement is often the simplest: complete the courses, have the college send the transcript, and apply for a full five-year licence. If a school wants to hire you sooner, the one-year reinstatement lets you start teaching while you finish the requirement, but it cannot be renewed, so the courses still have to be done within that year.
Either way, keep the order right. Check your class level and cycle dates in MECCA, confirm in writing with the Division of Educator Licensure that your planned courses fit your content or job/skill related area, then enrol. Courses such as Educational Psychology or Psychology of Diversity have a clear link to teaching practice.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
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.
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.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
can i renew my mississippi teaching license if i am not teaching
Yes. The renewal options in the licensure code are set by class level, not by employment. A Class A teacher can use 10 CEUs, 3 semester hours plus 5 CEUs, or 6 semester hours, earned within the current cycle in a content or job/skill related area. Confirm your plan in writing with MDE before you enrol.
what happens if my mississippi teaching license expires
You can reinstate it. Options include a one-year non-renewable licence while you meet the renewal requirement, reinstatement by coursework or CEUs done within or after the most recent cycle, reciprocity with a valid out-of-state licence, or a PERS retirement letter. Coursework needs a grade of C or higher.
can i use online college courses to reinstate a mississippi license
The code asks for semester hours with a C or higher from a regionally or nationally accredited college, in your content or job/skill related area. It does not bar online study. The college must send the transcript electronically. Ask MDE in writing whether your named courses fit before you start.
when can a retired teacher use the pers letter for renewal
Only during the final year of the valid licence, and the PERS letter must carry a date in the year you submit it. For an expired licence, the same retirement letter can be used for reinstatement, giving a five-year licence.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Psychology of Diversity
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Abnormal Psychology
Self-paced online Abnormal Psychology course (Psychology 180). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Ask MDE in writing first, then take the courses that fit your content or job/skill area at your own pace.
Sources
- Miss. Admin. Code 7-4, Part 4: Guidelines for Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12 (December 2025) (official)Renewal options by class level; college courses at undergraduate or graduate level with a C or higher at regionally or nationally accredited colleges; only credits earned within the renewal cycle count; 10 contact or clock hours = 1 CEU; transcripts sent electronically from the college; reinstatement options for an expired licence. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.