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 →MontanaTeachers
Montana teaching licence renewal: hours, credits and conversions
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Montana teacher renewal units work on fixed rates under ARM 10.57.215: 1 unit per hour at an approved activity, 10 per quarter credit and 15 per semester credit. You need 60 in the five years your Class 1, 2, 3 or 6 licence is valid. Four semester credits cover it; so does one 3-credit course plus 15 approved hours. Confirm with OPI in writing.
The numbers in one place
ARM 10.57.215 sets the rates, and they do not change with the subject or level of the course. Here they are:
| Activity | Units | Proof |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour at an OPI-approved provider | 1 | OPI unit certificate |
| 1 quarter college credit | 10 | College transcript |
| 1 semester college credit | 15 | College transcript |
| National Board Certification | 60 | National Board records |
Worked mixes that reach 60
Most teachers mix routes. District in-service days from an approved provider count hour for hour, and a college course fills a larger block at once. A few examples, all inside the five years your licence is valid:
- Four 1-credit semester courses, or one 3-credit and one 1-credit course: 60 units.
- One 3-credit semester course (45 units) plus 15 hours of approved workshops: 60 units.
- Two 3-credit semester courses: 90 units, more than you need; the rule counts units earned during the licence being renewed.
- Six quarter credits: 60 units.
- Sixty hours of approved activities, such as summer institutes and district training: 60 units.
The tests every activity must pass
Units only count if the activity meets the rule's standard. It has to be planned and structured. It has to add to your professional development, by exposing you to a new idea or skill or extending one you have. And it has to be consistent with the P-12 public school curriculum. A course on how students learn or on teaching diverse classes fits easily; a course with no link to school teaching is harder to defend.
College credit must come from an institutionally accredited college or university. The rule does not set a different rate for undergraduate and graduate credit; it counts credits.
Where a UPI Study course fits
UPI Study is not a college. Our courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended, and the credit reaches OPI via a college transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit: a partner college reviews your course and, if it awards credit, records it on its own transcript. A 3-credit course recorded that way would be 45 units, if OPI agrees.
Good fits for the curriculum test are Educational Psychology, Psychology of Diversity and Research Methods in Psychology. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence suits teachers working with AI tools in class. Abnormal Psychology helps teachers who support students with mental health needs.
Ask OPI before you enrol
Send a short email to OPI Educator Licensure: My Class [x] licence expires in [year]. I plan to take [course], 3 credits, ACE-recommended, to be recorded on [college]'s transcript. Would OPI count it as 45 renewal units under ARM 10.57.215, given that [college] is institutionally accredited? Keep the reply with your renewal records.
Ask early. The college needs time to review and record the credit, and the rule says units must be verified through 31 August of the year the licence expires.
Keep your own records
The rule makes you alone responsible for keeping proof of your units. Save each OPI certificate, each transcript and each written answer from OPI in one folder. If a unit is questioned at renewal, that folder is your evidence.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask OPI Educator Licensure in writing whether a named UPI Study course, recorded on an institutionally accredited college's transcript, would count toward your 60 renewal units, and at what rate, 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
how many units is a 3 credit course in montana
A 3-credit semester course is 45 renewal units, at 15 units per semester credit under ARM 10.57.215. A 3-credit quarter course is 30 units. You need 60 in total, so add 15 approved hours or another credit. The college must be institutionally accredited, and OPI decides whether the course fits.
can i mix college credit and workshop hours for montana renewal
Yes. The rule lets you combine routes: college credit, hours at OPI-approved providers on OPI certificates, and other listed activities. All units must be earned during the five years your licence is valid and verified through 31 August of the expiry year.
do extra montana renewal units carry over
ARM 10.57.215 counts units earned during the five years of the licence you are renewing. It does not say extra units move into the next period, so plan to reach 60 rather than far more. Ask OPI in writing if you hope to carry any over.
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 →
Research Methods in Psychology
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 →Start when you have it in writing
Ask OPI in writing first, then take a course that fits the P-12 curriculum at your own pace.
Sources
- ARM 10.57.215: Professional development and renewal requirements (text as reproduced by Cornell LII; amended effective 1 July 2024)Classes 1, 2, 3 and 6 renew with 60 units earned during the five years of validity, through 31 August of the expiry year; 1 hour of attendance = 1 unit, 1 quarter credit = 10, 1 semester credit = 15; activities must be planned and structured, benefit professional development and be consistent with the P-12 public school curriculum; credits from an institutionally accredited college or university; OPI-approved providers under ARM 10.57.216; National Board Certification = 60 units; the licensee keeps the records. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 20-4-108: Term of teacher and specialist certificates, renewal (official)Certificates are valid for five school fiscal years, starting the 1 July before issue; Class 5 provisional certificates may be shorter; renewals run for similar periods under the Board of Public Education's renewal policies. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Teaching Channel: Course pricing$489 for a 3-credit graduate course. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.