Nebraska Teacher Certification

Wayne State College prepares candidates for initial teacher certification in Nebraska. Once issued, an Initial Teaching Certificate expires Sept. 30 in the fifth year following the year of issuance.

I need to apply for my first (initial) Nebraska Teaching Certificate.

Follow the steps below to apply for initial teaching certification in Nebraska:

1. Apply for Certification - Application for your Nebraska Teaching Certificate is done online through the Nebraska Teach system. You can apply up to 30 days prior to degree/program completion. You must register for an account if you haven’t already. Be sure to use your personal email (not WSC email). When you go to apply for your certificate, answer all questions as though your program is complete. Payment can be made by credit or debit card, check, or money order.
   
   Note: If you have not been a continuous Nebraska resident for the past five years, the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) requires the submission of fingerprint cards. Get directions on submitting fingerprint cards (PDF).
    
2. Institutional verification process – Once you submit your application, the WSC Certification Officer will receive an institutional verification form directly from the NDE to be submitted on your behalf. WSC will send your institutional verification to NDE once grades are posted and your degree is closed out by the WSC registrar. You will receive notice from NDE that they are missing this item when they first process your application. Please allow WSC a few weeks from graduation for processing.

Important reminders: Please allow 4-6 weeks for NDE to process your application. Once NDE processes your application materials, you will be contacted with instructions on printing your teaching certificate.

I have a bachelor's degree in another field and am interested in a teaching career.

If you already hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a GPA of 2.5 or higher, you may take courses to simply earn an endorsement for teacher certification. This will typically consist of 3-4 semesters of full-time coursework but will vary depending on the endorsement. All programs are on campus, with the exception of our master’s degree in Special Education for initial certification, which is fully online.

View a list of all education programs

If WSC offers the program you desire and you are able to take classes on campus as needed, you will need to follow the steps below to proceed:

1. Preparation - Visit with WSC’s certification officer to ensure that you understand and are fully aware of the various requirements for teacher certification. We suggest you review the Benchmarks for Successful Advancement in Teacher Education.
2. Apply for admission to Wayne State – You will want to select that you hold a bachelor’s degree. You will then select that you are “seeking an endorsement.” Finally, you will select “initial” teaching endorsement.
3. Request transcripts – You must request official transcripts from all institutions from which previous degrees or coursework are earned and have them sent to [email protected]. Official transcripts must be sent directly from the academic institution(s) attended and cannot be sent by students.
4. Complete progress sheet - Upon admission, you will need to request an official progress sheet to be completed by the registrar’s office on your behalf. Once completed, the progress sheet will be emailed to you along with the contact information of an academic advisor. You will work with your advisor regarding course registration each semester.
5. Apply for Certification - Upon successful completion of all required benchmarks and coursework, you will apply to the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) for certification.