Obtaining a Teaching License

For all teaching licenses in all states, a bachelor’s degree is a minimum requirement to enter the teaching profession as a full-time classroom teacher. In Utah, some degree of coursework or formal teacher preparation is required in order to hold a full Professional License. Only Professional Licenses can be transferred to another school, district, or state.

Utah Tech University is a USBE-approved educator preparation program (EPP), meaning that UT can recommend students for a Utah Professional License upon students’ successful completion of UT licensure program requirements. Please visit the appropriate page for program-specific licensure requirements at UT.

Utah Educator License

Once a student has successfully fulfilled all requirements for their respective UT licensure program, the student must do the following to obtain their Utah Educator License:

1. Monitor your student email for notification that your graduation audit is complete, and that your file has been processed by UT and posted in the Comprehensive Administration of Credentials for Teachers in Utah Schools (CACTUS). This email should arrive to the student within three weeks of the end of the term in which the student graduates.
2. To view your CACTUS record and obtain your CACTUS number, log into your personal Utah Education Network account. If you need your login and password reset, contact UEN directly.
3. Complete a Utah Educator Ethics Review at Educator Licensing Online, within one calendar year of being recommended in CACTUS for a Utah Educator License.
4. Have a cleared Utah State Board of Education Fingerprint Background Check after July 1, 2015. You may begin a background check at Educator Licensing Online.
5. Complete the process at Educator Licensing Online for “University Recommendation” to receive a copy of your Educator License via email. It can take up to 24 hours for an email to be sent with a copy of your license attached.

Students seeking licensure outside the state of Utah are encouraged to review Utah Valley University’s Education Licensure Compliance Table for additional details related to state-specific licensure requirements.

On the Job and Advancing the Profession

Teacher salaries vary by school/district and state, and are established by the School Board of the Local Education Agency (LEA), in accordance with state and federal guidelines. Teacher salaries are typically determined through an equation that considers years of full-time documented teaching experience, alongside additional education beyond a bachelor’s degree. Please refer to the salary table for the school and/or district in which you plan to teach for additional specifics, and visit the Department of Labor’s pages on elementary and secondary teaching for national trends.

Teachers can advance in the profession in a myriad of ways: by adding additional endorsements to an existing license, or by pursuing additional roles within schools, districts, state-level public education, or universities. Such roles include but are not limited to serving as instructional coach, school counselor of school psychologist, school or district administrator, state-level administrator, or faculty in a university-based educator preparation program. Most of these roles require full-time teaching experience and a Master’s degree at minimum, and may require a doctor degree (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) and/or additional licenses.