How to Become a Teacher in Montana

Montana certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as Montana Office of Public Instruction — Educator Licensure publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Complete an accredited educator preparation program

   Earn a bachelor's or master's degree from an institutionally accredited college or university and finish an educator preparation program that includes supervised teaching. OPI accepts programs accredited by AAQEP, CAEP, MACTE, or a state board/agency.

   Source: opi.mt.gov

2. 2

   Meet one Class 2 content-verification pathway

   Qualify by one complete pathway—do not mix and match: a current standard unrestricted out-of-state license plus two years of teaching; a minimum qualifying score on the Montana-required Praxis subject assessment; a passing student-teaching portfolio verified by the EPP; or a 3.00 or higher coursework GPA verified by the EPP.

   Source: opi.mt.gov

3. 3

   Complete Indian Education for All

   Finish and verify the free Teacher Learning Hub course An Introduction to Indian Education for All in Montana. The course link appears inside the Teach Montana application.

   Source: opi.mt.gov

4. 4

   Apply for a Class 2 Standard license in Teach Montana

   Submit the online application through Teach Montana (TMT), including official transcripts, a fingerprint background check, university recommendation, and the licensure fee. Incomplete applications are purged after 90 days. New graduates without a master's in an endorsable area apply for Class 2, not Class 1.

   Source: opi.mt.gov

5. 5

   Renew with 60 professional development units or upgrade to Class 1

   Class 2 licenses renew with 60 professional development units, or a mix of PDUs and college credit (each semester credit equals 15 PDUs; each quarter credit equals 10). Educators who later earn a master's in education or an endorsable area, or National Board certification, may apply to upgrade to a Class 1 Professional license.

   Source: opi.mt.gov

Montana's Class 2 Standard license is the destination credential for in-state graduates who do not yet hold a master's in an endorsable teaching area. OPI is unusually explicit that applicants must pick one complete content-verification pathway and cannot combine pieces of Praxis, portfolio, GPA, and out-of-state experience. That all-or-nothing rule matters for candidates who have a strong GPA but an incomplete Praxis attempt, or who hold an expired out-of-state license and assume two years of experience will still substitute for testing. Career changers and relocating teachers should decide the pathway before they open Teach Montana, because the application wizard routes them based on those answers.

Indian Education for All is a hard Montana-specific gate, not an optional orientation. Every Class 1, Class 2, and Class 5 teaching application requires verification of the free Teacher Learning Hub course An Introduction to Indian Education for All in Montana. The course sits alongside transcripts and fingerprints as a document OPI will not waive for traditional completers. Educators comparing Montana with neighboring states that only require background clearance and testing should budget time for the module before expecting a license to issue, especially if they are applying close to the school-year start.

Montana does not treat a valid license from another jurisdiction as sufficient by itself. OPI states that the state does not have reciprocity and that out-of-state teachers must still file a full Teach Montana application with university recommendation, fingerprints, and fee. The out-of-state license plus two years of experience is only one of the four Class 2 content-verification options; it does not skip Indian Education for All, the accredited-program requirement, or background clearance. Applicants whose preparation program cannot produce a recommendation documenting student teaching often land in Class 5 rather than Class 2.

Advancement from Class 2 to Class 1 is academic rather than purely experiential. OPI requires a master's degree in education or an endorsable teaching area, or National Board certification, in addition to Class 2 eligibility. Upgrading through Teach Montana does not reset the license dates if the master's was earned outside the current license period, so educators who treat the upgrade as a de facto renewal can be surprised when the expiration date does not move. Renewal itself is a 60-PDU (or credit-equivalent) obligation with a June 30 expiration and an August 31 completion window—another calendar detail that is easy to miss during summer hiring.

Required exams and fees

Montana uses ETS Praxis subject assessments (one of four Class 2 content-verification options). Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to Montana

Montana does not grant automatic reciprocity. Out-of-state teachers apply through Teach Montana with official transcripts, a fingerprint background check, a copy of the current out-of-state license, a university recommendation verifying program completion and student teaching, and the licensure fee. Two years of teaching plus a current standard unrestricted out-of-state license can satisfy the Class 2 content-verification pathway in place of Praxis, a portfolio, or a 3.00 GPA.

Official Montana reciprocity guidance