Teaching Initial Certificate
First Time Applicant
Who applies?
- An Initial Teaching Certificate is for applicants who have just finished their Teacher Education Program either in Nebraska or in another state.
Where is it valid?
- An Initial Teaching Certificate is valid for teaching in all Nebraska school systems.
When does it expire?
- An Initial Teaching Certificate is a 5-year certificate and expires September 30th in the fifth year following the year of issuance.
What are the requirements for this certificate?
- An application and fee in the TEACH system (Please note that registration for TEACH is required first; then an application can be submitted.)
- Fingerprints (required only if someone has lived outside of Nebraska in the past five years)
- Official Transcript(s)– If you are completing your program at a NEBRASKA institution, transcripts are not required
- Institutional Verification – This form is used to show that a program was completed. If you completed a program through a NEBRASKA institution, this form will be sent electronically by NDE.
- Educator Certificate – A certificate is required only for those who have not been certified in Nebraska and hold a certificate in another state.
- Employment Verification – This form is required for those who have employment experience in a school district/system outside of Nebraska.
- Human Relations Training-
- Special Education Training
More information on how to send supporting documents can be found in the FAQ section of this website.
Renewal
If you have 0.5 FTE years of experience in the last 5 years, you qualify to renew your initial.
If you hold a Nebraska Initial teaching certificate and have taught for two consecutive years, you are likely going to advance to the Standard teaching certificate
To advance to a Professional teaching certificate applicants must have taught for two consecutive years and meet the following:
- Submit an official transcript of a Master’s degree earned within ten years of the date of application from a standard institution of higher education in Curriculum and Instruction, SPED, Education Technology or in the applicant’s content area
To renew without teaching experience before or after expiration, applicants need to obtain six semester credit hours from a 4-year standard institution of higher education in education-related coursework.
FAQs
Is the content test a requirement?
- As of June 4th, 2025, the completion of the Praxis content test is no longer a requirement for a full certificate if you have completed your program through a college or university.
Where do I send my transcripts?
- If you are graduating from a Nebraska institution, you do not need to submit your transcripts for your initial teaching certificate. If you are completing a program out-of-state, you will need request that your institution send transcripts to us at nde.tcertweb@nebrsaka.gov.
When should I apply?
- You can apply for your initial teaching certificate before you graduate from your program. Our processing time is 4-6 weeks.