In order to receive certification in teaching, service or leadership fields in the State of Georgia, individuals must meet the following requirements:

1. Complete a Georgia Professional Standards Commission approved program. To find out more information about the programs offered at UGA, see University of Georgia Approved Programs.
2. Complete the Special Georgia Requirements. For information, see Special Georgia Requirements
3. Pass or exempt the GACE Basic Skills examination. Individuals exempt the GACE Basic Skills if they meet one of the following criteria:
   1. Verbal and Math composite score of 1000 on the SAT;
   2. English and Math composite score of 43 on the ACT; or
   3. Verbal and Quantitative composite score of 1030 on the GRE
4. Pass the appropriate GACE Content Area Examination. For information about the GACE examinations, please see GACE.

For specific course requirements for an approved program, contact the appropriate department within the College of Education. The department will determine requirements for entry into the program, the course work required to meet the approved teacher education program, and the procedures for obtaining a professional recommendation.

Application for Certification

Upon completion of the approved program, you must apply for certification. You will need to print the UGA instructions for reference when completing the application packet.  Forms for the packet can be found at the Georgia Professional Standards Commission website.  Transcripts and certifications must be sent to Kate Character, room 122G Aderhold.

The Certification Official for the College of Education is Kate Character (ellakate@uga.edu) in the Office of Student Services, 122 Aderhold, 706-542-4218.  Please contact her for assistance with the application process.

The applicant will be recommended for certification by the college official authorized to make such recommendation at the time.

Georgia Applicants Moving to Another State

A teaching certificate is valid only in the state for which it is issued, and certification and testing requirements are never static. Even the very best book or chart may be out of date as soon as it is published. If you are planning to move to another state, you will need to contact that state’s office of certification.

When you call or write the state certification office, indicate the type of certificate you are receiving from your current state, which national tests you have taken, and ask for application materials and procedures for obtaining certification in the new state. Another source of information about certification requirements will be the actual districts to which you apply.

Out-of-State Applicants Moving to Georgia

Applicants for certification in Georgia who hold or have held professional certification issued by another state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory, the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), or the Department of Defense Schools (DODDS), are eligible for certification through reciprocity, provided all applicable special Georgia requirements have been met. Applicants entering Georgia for the first time through reciprocity will be given a one-year certificate, at the request of an employing Georgia superintendent, to complete any missing special Georgia requirements. Applicants seeking reciprocal certification should contact the Georgia Professional Standards Commission directly by clicking the link above or calling 1-800-869-7775.