How to Obtain a Professional License with 12 Post-Master's Credits
If you have a Master's degree from a regionally-accredited institution and a Massachusetts Initial Teacher license, you can use twelve graduate credits (e.g., four 3-credit Lesley courses) in the Subject Matter Knowledge of your license (see Section 7.06 of MA ESE Regulations for Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval) to acquire a Professional license.
To obtain the license, you would apply through your Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA ESE) Educator Licensure and Recruitment Account, and Lesley provides evidence of course completion. MA ESE makes the final decision to grant a Professional license.
Subject courses taken for the Initial license in Early Childhood, Elementary, or Moderate Disabilities may be acceptable for the Professional license. Teachers with specific subject licenses, e.g., high school math or chemistry, take courses that deepen the understanding of their discipline and other related areas. For example, a biology teacher might explore engineering or chemistry.
You can complete Lesley coursework to apply for a Professional license in two ways:
- Take one of our online graduate certificates, in which case you can gain both a license and an area of expertise
- Take four subject matter courses (some offered online, some on campus), in which case you may choose from a mix of courses applicable to the license.