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Licensure Office

All public school teachers must hold a license for the subject or grade level they teach, or for the professional assignment they hold. Before persons can apply for an initial license in North Carolina they must have received a degree in the relevant subject from a North Carolina accredited teacher education institution or completed another state's approved alternative route to licensure and earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college.

Upon satisfactory completion of the major requirements and the state-required assessments, candidates will be eligible for initial teaching licensure in North Carolina. Candidates must have the following to be recommended for the North Carolina Initial Professional License:

  • a minimum 2.7 undergraduate cumulative or 3.0 graduate cumulative GPA,
  • an undergraduate 2.7 GPA or graduate 3.0 GPA in the applicable content area(s), and
  • have taken: NC Foundations of Reading or Praxis Subject Assessments (formally known as Praxis II).
  • All candidates seeking initial licensure in North Carolina will be required to submit qualifying scores on the appropriate edTPA performance-based, subject-specific assessment.

Please note that the licensing process is separate from your program completion and degree conferral.

Important Information

  • Complete all degree requirements and all Educator Preparation Program requirements.
  • Upload all assessments into Task Stream and satisfactorily evaluated before you begin your online license application. Questions about these requirements should be directed to your program coordinator.
  • All WSSU teacher education candidates must provide documentation of scores on licensure exams prior to a recommendation by WSSU for an initial license.
  • Passing Criteria on the LEA Certification of Teaching Capacity Form.
  • All WSSU teacher education candidates must complete a licensure data form before being recommended for the initial license.
  • The Licensure Officer can provide prospective employers with a letter of verification while waiting for the official license. Submit your request via email to the Licensure Officer. There is a 48-hour turnaround time for these letters.
  • SCORE RECIPIENT: When registering for the Praxis Core, Praxis Subject Assessment or, Foundations of Reading/General Curriculum please designate Winston-Salem State University (exam code is 5909) and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as the score recipients, (test center code 7846).
  • LICENSURE reciprocity: The Educator Preparation programs of CASBE are recognized by the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and are therefore represented in the NC interstate agreement with the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC).  An individual who completes an approved Educator Preparation program at WSSU is eligible to earn a certificate or license in another state or jurisdiction including all 50 states, District of Columbia, Guam, Ontario and the Department of Defense. While each state/entity may affirm the credentials earned by a WSSU program completer in Educator Preparation, the educator may have to complete additional requirements, such as coursework, assessments, or classroom experience, before receiving a full professional certificate in the new state. Visit the U.S. Department of Education's State Contact web page for the contact information of the appropriate education entity in each state.

This recognition applies to our undergraduate and graduate teacher licensure programs in Birth through Kindergarten, Elementary Education, Special Education, Middle Grades Education, Music Education, Secondary English Education, Secondary Math Education, and Health and Physical Education.