Every Minnesota license type,
with the CE hours and cycle behind it.
A curated reference for K-12 educators working in Minnesota. Each row shows the required continuing education clock hours (and any industry-credit carve-outs), accepted college semester hours, renewal cycle, and the public MDE Educator Licensing citation that backs the numbers — so a recertification window never opens with a guessing game.
Seeded from public MDE Educator Licensing guidance — owner-maintained
The rows below are seeded from publicly available Minnesota Department of Education licensing guidance. The full dataset lives in one editable TypeScript module — src/lib/business/mn-license-types.ts — so anyone maintaining the CredenSync educator experience can refresh the numbers, add a new pathway, or update a citation without touching the page itself.
When a number is uncertain, this page shows — rather than guessing. Treat the rows as a starting point: the citation in each row links to the underlying public source, and the linked MDE Educator Licensing page is the authoritative reference for any individual case.
Each row tells the same five-part story
The library groups Minnesota educator license types by pathway so the renewal rules for a CTE teacher read next to the renewal rules for an administrator — instead of getting lost inside a single undifferentiated list.
Minnesota license types, grouped by pathway
Each table covers one pathway. Rows are ordered the way the Minnesota Department of Education lists them in its licensure guidance.
Initial
2 license types| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tier 1 LicenseEntry-level; issued when an EPP candidate has not yet passed all required licensure tests. 1-year, non-renewable; must advance to Tier 2. | — | — | 1-year cycle | MDE Educator Licensing |
Tier 2 LicenseIssued to teachers who meet minimum preparation requirements but have not demonstrated two full years of successful teaching. 3-year, renewable once. | — | — | 3-year cycle | MDE Educator Licensing |
Standard
2 license types| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tier 3 Professional LicenseStandard renewable professional license. Renewal requires 60 continuing education clock hours (or 3 semester credits) per 5-year cycle, or documented proof of additional preparation under an approved professional development plan. | 60 hrs | 3 classes | 5-year cycle | MDE Educator Licensing |
Tier 4 Master Teacher LicenseRequires advanced degree (EdS or Ed.D.) or National Board certification. Renewal requires 6 semester credits or the equivalent in continuing education per 5-year cycle. | — | 6 classes | 5-year cycle | MDE Educator Licensing |
Administrator
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Administrator LicenseCovers principals, assistant principals, and district-level administrators. Renewal: 90 continuing education clock hours per 5-year cycle aligned to the Minnesota Principal Standards. | 90 hrs | — | 5-year cycle | MDE Educator Licensing |
Career & Technical
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CTE LicenseIssued to Career and Technical Education teachers in MDE-approved program areas. Renewal: 60 continuing education hours per 5-year cycle; up to 20 hours may come from documented industry credential or work-based learning activities. | 60 hrs | — | 5-year cycle | MDE Educator Licensing |
Bring this reference into a living recertification record
The CredenSync educator plan keeps your Minnesota CE hours, semester hours, and renewal cycle visible in one place — and warns you before a window opens. Start free while you evaluate.