Every Tennessee license type,
with the PD hours and cycle behind it.
A curated reference for K-12 educators working in Tennessee. Each row shows the required PD clock hours (and any industry-credit carve-outs), accepted college semester hours, renewal cycle, and the public Tennessee Department of Education citation that backs the numbers — so a recertification window never opens with a guessing game.
Seeded from public Tennessee Department of Education guidance — owner-maintained
The rows below are seeded from publicly available Tennessee Department of Education licensing guidance. The full dataset lives in one editable TypeScript module — src/lib/business/tn-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 Tennessee Department of Education licensing landing page is the authoritative reference for any individual case.
Each row tells the same five-part story
The library groups Tennessee educator license types by pathway so the renewal rules for a CTE teacher read next to the renewal rules for an assistant principal — instead of getting lost inside a single undifferentiated list.
Tennessee license types, grouped by pathway
Each table covers one pathway. Rows are ordered the way the Tennessee Department of Education lists them in its licensure guidance.
Initial
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Apprentice LicenseEntry-level license for candidates who have completed a Tennessee-approved educator preparation program but do not yet meet all requirements for the Practitioner license (e.g. pending edTPA or state assessment review). 3-year, non-renewable — must advance to Practitioner. | — | — | 3-year cycle | TN Department of Education — Apprentice License |
Standard
2 license types| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Practitioner LicenseIssued after the Apprentice requirements are completed. Initial Practitioner candidates with a continuous, Tennessee-completed EPP may apply for 0-year or 5-year Practitioner based on completion of alternative requirements before advancing toward Professional. | — | — | 5-year cycle | TN Department of Education — Practitioner License |
Professional LicenseTennessee’s standard renewable license, typically earned via 5 years of effective evaluation and a portfolio. Renewal: 90 PD clock hours per 5-year cycle (PD points per State Board Rule 0520-02-03-.09). Industry credentials are explicitly encouraged. | 90 hrs | — | 5-year cycle | TN Department of Education — Professional License |
Administrator
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Administrator LicenseIssued to building-level and district-level instructional leaders. Renewal: 90 PD hours per 5-year cycle, with a leadership/evaluation component aligned to the Tennessee Instructional Leadership Standards. Advanced degrees such as the EdS are accepted in lieu of additional evaluation cycles. | 90 hrs | — | 5-year cycle | TN Department of Education — Administrator License |
Career & Technical
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Career & Technical Education LicenseIssued to CTE teachers in Tennessee-approved CTE program areas. Renewal: 60 PD clock hours per 5-year cycle (lower than the Professional license because industry-focused occupational experience supplements the PD requirement). Industry credentials may count toward up to 20 hours. | 60 hrs | — | 5-year cycle | TN Department of Education — CTE License |
Bring this reference into a living recertification record
The CredenSync educator plan keeps your Tennessee PD hours, semester hours, and renewal cycle visible in one place — and warns you before a window opens. Start free while you evaluate.