Steps for State Certification

If you are applying for certification after June 15 for a spring graduate, January 15 for a fall graduate, or it has been more than six months since your graduation, email Candidate State and Certification Officer Alicia Lincoln.  

If you have questions about completing your Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) application, contact DESE at certification@dese.mo.gov or call (573) 751-0051. Please see the step-by-step instructions. 

If you have already created a User ID and password, you will not need to request another one. Log in to your DESE profile and complete the online application for the appropriate licensure area.  

If you have taken courses or have a previous bachelor's degree from another university, please request official transcripts for that degree to be sent to DESE. DESE will only accept digital transcripts through the National Clearinghouse via NSCs Electronic Transcript Exchange or paper transcripts mailed from a university directly to DESE. DESE does not evaluate foreign transcripts. Before an application for a Missouri teaching certificate can be processed, all foreign transcripts must be sent to a credentialing agency approved by DESE.    

DESE background checks are only valid for up to one year. You will need to check your DESE background check in your DESE profile to see if it is up to date. If not, please follow these directions to obtain a new background check for DESE.

You must have passing scores on the appropriate content exams (Praxis or MoCA). The testing companies report those scores directly to DESE. 

Please complete DESE’s online application before the end of the semester in which you will complete your program. This will ensure that your application is processed as soon as your degree has been posted by the Registrar's Office.  

It is strongly recommended that you apply for licensure even if you don’t plan to use your license right away. If you do not apply immediately, state requirements may change and you may have to meet additional criteria (e.g. new tests, additional courses).  

Once the Registrar's Office sends the Educator Preparation Office your final transcript with your SEMO degree posted, we will finish processing your application. This process may take several weeks after graduation.  

It is your responsibility to have your SEMO transcripts sent to DESE. You will need to wait to have your transcripts sent after you have received the email stating that you have been recommended for certification. You can follow the directions to request your transcript be sent to DESE. (Make sure to choose to send it to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

After all application materials have been submitted to DESE, it may take an additional 4-8 weeks for DESE to finish processing your application.  

Once your application has been fully processed, you will be able to access evidence of your license electronically on the DESE website.  

If you are applying for Advanced Licensure, please complete this Advanced Licensure Information Form. You must complete this form for your application to be processed.  

If you have questions about this online process, contact DESE at certification@dese.mo.gov or call (573) 751-0051. Please see the step-by-step instructions. 

If you have already created a User ID and password, you will not need to request another one. Just complete the online application for the appropriate licensure area.  

If you have taken courses or have a previous bachelor's, master’s, or specialist degree from another university, please make sure you request official transcripts from that university to be sent to DESE. DESE will only accept digital transcripts through the National Student Clearinghouse via NSCs Electronic Transcript Exchange.  

It is strongly recommended that you apply for licensure even if you don’t plan to use your license right away. If you do not apply immediately, state requirements may change, and you might have to meet additional criteria (e.g. new tests, additional courses).  

Once the Registrar's Office sends the Educator Preparation Office your final transcript with your SEMO degree posted, we will finish processing your application. This process may take several weeks after graduation.  

It is your responsibility to have your SEMO transcripts sent to DESE. You will need to wait to have your transcripts sent after you have received the email stating that you have been recommended for certification. You can follow the directions to request your transcript be sent to DESE. (Make sure to choose to send it to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

After all application materials have been submitted to DESE, it may take an additional 4-8 weeks for DESE to finish processing your application. 

Once your application has been fully processed, you will be able to access evidence of your license electronically on the DESE website.

Instructions for submitting nonresident program verification forms 

• To be eligible for certification in any state other than Missouri, candidates must contact the state's education department for requirements.  
• Requests for completion of nonresident Program Verification Forms can be submitted to the Educator Preparation Office by email to csco@semo.edu (if the form doesn’t require your signature), by fax to (573) 651-2410, hand-delivered to Scully Room 301, or by mail to:
  

Southeast Missouri State University 
College of Education, Health, and Human Studies
School of Education Educator Preparation Office 
One University Plaza, MS 5600 
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701  

• Please allow up to 10 business days to process. Forms will not be completed in person. Complete all personal information before submitting the form to the certification office, and include instructions specifying where the form should be returned.

Programs for which no recommendation from SEMO is required.

If you are applying for licensure in ELL (English Language Learners), please contact DESE directly for application instructions at (573) 751-0051.