Become a Teacher in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
2500 North Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105-4599
(405) 521-3301
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Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Oklahoma
Important Note: Education licensure requirements, statistics and other information are subject to change. Teach.com makes its best effort to keep content accurate; however, the official sources are the state education departments. Please confirm licensing requirements with your state before applying for licensure or renewal. (Last update: 04/26/2020)
Teacher education programs from accredited colleges or universities prepare students to become teachers through rigorous coursework, as well as practical fieldwork. Curricula most commonly emphasize foundational knowledge and skill, pedagogy, and educational technology. In addition, teacher education programs seek to prepare students to research, design and implement learning experiences in their field of study. Practical fieldwork allows students to apply what they have learned in a classroom setting through field observations, student teaching, and internships.
Generally speaking, states require that certified teachers hold, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree. Some states also require coursework in particular subjects or specific undergraduate credit hours for certification in specialty areas. Oklahoma does not have particular course or credit hour requirements, but every college or university teacher preparation program will have its own specific prerequisites, curriculum, and requirements for graduation. Contact your teacher preparation program or the Oklahoma State Department of Education for more information.
A list of accredited teacher preparation programs in Oklahoma can be found through the Oklahoma Office of Educational Quality and Accountability.
In order to become certified to teach in Oklahoma, you must satisfactorily complete three competency-based teacher tests:
- The Oklahoma General Education Test (OGET)
- The Oklahoma Subject Area Test (OSAT);
- The Oklahoma Professional Teaching Exam (OPTE).
Learn more about Oklahoma teacher certification exams on the Certification Examinations for Oklahoma Educators website.
You can learn more about the Praxis exams by visiting Teach.com's Ultimate Guide to the Praxis Exams and read more about teacher certification tests on Teach.com.
Initial Teaching Certifications
To earn your teaching credential in Oklahoma, you will have to complete the appropriate amount of undergraduate coursework and standardized tests, as well as an accredited certification program.
Discover an 8-week Online Teaching Short Course from Harvard's Bok Center
Higher Education Teaching Certificate
The Higher Education Teaching Certificate online short course aims to give you the opportunity to engage deeply with and reflect on your teaching practices, portfolio, and journey in the higher education (HE) field. Loosely based on the in-person seminar program currently offered by Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and in association with HarvardX, this course gives you the opportunity to explore the focus areas of pedagogy, course and assessment design, professional communication, language and culture of the classroom, and reflections on teaching – entirely online, from anywhere in the world.
Alternative Certification in Oklahoma
Graduates of accredited colleges or universities who do not hold a bachelor’s degree in education, and who have not earned a traditional teaching certificate, can receive alternative teaching certification by satisfying certain requirements.
The Alternative Placement Program for Teacher Certification allows those who hold a bachelor’s degree with a major in a field of study corresponding to an area of Oklahoma certification, as well as a 2.5 GPA and two years of professional experience in their degree field, to work towards certification through testing and professional education. Oklahoma also officially recognizes certification through the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), Teach for America, and Troops to Teachers.
Oklahoma Teacher Certification Information & Links
Transferring Your Certification
Certification Reciprocity in Oklahoma
If you hold a full teaching credential in a state other than Oklahoma, you are eligible for provisional certification in equivalent subject areas in Oklahoma – possibly without the need for retesting.
Learn more about certification reciprocity in Oklahoma on the Oklahoma State Department of Education website.
To find out what other state teaching licenses can be used in Oklahoma, check out our Teacher Certification Reciprocity page on Teach.com.
Career Advancement
Professional Development for Oklahoma Teachers
The Oklahoma State Department of Education hosts a variety of professional development resources, programs and events that cover a range of topics, from classroom excellence to advanced placement to summer education.
Benefits of a Master's Degree in Oklahoma
Public school teachers are generally not required to have a master's degree,, but educators across the country are realizing more and more the value of an advanced degree. It’s never a bad idea to go to graduate school, whether you’re pursuing a master's degree.
Since the No Child Left Behind and the Every Student Succeeds Acts, greater emphasis has been placed on teacher performance, teacher qualification and the results teachers achieve in the classroom. A master’s degree can carry a lot of weight in the new teaching job market, and those who have their master’s degrees are regarded as experts in their field.
Teachers with a master’s degree have the potential to be better compensated for their work. In Oklahoma, teachers with their master’s degree begin their careers making $1,400-$1,900 more than teachers holding only their bachelor’s, according to the State Minimum Salary Schedule.
Learn more about the benefits of a Master of Arts in Teaching vs. Master of Education on Teach.com.
Higher Education Teaching Certificate
The Higher Education Teaching Certificate online short course aims to give you the opportunity to engage deeply with and reflect on your teaching practices, portfolio, and journey in the higher education (HE) field. Loosely based on the in-person seminar program currently offered by Harvard’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and in association with HarvardX, this course gives you the opportunity to explore the focus areas of pedagogy, course and assessment design, professional communication, language and culture of the classroom, and reflections on teaching – entirely online, from anywhere in the world.
Jobs, Benefits, and Opportunities for Teachers in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Teaching Jobs
The Oklahoma State Department of Education websites hosts a page advertising jobs in the state. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission also directs users looking for work to OKJobMatch, which includes teaching positions. Similarly, the Oklahoma State School Boards Association Hiring Consortium lists statewide jobs in education online.
Learn more about finding a teaching job on Teach.com.
Oklahoma Teacher Salary and Incentives
With an average public school teacher salary of $43,000 to $46,000 depending on grade level, according to 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For more information, consult the Oklahoma State Department of Education, which publishes its salary schedule for teachers online.
Learn more about teacher salaries on Teach.com.
Oklahoma Teacher Benefits and Retirement
The Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System is responsible for retirement benefits for educators in the state. Additional benefits vary within the state, usually by district. For example, Tulsa Public Schools offer health insurance, life insurance, disability, paid time off, retirement benefits and more.
Learn more about benefits for teachers on Teach.com.
Oklahoma Teacher Shortage Areas
A teacher shortage occurs when there are not enough teachers in key subject areas, which has been partly caused by years of teacher layoffs during the Great Recession, a growing student population and fewer people entering teacher preparation programs, according to the Learning Policy Institute.
The following is a list of teacher shortage areas in Oklahoma for the 2020-2021 school year as reported by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Art
- Career and Technical Education
- Counseling
- Early Childhood Education
- English
- Mathematics
- Music
- Physical Education
- Science
- Social Studies
- Special Education
- World Languages
Financial Aid in Oklahoma
There are several forms of aid available to teachers pursuing their Master’s in Teaching. The TEACH Grant, for example, offers financial aid in return for teaching full time in a high-need field at a low-income school for at least four academic years. Similarly, the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program allows teachers to teach full-time at a low-income school for five years in exchange for forgiveness of up to $17,500 of student loans. The college or university where you plan to attain your master’s degree may also offer its own aid.
Learn more about how to finance your Master's degree on Teach.com.
Information last updated: May 2020