Do I need a master's degree to teach high school English?
Aspiring teachers moving out of state with a bachelor's degree are left guessing whether they need a master's degree, what specific alternative certification steps to take, or how many tests and patches are required to legally qualify.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- Most of it landed at once — the busiest month was September 2026, with 12 people.
- This comes up 11.5× more often in r/Teachers than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Enrolling in a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programDid this help you?
- 2Pursuing alternative certification pathwaysDid this help you?
- 3Applying to private or charter schools that may have different hiring requirementsDid this help you?
- 4asking instructors for clarificationDid this help you?
- 5Working with the local school district office to review transcriptsDid this help you?
- 6Contacting the state credential commission directlyDid this help you?
- 7Taking state subject matter exams (CSETs) and methods coursesDid this help you?
- 8Finding university programs that allow taking individual credential coursesDid this help you?
- 9Applying anyway and letting the grantors decide whether to toss the applicationDid this help you?
- 10Reading specific grant guidelines and RFPs to check criteriaDid this help you?
- 11Contacting program officers directly to ask if the organization qualifiesDid this help you?
- 12Checking directly with the state education agency (TEA)Did this help you?
- 13Consider alternative certification routesDid this help you?
- 14Take online coursesDid this help you?
- 15Try substitute teaching before taking more classesDid this help you?
- 16Subbing during the school year to get a feel for itDid this help you?
- 17Checking out r/AskTeachersDid this help you?
- 18Getting a general management or business degreeDid this help you?
- 19Considering a trade instead of collegeDid this help you?
- 20Looking for states that are dismantling credit measuresDid this help you?
- 21Contacting the education and credentialing department of the college graduated fromDid this help you?
- 22Enrolling in a university credential program at local state universitiesDid this help you?
- 23Applying for district-specific alternative certification programsDid this help you?
- 24Reaching out to school administrators to fill in with an emergency credentialDid this help you?
- 25Looking into Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programsDid this help you?
- 26Buying test prep books to study independentlyDid this help you?
- 27Checking state Department of Education websites for licensing requirementsDid this help you?
- 28Considering alternative certification programs or private school teaching optionsDid this help you?
- 29Doing an accounting major with a computer science minorDid this help you?
- 30Pursuing a master's degree or additional coursework to hit the 150 credit hoursDid this help you?
- 31Checking requirements directly on the official CPA websiteDid this help you?
- 32Talking to local CPAs for personal perspectivesDid this help you?
- 33Enrolling in degree completion programs to top up missing creditsDid this help you?
- 34Checking with the college or university program requirementsDid this help you?
- 35Taking the required tests or looking into waiver options based on degree backgroundDid this help you?
- 36Using test preparation programs to pass the examsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Basically, I'm applying to college and I want to do computer science, but with the way the industry's going, it seems like by going into it, I'll be screwing myself over. I wanted to dual degree but that's a decently rare program. So if I double major in Com Sci with Accounting as my secondary major, can I still get an Accounting job?”source ↗
“I know that for me personally, I needed a degree in accounting rather than a diploma to pursue CPA and specific classes to bypass the knowledge assessment”source ↗
“I hope michigan is on that list cus I am about done with these $8k 18 credits semesters im trying to finish”source ↗
“I would like to become a CPA because obviously I would like to make more money, gain more experience and knowledge, and not just have a diploma in Accounting.”source ↗
“How would I go about this? What requirements are there>”source ↗
“Michigan requires something like 150 total collegiate credits for cpa licensure. Which in normal english terms is like a bachelors degree + half a masters...”source ↗
“The requirement of a undergrad (even unrelated to the feild) to get any perfessional designation education is absolutle bullshit.”source ↗
“I'm not sure where the line is between touring a museum and learning about things vs. needing accreditation for education. Can I still apply for grants that are interested in places providing education in our field even if we aren't accredited?”source ↗
“the woman who was in my place before me left a note saying that we don't qualify for education grants due to not being accredited”source ↗
“I was just afraid there was some rule I wasn't aware of (the woman who taught me about grants wasn't always the most truthful which is why I'm such a stickler about always sharing everything).”source ↗
“Thinking of alt certificate route, especially because I'm about to have a baby and the online courses are appealing. So, I could graduate with a general studies degree now, but I'm only about halfway to the K-12 Art teaching degree..”source ↗
“I graduate this spring with a bachelors in English and creative writing minor. I also plan to move to Chicago around the same time. I’d like to teach middle or highschool English as I have some friends who teach in Chicago and love it, but does it require a masters degree/ what steps do I need to plan to take?”source ↗
“I have searched high and low and can't seem to find the information I am looking for that is up to date.”source ↗
“Since graduated 6 years ago I don't have a college counselor I can talk to or anyone to review my transcripts in order to point me in the right direction.”source ↗
“I am going in blind and having to figure this out on my own.”source ↗
“1. I don't know what courses I would need to take”source ↗
“2. I can n't find a clear requirement list of what I need to add a single subject onto my multi subject.”source ↗
“I cannot find a clear answer for what this transition looks like certification wise, what steps I have to take or if I need to go through an alternative certification program or do more student teaching.”source ↗
“That site is harder to find information on than my state - and that's saying a lot.”source ↗
“Now that I am looking into credential/masters programs, I really don't know where to start.”source ↗
“I'm hoping that what others have experienced will help me on my journey.”source ↗
“It's just right now I feel like I'd need to retake geometry/algebra 2/pre-calc/calculus courses. I think there were sometimes a couple of problems on tests that I couldn't get (would still get A-/A in the classes) so I'm going to need to really refresh myself.”source ↗
“I'm thinking of buying a test prep book. To be honest I'm not sure whether I want to teach high school or middle school. Right now I'd prefer middle school 7th/8th grade.”source ↗
“Is the CSET required, or are there other ways to meet that requirement?”source ↗
“The credential process has changed quite a bit since I received mine, so I would definitely make sure to find out what your college or university requires.”source ↗
“Hello everyone, I am a recent graduate who has been subbing with Swing for the past year. I am seeking guidance to become a Middle School math teacher, where do I start?”source ↗
“Considering becoming a math teacher -- very lost on the steps to do so!”source ↗
“I'm considering going back to get a masters. Because I really feel rusty with certain math courses and I also haven't taken any education courses. But what comes next? Applying for licensure? Student teaching? Taking the MTEL?”source ↗
“I'm so lost. Should I have majored in math?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to pass work certifications fast with no experience
- 6Can't find a CPA to sign off on experience for a license
- 6Why am I paying for professional certs that barely increase my pay?
- 20How to choose certification study materials I can actually trust
- 5Should I switch to the new CPA program or rush the old one?
- 2Paying for IT certifications without company sponsorship