Become a Teacher in Mississippi

To earn your Mississippi teaching credential you will have to complete the appropriate amount of undergraduate coursework and standardized tests, as well as an accredited certification program.

Learn more about getting your teaching credential on Teach.com.

In order to receive your teacher certification through an alternate route in Mississippi, you must use one of four state-approved Alternate Route Programs. You can pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching without having a bachelor’s degree in education, pursue the MS Alternate Path to Quality Teachers (MAPQT), participate in the Teach Mississippi Institute, or the ABCTE alternative certification program, an online course typically completed over 8-10 months. This certification can be attained while taking other college courses, or working full time. All alternate route programs in Mississippi require testing, a training program or coursework and a one-year internship.

Interstate reciprocity is a program that allows teachers certified in one state to teach in another state. To find out which other state teaching licenses can be used in Mississippi, visit the Teach.com reciprocity page. Or, for more specific questions about your situation, contact the Mississippi Department of Education.

To find out what other state teaching licenses can be used in Mississippi, check out our Teacher Certification Reciprocity page on Teach.com.

Mississippi teaching jobs can be found by looking at the vacancies listing on the Job Placement Service of the Mississippi Teacher Center.

Learn more about finding a teaching job on Teach.com.

In Mississippi, teachers earned an average of $44,060 per year in 2019 depending on grade level taught, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mississippi provides additional salary for teachers in high needs schools and shortage subjects. For more specific salary information, the Department of Education publishes the annual Mississippi Teacher Salary Schedule.

Learn more about teacher salaries on Teach.com.

Mississippi public school teachers with at least 30 years of teaching experience at age 60 or older, are eligible for full retirement benefits for life under the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS). Retirement benefits are calculated using average compensation and years of creditable teaching service. PERS also handles health insurance for Mississippi teacher retirees.

Learn more about benefits for teachers on Teach.com.

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 Mississippi for the 2020-21 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education (see page 87).

Mississippi has reported shortages in the following areas:

Mississippi residents are eligible for the Applegate/Jackson/Parks Future Teacher Scholarship as well as the TEACH Grant, a grant which gives financial aid to students in return for an agreement to teach in a high-need school.

Learn more about how to finance your Master’s degree on Teach.com.

The Mississippi Teacher Center provides information on the Mississippi Beginning Teacher Support Program, a mentoring and induction program for prospective teachers in Mississippi. Mississippi Teachers Continuing Education provides listings for conferences, workshops and courses that teachers can use in their professional development. 

It is no longer enough to only have years of experience for teaching. After No Child Left Behind and other academic quantification measures, teachers are almost solely evaluated by their success in the classroom. A master’s degree in the field of education can give you more educational theory and classroom skills, as well as more hands-on student teaching experience with a mentor.

After a master’s program, you may be able to achieve better results in the classroom and may have more job security and potential for higher pay.

Learn more about the benefits of a Master of Arts in Teaching vs. Master of Education on Teach.com.