Short answer
Where can a teacher earn graduate-level credit for a salary lane change or license renewal?
Through a provider that issues units on an accredited university's transcript. Most teachers use self-paced online courses; others earn credit for curriculum projects, specialty training or summer and field courses. Whichever you choose, your district or licensing agency decides whether the units count, so get its answer in writing before you pay.
Three questions before you pick
- What is it for? A column move usually needs units your district approves in advance; a renewal needs units or hours your state accepts. One course can sometimes do both.
- Whose transcript? Your district sees the university, not the provider. Check that it meets your district's accreditation rule; here is how to vet one.
- When is your deadline? Grading and transcript posting take time. Work back from your district's filing date with the credit planner.
Which providers offer graduate-level credit for teachers?
The directory below is grouped by format and need rather than by university. Teacher Friendly and Credits for Educators appear first in the groups where they fit; the rest follow alphabetically. Every card shows the same facts. Price figures are list prices for one 3-credit course as each provider publishes them; the comparison has the detail and the date each was read.
Self-paced online courses
Pick a course, work at your own pace, submit, get a grade. The usual route to a column move or a renewal.
Teacher Friendly
Self-paced online; self-directed, curriculum, experience and travel-study courses.
Transcript University of the Pacific
3 credits $336 first course list price
Credits for Educators
Self-paced online; 1 to 5 credits per course; prepaid bundles lower the rate.
Transcript University of the Pacific
3 credits $297 list price
CE Credits Online
Self-paced, 180 days; university credit added separately.
Transcript Valley City State, Augustana, Adams State, Cal Poly Humboldt
3 credits from $449 list price
Connected Classroom Courses
Self-paced, letter grade.
Transcript CSU Pueblo
3 credits $389 + university fee list price
Creative Teacher Education Institute
A large catalog of independent-study courses on classroom management, differentiation, family engagement and similar topics, listed with Pacific credit on the provider's site.
For K-12 teachers
Transcript University of the Pacific
Credits for Teachers
Self-paced, 6 months; fee included for some universities.
Transcript Valley City State, Adams State, UMass Global, CSU Pueblo
3 credits from $349 list price
Dominican CA Online
Self-paced; some live and summer options.
Transcript Dominican University of California
3 credits $477 list price
For Teachers By Teachers
Self-paced; credits and clock hours listed.
Transcript CSU Pueblo, UMass Global
3 credits $285 CSU Pueblo list price
Fresno Pacific University CE
Self-paced, up to 1 year; per-unit rate plus fee.
Transcript Fresno Pacific University
3 credits ≈$475 list price
Graduate Credit Courses
Self-paced; course fee plus per-credit university fee.
Transcript Cal Poly Humboldt
3 credits $570 list price
Model Teaching
Self-paced, 1 year; registration plus per-credit fee.
Transcript Choice of six universities, including University of the Pacific
3 credits $359 list price
PD Courses (University of La Verne)
Online or PDF, semester-based.
Transcript University of La Verne
3 credits $420 list price
Teaching Channel
Self-paced; payment plan and paid priority grading.
Transcript Choice of eight universities
3 credits $489 list price
TLC Graduate Credits
Self-paced; pass/fail or letter grade.
Transcript CSU Pueblo
3 credits $425 list price
Upward Teachers
Self-paced, 1 to 6 months, letter grade.
Transcript UMass Global
3 credits $240 sale list price
Credit for work you already do
Curriculum projects, after-school professional work, workshops and travel study turned into graded units.
Teacher Friendly
Self-paced online; self-directed, curriculum, experience and travel-study courses.
Transcript University of the Pacific
3 credits $336 first course list price
Courses4Teachers
Credit for after-school professional work such as curriculum and lesson development, research and reading, plus units for teacher induction training. Pacific says the program has run for more than 25 years.
For Pre-K to 12 teachers nationwide
Transcript University of the Pacific
Specialty subjects
Special education, world languages, speech-language pathology, school leadership and teacher wellness.
Idioma Education
Six-week instructor-facilitated courses in Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, German, Portuguese, Mandarin and world-language pedagogy, plus self-paced options. All online and asynchronous.
For World-language teachers
Transcript University of the Pacific
Mirror Start
Asynchronous courses in school leadership, from aspiring principalship to school improvement.
For Teacher leaders, aspiring principals and administrators
Transcript University of the Pacific
Professional Inspiration
Self-paced courses on teacher wellness, burnout prevention, trauma and growth mindset; Pacific lists each course at 3 units, about 45 hours of coursework.
For Teachers and school staff
Transcript University of the Pacific
Speech Therapy PD
Speech-therapy continuing education with an option to earn graduate-level semester credit for salary advancement and recertification.
For SLPs, SLPAs and educators
Transcript University of the Pacific
SpeechPathology.com
Graduate-level credit on top of a SpeechPathology.com membership; 15 hours of coursework per credit, finished within six months.
For School-based speech-language pathologists
Transcript University of the Pacific
VESi
Self-paced online, 2- or 3-unit courses on special-needs instruction.
Transcript University of the Pacific
3 credits $444 list price
Live, in-person, summer and field courses
Instructor-led terms, week-long institutes, certificate sequences and national-park field study.
Be GLAD certificate
A three-course sequence in Project GLAD language-acquisition and literacy strategies, taken in order.
For Teachers of English learners
Transcript University of the Pacific
Chartwell Teaching Institute
A week-long structured-literacy course accredited by the International Dyslexia Association, plus workshops on executive function and assistive technology.
For Elementary and secondary teachers working with students with dyslexia
Transcript University of the Pacific
Classroom Organization and Management Program (COMP)
COMP workshops on classroom conditions for learning; Pacific awards 3 semester units of professional development credit.
For Teachers attending a COMP workshop
Transcript University of the Pacific
Outdoor Excursions
Geology and natural-history courses built around a field trip to a western national park; attendance on the trip is required.
For Science teachers
Transcript University of the Pacific
Summer Institutes for Educators
Week-long summer workshops with guest speakers, breakout sessions and hands-on applications.
For K-12 teachers who want a summer workshop
Transcript University of the Pacific
Walden Lifelong Learning
Instructor-led terms, set start dates; quarter credits.
Transcript Walden University
Descriptions summarize each provider's own pages. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work. Listing a provider does not mean any district or state has approved it.
Which universities issue the transcripts?
The 16 providers compared on price use 11 different universities, and some let you choose. A district's rule usually names the kind of institution it accepts (regionally or institutionally accredited) and the course level, not a particular university, so the university matters mostly for that accreditation check and for how fast transcripts arrive.
| Transcript university | Providers compared on this site |
|---|---|
| Adams State | CE Credits Online, Credits for Teachers |
| Augustana | CE Credits Online |
| Cal Poly Humboldt | CE Credits Online, Graduate Credit Courses |
| CSU Pueblo | Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for Teachers, For Teachers By Teachers, TLC Graduate Credits |
| Dominican University of California | Dominican CA Online |
| Fresno Pacific University | Fresno Pacific University CE |
| UMass Global | Credits for Teachers, For Teachers By Teachers, Upward Teachers |
| University of La Verne | PD Courses (University of La Verne) |
| University of the Pacific | Teacher Friendly, Credits for Educators, Model Teaching, VESi |
| Valley City State | CE Credits Online, Credits for Teachers |
| Walden University | Walden Lifelong Learning |
| Your choice of university | Model Teaching (six universities), Teaching Channel (eight universities) |
Each university also sets its own unit type. Most issue semester units; Walden issues quarter credits, which districts convert, usually at two-thirds of a semester unit (how the conversion works). For one university in detail, see University of the Pacific professional-development credit.
Questions about choosing a credit provider
Do units from every provider count the same for a lane change?
Not necessarily. Districts set their own rules on course level, accreditation, grading and pre-approval, and some publish lists of providers or universities they accept or decline. Check your district's guide on this site and get written approval before you enroll.
Can I earn credit for curriculum work I am already doing?
Some providers award graduate-level units for documented professional work such as curriculum projects, workshops and travel study. Whether those units count is still your district's or state's decision, so ask before you start.
Which providers are fastest for a deadline?
Stated grading and posting times differ by provider and by university. The comparison lists each provider's published turnaround and any paid rush option; the university's transcript processing adds its own time.
How is the directory ordered?
TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with Teacher Friendly and Credits for Educators, so they appear first in the groups where they fit. Everyone else follows alphabetically. Order is not a ranking: facts and prices for every provider come from the provider's own pages and are shown the same way.
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error