Short answer
How do San Diego Unified teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
San Diego Unified pays five salary grades: 010 (BA), 011 (BA+36 or MA), 012 (BA+60), 013 (BA+72) and 014 (BA+90). Units must be upper-division or graduate-level and earned after the BA. Units finished by September 30 and filed by November 15 count from the first day of contract service.
Source: SDEA–SDUSD Collective Bargaining Agreement 2025-2027, Appendix A (union-hosted copy). Checked .
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How is the San Diego Unified teacher salary schedule organized?
The teacher schedule is Salary Plan 0160 in Appendix A of the 2025-2027 agreement. The table effective July 1, 2026 lists annual rates for a 184-day contract year. Columns are called salary grades and carry three-digit codes:
- 010: bachelor's degree.
- 011: BA+36 semester units, or a master's.
- 012: BA+60, or BA+54 with a master's.
- 013: BA+72, or MA+66.
- 014: BA+90, or MA+84, or a doctorate.
Rows are steps 01 through 17, followed by longevity steps 71 through 76, with a longevity stipend built into step 76. Grade 010 stops climbing at step 11, which is one reason a teacher with only a bachelor's has an incentive to reach 011. The gap between columns is fixed in units, so it helps to read the table the way how to read a salary schedule describes: find your step, then look one grade to the right.
A master's degree is a shortcut, not a separate lane. On its own it places a teacher in 011, and each higher grade lists a master's-based alternative beside the BA unit count.
Which units count toward a San Diego Unified column change?
The Salary Rules for Appendix A are specific. Section 2.00 requires degrees and units from regularly accredited institutions, meaning schools in the United States fully accredited by a U.S. accrediting association, posted on an official transcript in semester, quarter or trimester units. Foreign units count once a U.S. registrar certifies them as equivalent.
Section 2.021 then sets three tests. A creditable course is taken for credit at an accredited institution; it carries a number in the institution's regular upper-division or graduate series; and it is in the teacher's major or minor, related to a current or potential district assignment, or a substantial increase in skill. Coursework must come after the bachelor's date (2.01), with two exceptions: work done after meeting degree requirements but before conferral, if the registrar certifies it was not part of the degree (2.025), and credential coursework taken alongside the bachelor's, if certified (2.026).
Other routes into the unit count:
- District professional development after the duty day, in lieu of pay: 1 semester unit per 15 hours (2.022).
- SDEA-sponsored professional development: 15 hours equal 1 unit (2.028).
- National Board certification: 4 units (2.0210).
- Summer work experience: up to 8 units, applied for by June 30 (2.04).
A repeated course counts only if five years have passed (2.029). Hour-to-unit conversion of CEUs and PDUs at 10 hours per two-thirds of a unit applies only to counselors, library media teachers and nurses (2.024), so classroom teachers should not count on it.
Section 2.051 C converts everything to semester units and rounds a half or more up: 35½ units count as 36. A teacher at BA+30 who takes 9 quarter units adds 6 semester units and lands exactly on 011. Our units that count guide explains upper-division numbering if your transcript is unclear.
Does San Diego Unified require approval before you take a course?
Upper-division and graduate-level credit from an accredited school needs no form in advance, but section 2.03 puts the burden on you: teachers are to make sure degrees and courses qualify before enrolling and paying fees.
Everything outside that lane goes to review. Under 2.023, lower-division, extension, professional, continuing-education and travel courses count only if Human Resources Services or the Certificated Salary Evaluating Committee approves them. Teachers apply individually and explain the course's value. The committee has equal members from the bargaining unit and management, is chaired by Human Resources, and takes applications through June 30 of the current school year (5.00). See pre-approval forms for what a strong request usually includes.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Section 2.051 sets two windows:
- Fall: units posted as completed by September 30 and a transcript filed on or before November 15 move you to the new column from the first date of contract service in that school year.
- Winter: units completed by January 31 and filed on or before March 15 move you on February 1.
File after either date and the move takes effect on the first of the month after the district receives the transcript. A transcript received after June 30 waits for the first day of contract service in the following school year (2.052). Degrees count from the conferral date on the transcript, or from the date a registrar certifies that every requirement was met (2.053).
Example: a teacher finishes a summer course in August and files the transcript on November 10. The new grade applies from the first contract day of that year. Filed on December 4 instead, the same units move pay on January 1.
Do the same units count toward California license renewal?
No coursework is needed to keep a clear California credential. Leaflet CL-494 from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing says a clear credential may be renewed without additional course work, online, within one year before it expires. Units filed with San Diego Unified are a pay decision only. Our California state guide covers the renewal rules in full.
Where can San Diego Unified teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, San Diego Unified included, decides for itself whether a course counts for the purpose a teacher needs it for: a column move, a stipend, license renewal or an added endorsement. No provider, university or website can make that decision, so the rules above come first, and written approval from San Diego Unified's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Before you enroll: Non-degree professional development units are the kind of extension, professional and continuing-education coursework that section 2.023 sends to review, so ask Human Resources Services or the Certificated Salary Evaluating Committee to approve a course before you pay for it.
| Question | What San Diego Unified says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | San Diego Unified: Upper-division or graduate-level, after the BA; quarter units converted | Semester or quarter units, graduate-level or not, and the university named on the transcript and its accreditor |
| Grade | See units that count | Letter grade or pass/fail on the transcript |
| Deadline | San Diego Unified: November 15 or March 15 | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | San Diego Unified: Only for lower-division, extension and similar courses | Course descriptions or syllabi you can attach to an approval form |
| Price | Not set by the district | All-in price per credit, including any university or first-course fee (compare) |
Graduate-level credit providers, listed with the same facts
With those rules in hand, compare providers on the same points. Providers listed on this site, each with the same facts:
- Teacher Friendly: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $336 first course for 3 credits (price notes)
- Credits for Educators: self-paced online, units through University of the Pacific; $297 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Fresno Pacific University CE: self-paced, up to 1 year, units through Fresno Pacific University; ≈$475 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Graduate Credit Courses: self-paced, units through Cal Poly Humboldt; $570 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Model Teaching: self-paced, 1 year, units through a choice of six universities, including University of the Pacific; $359 for 3 credits (price notes)
- PD Courses (University of La Verne): online or pdf, semester-based, units through University of La Verne; $420 for 3 credits (price notes)
The provider directory lists 28 providers and programs by what teachers need them for, and Compare sets published prices for 16 of them side by side, with transcripts from 11 universities. A listing on this site does not mean San Diego Unified has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
San Diego Unified salary questions teachers ask
What is the San Diego Unified transcript deadline for a column change?
November 15 for units completed by September 30, and March 15 for units completed by January 31. Later filings move pay on the first of the month after receipt.
Does San Diego Unified accept quarter units?
Yes. Units are converted to semester units, and a half unit or more rounds up to the next whole number.
Do lower-division or extension courses count?
Only with approval from Human Resources Services or the Certificated Salary Evaluating Committee, under section 2.023 of the Salary Rules.
How many units does National Board certification add?
Four units, under section 2.0210 of the Salary Rules for Appendix A.
Where can San Diego Unified teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
San Diego Unified decides which courses count, under the rules on this page, so check with human resources before you enroll. Providers that teachers compare include Teacher Friendly, Credits for Educators, Fresno Pacific University CE, Graduate Credit Courses, Model Teaching and PD Courses (University of La Verne). They differ in format, transcript university, grading time and price; the provider directory and the Compare page list 16 providers with the same facts for each.
Sources
- Collective Bargaining Agreement between San Diego Unified School District and San Diego Education Association, July 1, 2025–June 30, 2027: Appendix A, Salary Plan 0160 and Salary Rules (union-hosted copy). Checked
- Renewal and Reissuance of Credentials (CL-494), California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error