Short answer
How do Miami-Dade teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
There are no columns to change. Base pay sits on the min/max A0 schedule, and an in-field advanced degree adds a credential payment at one of three levels: Master's, Specialist or Doctorate. Specialist pay also covers 36 graduate semester hours earned after the master's. Teachers file form FM-2095 with official transcripts.
Source: M-DCPS/UTD Contract, Article XXIV and Appendix E, Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Checked .
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How is the Miami-Dade teacher salary schedule organized?
Appendix E of the contract says salaries for certificated staff use "a minimum and a maximum (min/max) salary schedule," and that each teacher's salary is last year's pay plus whatever adjustment the Board and the union negotiate. The A0 schedule covers anyone with at least a bachelor's degree. It comes in three versions: 10-month, Adult/Vocational (set 20 percent above the 10-month figures) and 12-month (3.85 percent below Adult/Vocational).
Each year the district bargains one combined "Grandfathered and Performance A0 Salary Schedule" under section 1012.22, Florida Statutes. Raises are set by group, with separate percentages for grandfathered teachers and for those rated highly effective or effective. On top of base pay, full-time teachers receive a Referendum Retirement Accruing Supplement (RRAS) whose percentage climbs through a tiered chart.
For 2026-27, the successor agreement reached on October 9, 2026 lists A0 minimums and maximums effective August 3, 2026, holds the RRAS percentages at their 2025-26 levels, and continues the referendum-funded 10 percent increase in credential pay. It also directs state Teacher Salary Increase Allocation money to classroom teachers with at least ten years in Florida public schools. UTD members ratified it on October 28, 2026, and the School Board's November 18, 2026 agenda lists it for ratification as a contract running July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. None of its pages rewrite the credential payment article, so the Article XXIV rules below carry forward. For the more common two-axis layout, see how to read a salary schedule.
Which units count toward a Miami-Dade column change?
Pay rises for graduate study only through the credential payment, and Article XXIV, Section 3 sets it at three levels above the bachelor's. Appendix E defines the middle one as a Specialist degree "or equivalent of 36 semester hours" of graduate study beyond the Master's. That is the one place where hours short of a degree raise pay, which is why this guide marks Miami-Dade as partial unit pay. The application form adds that those 36 hours must come from a regionally accredited university after the master's was awarded.
Eligibility rules in Section 3.D decide whether a degree or a course is in-field:
- Subject match. The degree must be in the subject field or position you are assigned to, or one you are certified in. Each course must sit in your area of specialization.
- A route for out-of-field degrees. A teacher who already holds an advanced degree may qualify with 15 graduate semester hours, or the equivalent, in the assigned or certified field. A biology teacher with an MBA, for instance, could add 15 hours of graduate science.
- Fields open to everyone. Graduate work in reading, mathematics, computer education, exceptional student education and ESOL/bilingual education counts as in-field for all personnel.
- Broad subject fields. Language arts takes in literature, composition, speech, drama and journalism. Social studies takes in history, economics, government and psychology.
- Exclusions. Courses in administration and supervision do not apply. The credit has to be earned after the bachelor's and labeled graduate-level, with a course number that matches the university's own graduate numbering.
Section 5 then lists in-field areas by job; an elementary teacher may count elementary or early childhood education, or a core academic subject. Section 3.B adds that later changes in Florida Statutes or State Board Rules shall not affect payments authorized under the article. For the general logic districts use when sorting coursework, see units that count.
Does Miami-Dade require approval before you take a course?
Not for credential pay. The contract sets no pre-approval step for a degree or for the 36 post-master's hours; the review happens when you apply. The form is FM-2095, Application for Credential Payment for Advanced Degree(s), sent to Compensation Administration. It asks for your major, completion date and current teaching assignment. A first-time applicant also needs a supervising administrator's signature verifying that assignment. The district accepts only original documentation, not scans, copies or faxes.
Disputed applications go to a two-member district and union subcommittee, then to the joint Credential Payment Committee. A rejected applicant may resubmit with more documentation. The committee's decision is final and cannot be grieved or taken to arbitration. With no advance sign-off, compare a program's course list with Section 5 before enrolling. Will my district accept it? lists the questions worth asking.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
No annual cutoff appears in the contract. Applications are processed as nearly as possible in the order received, and the form allows four to six weeks. Timing rules come from three clauses:
- Article XXIV, 3.C.1: payment starts at "the beginning of the pay period following issuance of the degree," as shown on the university transcript.
- Article XXIV, 3.C.2: eligibility is complete only when the official application has been filed with Human Resources, with receipt acknowledged and dated by the district, and the coursework is finished before the quarter for which payment is requested.
- Appendix E, 1.B.12.b: new degrees adjust pay at the start of the pay period after all requirements are met.
A finished degree with no application on file has not met the contract's definition of eligibility, so file as soon as the transcript posts. Transcript deadlines covers how other districts handle the same gap.
Do the same units count toward Florida license renewal?
Often, though the two systems count differently. Rule 6A-4.0051 renews a Professional Certificate with 6 semester hours or 120 inservice points in each validity period of up to five years, at 20 points per hour. One hour's worth must address students with disabilities. Article XII of the UTD contract adds a local benefit: ESOL or reading credit beyond six semester hours in one validity period can be carried into later periods. A teacher working out of field on a waiver must show six semester hours toward the certification, or a passing subject-test score, before June 30 of the school year. Graduate courses in your subject can serve renewal and the 36-hour Specialist count at once. Full renewal rules are on the Florida renewal section, and the Florida guide explains the in-field degree limit in section 1012.22.
Where can Miami-Dade teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Miami-Dade 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 Miami-Dade's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
At Miami-Dade, units count toward pay only for some teachers or through a separate award, as units that count explains, so confirm with human resources that the rule applies to you before you enroll. Units can also count toward license renewal; see the renewal section.
| Question | What Miami-Dade says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Miami-Dade: In-field graduate-level credit; 36 hours past the master's = Specialist | 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 | Miami-Dade: None in the contract; four to six weeks to process | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Miami-Dade: None; FM-2095 filed after completion | 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)
- Teaching Channel: self-paced, units through a choice of eight universities; $489 for 3 credits (price notes)
- TLC Graduate Credits: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo; $425 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Upward Teachers: self-paced, 1 to 6 months, letter grade, units through UMass Global; $240 sale for 3 credits (price notes)
- VESi: self-paced online, 2- or 3-unit courses on special-needs instruction, units through University of the Pacific; $444 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 Miami-Dade has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Miami-Dade salary questions teachers ask
Does Miami-Dade pay for graduate-level credits without a finished degree?
Only at the Specialist level. Appendix E counts 36 graduate semester hours beyond the master's as the Specialist equivalent; below that, credits alone do not change pay.
My master's is out of field. Can I still get credential pay?
Article XXIV allows it once you add 15 graduate semester hours, or the equivalent, in the field you teach or are certified in.
What form do I use for Miami-Dade advanced degree pay?
Form FM-2095, sent to Compensation Administration with official transcripts. First-time applicants need a supervising administrator's signature.
Do administration and supervision courses count for Miami-Dade credential pay?
No. Article XXIV lists courses in administration and supervision as not applicable to credential payment.
When does Miami-Dade credential pay start?
At the start of the pay period after the degree is issued, once a dated application is on file; the form allows four to six weeks for processing.
Where can Miami-Dade teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Miami-Dade 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, Teaching Channel, TLC Graduate Credits, Upward Teachers and VESi. 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
- Contract between Miami-Dade County Public Schools and United Teachers of Dade, 2024-2026 reopener, Articles XII, XXIV and XXV and Appendix E, Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Checked
- 2026-2029 Tentative Agreement Successor Contract, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and United Teachers of Dade. Checked
- Agenda item D-22, ratification of the 2026-2029 UTD successor contract, Board meeting of November 18, 2026, School Board of Miami-Dade County. Checked
- Internet Archive copy of FM-2095, Application for Credential Payment for Advanced Degree(s), captured July 17, 2026, Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Checked
- Internet Archive copy of Advanced Degrees Payment, captured August 19, 2025, Compensation Administration, Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Checked
- Florida Statutes 1012.22, Florida Senate text. Checked
- Florida Administrative Code Rule 6A-4.0051. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error