Short answer
How do PGCPS teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Submit the Electronic Salary Lane Change Request Form, then have the college send an official transcript within 48 hours. Grades run from 2 (bachelor's) through 3 (+30 hours), 4 (+45 or master's equivalent), 5 (+30), 6 (+60) and 7 (doctorate). Most requests finish within six pay periods, with retro pay.
Source: PGCPS Salary Lane Change Information (Internet Archive copy, July 30, 2026). Checked .
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How is the PGCPS teacher salary schedule organized?
The Prince George's County Educators' Association (PGCEA) schedules for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 come in three tables: Table A for 10-month teachers, Table B for 11-month and Table C for 12-month. Each has the same six Grades across the top:
- Grade 2: Bachelor's Degree
- Grade 3: Bachelor's + 30 Semester Hours
- Grade 4: Bachelor's + 45 Semester Hours or Master's/Equivalent
- Grade 5: Master's/Equivalent + 30 Semester Hours
- Grade 6: Master's/Equivalent + 60 Semester Hours
- Grade 7: Doctorate
Table A starts at step 04 and runs to step 21. The Grade 2 column stops rising after step 12; from there on, a teacher holding only a bachelor's degree receives the same salary each year until she moves to a higher Grade. Each table refers readers to Article 22 of the PGCEA Negotiated Agreement for more detail.
The district's Salary Scales for Educators page explains both axes. Grade reflects the highest degree earned plus any credits added after it, and Step reflects years of verified teaching experience. A new hire's salary is set by the assigned Human Resources Partner, and conditional candidates start on Table A, Grade 2, whatever their education. Our article on salary lane names explains why the same idea goes by Grade, Lane, Class or Column from one district to the next.
Which units count toward a PGCPS column change?
The Licensure Office's salary lane page sets a mix of graduate-level and other credit for each move:
- Bachelor's +30: 30 additional semester hours. Up to 15 may be undergraduate or approved CPD; the rest must be graduate level. A teacher whose 30 hours are all graduate-level can apply for MAQ instead.
- Bachelor's +45: 45 additional semester hours, with the same 15-hour allowance for undergraduate or CPD credit.
- Master's or Master's Equivalent (MAQ): a master's degree, or 30 qualifying graduate-level credits.
- MA/MAQ +30: a master's, or 30 graduate-level credits from a graduate degree program, plus 30 more qualifying credits.
- Master's +60: a master's or MAQ plus 60 qualifying credits, at least 45 of them graduate level.
- Doctorate / Juris Doctorate: the official transcript must show the degree conferred.
The 15-hour allowance can be spent only once. A teacher who used 15 CPD or undergraduate hours to reach MA or MAQ cannot use any more for the +30 or +60 lanes; a teacher who did not use them still can. The undergraduate hours themselves must have been taken while employed with PGCPS.
Every course must be taken at a regionally accredited school, carry MSDE approval where that applies, and arrive on an official transcript sent by the institution. Quarter hours are converted to semester hours with the district's table. Courses in religion or religious education do not count, and neither do courses or degrees that Maryland does not recognize for certification and that are unrelated to the teacher's school assignment. See units that count for what to look for on a transcript.
Does PGCPS require approval before you take a course?
The district's page describes review after the work is done, not before. Its quick start runs in four steps: submit the electronic request, have the college send the official transcript within 48 hours, wait while requests are reviewed in the order received, and, if approved, receive a salary adjustment and retro pay. Teachers cannot upload their own transcripts.
Two kinds of teachers have an extra step. Holders of a Conditional Certificate or Conditional License stay on the Bachelor's lane and cannot advance until a Professional License is issued; they then submit a new request. Teachers requesting excess graduate credits complete the Excess Credit Form and also submit the electronic request. A denial for missing documents is not final either: the teacher files a new request once the documents are in hand.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
PGCPS sets no annual cutoff; its advice is to submit "as soon as you qualify." The deadline that matters is the 48-hour window for the transcript. If the official transcript has not arrived when the request comes up for review, the request is denied.
On timing, the page says most requests are completed within six pay periods. Retroactive pay is the safeguard against that wait: it is effective from the start of the pay period in which the Licensure Office of Talent Acquisition and Management receives the required documents. A teacher whose packet is complete in early March but approved in May is paid at the new Grade from that March pay period. Our transcript deadlines article covers how to request an official transcript quickly.
Do the same units count toward Maryland license renewal?
Mostly. A Maryland professional license comes up for renewal every five years, and the state asks for 90 PDPs logged under a plan the supervisor approved. Each semester hour of college credit is worth 15 PDPs, and so is each MSDE-approved CPD credit. A teacher who finishes the 30 hours for Grade 3 within one renewal period has earned several times the points she needs, provided the courses fit her plan and the state's four required areas. The Maryland renewal rules set out those areas.
Undergraduate and CPD credit show where the two systems part. Both earn renewal points freely, yet PGCPS caps them at 15 hours toward salary and allows that allowance only once. The guide to renewal credit and salary credit explains the split, and the Maryland state guide compares the Grades here with lanes in other counties.
Where can PGCPS teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, PGCPS 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 PGCPS's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What PGCPS says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | PGCPS: Graduate-level credit; up to 15 hours undergraduate or approved CPD | 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 | PGCPS: None annually; transcript within 48 hours of request | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | PGCPS: Not required; electronic request 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)
- CE Credits Online: self-paced, 180 days, units through Valley City State, Augustana, Adams State or Cal Poly Humboldt; from $449 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 PGCPS has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
PGCPS salary questions teachers ask
Does Prince George's County give back pay for a salary lane change?
Yes. Retroactive pay starts with the pay period in which the Licensure Office receives all required documents.
How long does a PGCPS salary lane change take?
Most requests are completed within six pay periods after submission.
Can CPD credits count toward PGCPS Bachelor's +30?
Yes, up to 15 semester hours of undergraduate or approved CPD credit. The remaining hours must be graduate level.
Can I move lanes on a conditional certificate in PGCPS?
No. Conditional Certificate or Conditional License holders stay on the Bachelor's lane until a Professional License is issued.
Where can PGCPS teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
PGCPS 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, CE Credits Online, 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
- FY-27 PGCEA Tables A, B and C, effective July 1, 2026, Prince George's County Public Schools. Checked
- Salary Scales for Educators, Prince George's County Public Schools, Human Resources. Checked
- Salary Lane Change Information, Prince George's County Public Schools, Licensure (Internet Archive copy captured July 30, 2026; the live page no longer loads). Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error