Short answer
How do Utica Community Schools teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Utica pays on five columns: BA, MA, MA+15, education specialist or second MA, and doctorate. A teacher with a master's moves to MA+15 with 15 semester hours of graduate-level courses completed after the MA was issued. Other columns need a completed degree. Official transcripts are due by the second Friday in November.
Source: Utica master agreement 2025-2028, Appendix II. Checked .
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How is the Utica teacher salary schedule organized?
The master agreement between Utica Community Schools and the Utica Education Association runs from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2028. Its salary schedules (Appendices IIIA to IIIC) list five columns:
- BA and MA, set by degree.
- MA+15, the column credit hours can reach.
- EDS/5, the specialist or second academic MA schedule.
- PHD, the doctorate column.
Appendix II sets a 184-day work year and says the Superintendent may place a newly employed teacher, or one returning after a break of a year or more, at any step. For 2025-26 the agreement removes the 2024-25 steps 0 to 0.5 and gives step-eligible teachers one full step. Appendix II also pays a flat add-on for a second MA or education specialist degree and for a doctorate earned after 1996; the dollar figures are in the agreement and we do not reproduce them. For reading a grid, see how to read a salary schedule.
Which units count toward a Utica column change?
Appendix II, Salary Placement, sets the rules for each column:
- BA+15 requires 15 semester hours after provisional certification, but "is applicable only to teachers employed and working prior to July 1, 1972." For anyone hired since, the move from BA is a completed master's.
- MA+15: "These courses must be on the graduate level and completed after the issuance of the MA."
- Long master's programs. A master's that itself totals 60 graduate hours places a teacher on MA+15. If the master's totals 46 to 60 hours, the teacher may reach MA+15 by earning the hours needed to total 60.
- Specialist or second MA: the courses must lead to the degree, or be part of a doctoral program (five years are allowed), and "Second MA must be for courses approved in advance by the Superintendent."
Degrees have their own accreditation rule. Appendix II says that beginning July 1, 2025, an MA, EdS, PhD or EdD may come from any university accredited by an agency the U.S. Department of Education recognizes as an institutional accreditor, with no retroactive pay for time before that date. The agreement does not state a separate accreditation test for MA+15 course hours.
Worked example without dollars: a teacher whose master's was 36 hours needs 15 graduate-level semester hours, all completed after the MA was issued, to move to MA+15. Courses finished before the degree date do not count. A teacher whose master's was 50 hours needs 10. Our comparison of a master's versus credits covers the trade-off for teachers still on BA.
Does Utica require approval before you take a course?
For MA+15 hours, the agreement does not require approval in advance; the test is the graduate level of the course, its completion after the MA, and the official transcript. Advance approval is required for one route: courses toward a second academic MA must be "approved in advance by the Superintendent." If you are unsure how a course will be treated, ask Human Resources in writing before you enroll; our will my district accept it checklist covers what to ask.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Appendix II sets one date: "2nd FRIDAY NOVEMBER DEADLINE - Only official transcripts (non-student copies) will be accepted by the above captioned date as evidence to qualify for advance degree or extra hour salary schedule allowances." Student copies do not count. The agreement adds that exceptions are approved only by the Human Resources Department, "whose decision shall be final and not subject to the grievance procedure."
The agreement does not state the effective date of a column change in Appendix II. Order official transcripts well before the second Friday in November; our page on transcript deadlines explains why a few weeks of lead time matters.
Do the same units count toward Michigan certificate renewal?
Yes, if they fit the certificate. The Michigan Department of Education renews a Professional Teaching Certificate every five years with 150 professional learning hours, and six semester credits from a regionally accredited college, appropriate to the certificate, meet the whole requirement. Utica's agreement also offers 30 hours a year of District Provided Professional Development under MCL 380.1527 (Article XXII), which count toward the same 150 hours. Conversion rates and MOECS filing steps are in the Michigan renewal section of our Michigan guide.
Where can Utica teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Utica 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 Utica's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
At Utica, credit hours short of a degree move pay only for a teacher who already holds a master's: 15 graduate-level semester hours completed after the MA move that teacher to the MA+15 column. A teacher on the BA column changes columns by finishing a master's degree, because the BA+15 schedule applies only to teachers employed before July 1, 1972 (see units that count). Units can also count toward Michigan certificate renewal; see the renewal section.
| Question | What Utica says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Utica: Graduate level, after the MA; 15 semester hours for MA+15 | 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 | Utica: Second Friday in November; official transcripts only | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Utica: Not for MA+15 hours; required for second-MA 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)
- Connected Classroom Courses: self-paced, letter grade, units through CSU Pueblo; $389 + university fee for 3 credits (price notes)
- Credits for Teachers: self-paced, 6 months, units through Valley City State, Adams State, UMass Global or CSU Pueblo; from $349 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Dominican CA Online: self-paced, units through Dominican University of California; $477 for 3 credits (price notes)
- For Teachers By Teachers: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo or UMass Global; $285 CSU Pueblo 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 Utica has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Utica salary column questions teachers ask
Can credits move a Utica teacher off the BA column?
Not for teachers hired since July 1, 1972. The BA+15 schedule applies only to teachers employed before then, so the move from BA is a completed master's.
How many hours does Utica's MA+15 column take?
Fifteen semester hours of graduate-level courses completed after the MA was issued, or fewer if the master's itself was 46 to 60 hours, enough to reach 60 in total.
When are transcripts due in Utica?
By the second Friday in November. Only official transcripts are accepted, not student copies.
Do courses for a second MA need approval in Utica?
Yes. Appendix II says a second MA must be for courses approved in advance by the Superintendent.
Where can Utica teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Utica 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, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for Teachers, Dominican CA Online and For Teachers By Teachers. 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
- Master agreement, July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2028, Utica Community Schools and Utica Education Association, Article XXII and Appendices II and III. Checked
- Professional Teaching Certificate Renewal, Michigan Department of Education. Checked
- MCL 380.1527, Professional development, Michigan Legislature. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error