Short answer
How do Cincinnati Public Schools teachers move to a higher class on the salary schedule?
Cincinnati's Schedule C has five classes: II (bachelor's), III (150 semester hours with a bachelor's), IV (master's), V (30 semester hours after the master's) and VI (45 hours after the master's, or a doctorate). Since July 1, 2021, Class V and VI hours may be graduate or undergraduate, as long as undergraduate hours were earned after that date and do not duplicate earlier coursework. Three Ohio-approved CEUs count as one semester hour toward Class III or Class V.
Source: Cincinnati Board of Education–CFT Collective Bargaining Agreement, July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2028, Appendix A. Checked .
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How is the Cincinnati teacher salary schedule organized?
Appendix A of the 2025–2028 agreement prints Schedule C, effective July 1, 2025, with five classes across the top, labeled BA, BA+150, MA, MA+30 and MA+45 or PhD, and steps 1 to 30 down the side. The agreement binds the parties from July 1, 2025 through December 31, 2028.
Steps come with service. Under §700, a teacher paid for at least 120 days in a year is eligible for an increment at the start of the next school year, and increments take effect only at the beginning of a contract year. New hires get one year of credit for each year of teaching experience up to ten. A new hire with a master's that ran past 34 semester hours has the extra hours "added towards their Master's Plus 30." We do not reproduce the dollar figures; our guide to reading a salary schedule walks through the grid.
Which units count toward a Cincinnati class change?
The class definitions in Appendix A of the agreement set the tests:
- Class III: "all teachers who possess 150 semester hours with a Bachelor's Degree."
- Class V: 30 semester hours after the master's. Since July 1, 2021 these may be "graduate or undergraduate (providing the undergraduate hours are earned after July 1, 2021, and those hours are not duplicative of prior coursework)." For hours earned between September 1991 and that change, the older rule required an area related to a teaching certificate or "clearly of direct benefit to one's current teaching assignment."
- Class VI: 45 semester hours after the master's on the same terms, or an earned doctorate in an area related to the teaching certificate.
Continuing education units have their own paragraph. "Three CEU's are equivalent to one semester hour on the salary schedule," the CEUs must be approved by the Ohio Department of Education, and a teacher may apply them toward Class III after the bachelor's or Class V after the master's. "CEU's are not acceptable for Master's or Doctorate equivalence." So 90 approved CEUs stand for the 30 hours of Class V. Our article on clock hours, CEUs and semester credits covers the conversions.
Does Cincinnati require approval before you take a course?
The class definitions in Appendix A of the agreement set no pre-approval step for semester hours. The tests are applied to the transcript: the timing (after the bachelor's or after the master's), the non-duplication rule, and for CEUs, Ohio Department of Education approval.
Non-duplication is the rule most likely to catch a teacher out: a course that repeats one already on your transcript does not add hours. Keep a list of your post-master's courses and their titles before choosing new ones. Our will my district accept it checklist lists questions for Human Resources.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new class take effect?
The agreement sets a deadline for new hires. Under §700, a teacher hired before the start of the school year "shall have until October 1st to turn in all employment verifications and transcripts" to set the pay step and classification with retroactive pay; a teacher hired after the start of the year has sixty calendar days. The agreement does not print a separate filing window for current teachers moving to a new class, so ask Human Resources when to file before you finish a block of hours.
§200 adds one protection: a continuing contract is not withheld because a transcript is delayed. Our transcript deadlines article explains why filing early protects pay.
Do the same units count toward Ohio license renewal?
Often, through your Local Professional Development Committee. Ohio's renewal rule, OAC 3302-24-08, asks an employed teacher for six semester hours, 18 CEUs or other LPDC-approved activities during the license term, tied to an approved Individual Professional Development Plan. Cincinnati's rate of three CEUs per semester hour matches the state's conversion chart, so the same hours can move a class and renew a license if the LPDC approves them. The Ohio renewal section has the full rules.
Where can Cincinnati teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Cincinnati says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Cincinnati: Semester hours, graduate or undergraduate; 3 approved CEUs = 1 hour | 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 | Cincinnati: New hires: October 1; no window printed for current teachers | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Cincinnati: No pre-approval step in the agreement | 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 Cincinnati has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Cincinnati salary questions teachers ask
Does Cincinnati pay more for credits beyond a master's degree?
Yes. Thirty semester hours after the master's moves a teacher to Class V, and 45 moves a teacher to Class VI, the same class as a doctorate.
Do the hours have to be graduate-level?
Not since July 1, 2021. Class V and VI hours may be graduate or undergraduate, provided undergraduate hours were earned after that date and do not duplicate earlier coursework.
Do CEUs count on the Cincinnati schedule?
Yes, at three Ohio-approved CEUs per semester hour, toward Class III or Class V. They do not count toward a master's or doctorate equivalence.
When must a new hire turn in transcripts?
By October 1 for a teacher hired before the school year starts, or within sixty calendar days for a teacher hired after it starts, to receive retroactive pay.
Where can Cincinnati teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Cincinnati 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 the Cincinnati Board of Education and the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2028, including Appendix A Schedule C, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers. Checked
- CFT CBA, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers. Checked
- Ohio Administrative Code 3302-24-08, Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules. Checked
- Professional Development Conversion Chart, State Board of Education of Ohio. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error