Short answer
How do Columbus City Schools teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
Columbus has a "150 Hours and Bachelor's" track and a "Master's Degree Plus 30 Semester Hours" track. The first needs 150 total semester hours (225 quarter hours); the second needs 30 semester hours earned after the master's, in graduate-level courses in education or generally related to your area of certification. Placement takes effect the earning period after Human Resources receives your official transcripts.
Source: Columbus Board of Education–CEA Master Agreement 2025–2028, Article 901 and the Application for Salary Change form, filed with the State Employment Relations Board. Checked .
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How is the Columbus teacher salary schedule organized?
Article 902 of the 2025–2028 master agreement prints an indexed teacher schedule with six tracks: Pre-License Bachelor's, Bachelor's, 150 Hours and Bachelor's, Master's, Master's + 30 Semester Hours, and Ph.D. Years of experience run down the side from 0. Each cell is a multiple of the base salary, so a raise to the base moves every cell.
Experience counts in full years. Under Article 901.02, a full increment needs 120 or more school days in the year. Article 901.07 credits outside teaching experience in full up to ten years, with up to five more at the Talent Department's discretion for a vacancy on the high-needs list. Article 901.12 pays the Ph.D. track a set percentage above Master's+30 for the early years of experience. We do not reproduce the dollar figures; our guide to reading a salary schedule explains indexed grids.
Which units count toward a Columbus column change?
It depends on the track. The district's "Application for Salary Change Due to Training Beyond the Bachelor's Degree," printed in the agreement, sets the tests:
- Bachelor's Plus (150 hours): "Total credit hours must equal 150 semester hours or 225 quarter hours," shown on official transcripts of all credits after the bachelor's. The form sets no level or subject test for this track.
- Master's Degree plus 30: 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours. "Credits must be graduate-level courses in education or graduate level courses generally related to your area of certification. All credits toward this increment must be AFTER the date of the master's degree."
The agreement says the same in its own words. Article 901.08 bases Master's+30 eligibility on "credit earned after the date of the master's degree," and Article 901.09 grants it for "graduate study in the field of education or graduate study which is generally related to the teacher's area of certification." Article 901.06 adds that "Recognition of training shall be on the basis of transcripts of credit." The form treats 1.5 quarter hours as one semester hour (45 for 30, 225 for 150); our quarter versus semester units guide shows the arithmetic.
Does Columbus require approval before you take a course?
The agreement and the salary-change form do not require approval before you enroll. The review happens when you apply: Human Resources checks the transcripts against the track's tests, and you "will receive a confirmation email indicating your new salary and the date for Board approval," according to the form.
That puts the burden on you to choose coursework that clearly fits. For Master's+30, a course that is graduate-level and plainly about education or your licensure area is the safe reading of the rule. If a course sits at the edge, ask Human Resources before you pay for it; our will my district accept it checklist covers what to ask.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
Columbus has no annual cutoff. Article 901.02(C) of the agreement says: "Salary column placement for training beyond the bachelor's degree shall be effective the earning period following the submission of the required documentation to the Human Resources Department." Every pay period you wait to file is a pay period at the old rate.
The form has two practical instructions. For degree changes it says not to have the college mail transcripts to Human Resources; request official transcripts sent to you and attach them. And if your certificate expires June 30 of the current school year and you plan to renew with the same coursework, submit "SEPARATE OFFICIAL transcripts for BOTH increments AND renewal of certification or licensure." Our transcript deadlines article explains why filing dates control pay.
Do the same units count toward Ohio license renewal?
They can, with the Local Professional Development Committee in between. 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 Individual Professional Development Plan the LPDC approved. A graduate-level education course that fits your plan can count toward renewal and toward the Columbus 150-hour or Master's+30 track, provided you file a separate official transcript for each purpose. The Ohio renewal section has the full rules.
Where can Columbus teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Columbus 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 Columbus's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
| Question | What Columbus says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Columbus: Semester or quarter hours; Master's+30: graduate-level, education-related | 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 | Columbus: None; any time; official transcripts attached | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Columbus: Not required; HR reviews transcripts on application | 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)
- 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)
- Teaching Channel: self-paced, units through a choice of eight universities; $489 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 Columbus has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Columbus salary questions teachers ask
Does Columbus pay more for credits beyond a bachelor's degree?
Yes. Reaching 150 total semester hours with a bachelor's moves a teacher to the 150 Hours and Bachelor's track. After a master's, 30 more semester hours move a teacher to Master's+30.
Do Master's+30 hours have to be graduate-level?
Yes. The district's form says they must be graduate-level courses in education or generally related to your area of certification, earned after the date of the master's.
When does a Columbus column change start?
The earning period after Human Resources receives the required documentation. There is no annual deadline, so file as soon as the transcript is official.
Can the same transcript count for pay and license renewal?
The coursework can, but the form asks for separate official transcripts for the salary change and for renewal.
Where can Columbus teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Columbus 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, Graduate Credit Courses, Model Teaching, PD Courses (University of La Verne) and Teaching Channel. 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 between the Columbus Board of Education and the Columbus Education Association, 2025–2028, including Article 902 schedules and the Application for Salary Change form, State Employment Relations Board filing. Checked
- Ohio Administrative Code 3302-24-08, Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error