Short answer
How do Tulsa Public Schools teachers move to a higher lane on the salary schedule?
Tulsa's 2025–2026 schedule has five education lanes: Bachelors, Masters, Masters +30, Masters +60 and Doctorate, each with a National Board version. Hours beyond the master's move a teacher to Masters +30 or +60; graduate, undergraduate (generally up to 18 per lane) and continuing education hours can count, at 15 CE hours per credit hour. The change is made once after the school year begins, with evidence due to the Chief Talent Officer by the last day of September, or by the last day of February for a second-semester move.
Source: TPS–TCTA master contract, sections II(K) and V(D), and 2025–2026 teacher salary schedule, Tulsa Public Schools. Checked .
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How is the Tulsa teacher salary schedule organized?
The 2025–2026 teacher salary schedule, approved November 17, 2025, has two panels. The first runs Bachelors, Masters, Masters +30, Masters +60 and Doctorate; the second repeats each lane with National Board certification. Steps run from 0 to 35.
The schedule's notes add career increments after 15, 20, 25, 30, 34 and 37 years of creditable service, up to five years of credit for prior active military service, and, from 2023–24, credit for all OSDE-verified in-state and out-of-state experience for new hires. The district's compensation page links the current schedule. We do not reproduce the dollar figures; how to read a salary schedule walks through a two-panel grid.
Which units count toward a Tulsa lane change?
Section II(K) of the master contract moves a teacher horizontally on "acquiring the required number of approved hours or a degree." Section V(D), "Professional Improvement," defines the hours:
- What qualifies: "Generally, all undergraduate, with their below described requirements, graduate or continuing education courses will be acceptable."
- Undergraduate cap: 18 undergraduate hours on the Masters +30 scale and another 18 on the Masters +60 scale. The cap is waived when a new certification area needs more, Computer Science and Foreign Language allow up to 24, and the Chief Talent Officer can approve more on request.
- Online courses: "Correspondence/online courses offered by accredited colleges and universities will be evaluated by the District."
- No repeats: courses that duplicate ones already credited are not approved.
- Continuing education: OSDE continuing education courses are evaluated by the district. Fifteen CE hours equal one credit hour, earned outside contract hours, with no stipend received for the class.
- No semester cap: the number of hours taken in a semester is not limited.
A master's program that runs 30 hours beyond the standard program counts as Masters +30 on its own. Our article on clock hours, CEUs and semester credits shows how the 15-to-1 conversion compares with other districts.
Does Tulsa require approval before you take a course?
The master contract asks teachers to route questions through one office. Section V(D)(10) of the master contract says inquiries about continuing education, undergraduate and graduate courses, Masters +30 or +60 adjustments, or accumulated credit "must be directed to the Chief Talent Officer or designee." It does not set a form that must be signed before enrollment, but hours count only once approved, and online courses are evaluated individually. A written question to Talent Management before you register, with the course description, is the practical step. Our will my district accept it checklist lists what to include.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new lane take effect?
Section V(D) of the master contract sets the timing:
- Once a year: changes for an advanced degree or for Masters +30 or +60 hours "are made only once after the school year begins."
- Fall: item 8, which also lets a master's program that runs 30 hours past the standard count as Masters +30, says "Evidence of the changed status must be on file with the Chief Talent Officer or designee by the last day of September." The adjusted salary is retroactive to the beginning of the school year once the updated teacher's certificate is submitted to Talent Management.
- Mid-year: teachers who complete the Masters, Masters +30, Masters +60 or Doctorate during the first semester move for the second semester at one half of the yearly adjustment, with evidence on file by the last day of February.
Teachers must notify the Chief Talent Officer in writing and file evidence by these dates. Summer coursework should be on transcripts well before the end of September. Our transcript deadlines article has tips.
Do the same units count toward Oklahoma certificate renewal?
College hours can. Under OAC 210:20-9-96, a five-year standard certificate renews with three years of school experience during its term, and missing years can be replaced with 3, 4 or 5 semester hours of college coursework in professional education or the teacher's specialization from an accredited institution. That option names college coursework, so continuing education hours that Tulsa converts for pay are a different thing from the semester hours the rule describes. The OSDE renewal page and the Oklahoma renewal section have the details.
Where can Tulsa teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Tulsa 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 Tulsa's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Tulsa pays for hours short of a degree only above a master's: its 2025-2026 schedule has Masters +30 and Masters +60 lanes but no hour lanes between Bachelors and Masters. A teacher with a bachelor's moves by finishing a master's; a teacher with a master's can move with approved hours, as units that count explains. Hours can also count toward Oklahoma renewal; see the renewal section.
Before you enroll: Tulsa's master contract (V(D)(1)) says: "Correspondence/online courses offered by accredited colleges and universities will be evaluated by the District." Online hours are reviewed course by course rather than accepted automatically, so send the course description to Talent Management before you enroll.
| Question | What Tulsa says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Tulsa: Graduate, undergraduate or CE hours after a master's; 15 CE hours = 1 credit 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 | Tulsa: Last day of September or February | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Tulsa: Ask the Chief Talent Officer; online courses evaluated individually | 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)
- 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)
- TLC Graduate Credits: self-paced, units through CSU Pueblo; $425 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 Tulsa has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Tulsa salary questions teachers ask
Does Tulsa pay for credits beyond a bachelor's degree?
Not until the master's. The schedule has no hour lanes between Bachelors and Masters; hours count toward Masters +30 and Masters +60.
Do online courses count in Tulsa?
The master contract says correspondence and online courses from accredited colleges and universities "will be evaluated by the District," so ask Talent Management about a specific course first.
How do continuing education hours convert?
Fifteen continuing education hours equal one credit hour, if earned outside contract hours and without a stipend for the class.
What is the Tulsa lane change deadline?
The last day of September for a change retroactive to the start of the year, or the last day of February for a second-semester move at half the yearly adjustment.
Where can Tulsa teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Tulsa 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, Model Teaching, PD Courses (University of La Verne), Teaching Channel and TLC Graduate Credits. 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 contract between Tulsa Public Schools and the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association, Tulsa Public Schools. Checked
- Policies, Handbooks, and Bargaining Agreements, Tulsa Public Schools Talent Management. Checked
- 2025–2026 Salary Schedule, Teachers, Tulsa Public Schools. Checked
- Compensation, Tulsa Public Schools Talent Management. Checked
- Okla. Admin. Code 210:20-9-96, Legal Information Institute. Checked
- Renew Your Teacher Certification, Oklahoma State Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error