Short answer
How do School District of Philadelphia teachers move to a higher lane on the salary schedule?
Philadelphia's teacher schedule has four lanes, BA, MA or Equivalent, MA+30 and Doctorate, with steps 1 to 11. Credits beyond a master's move a teacher to MA+30, and placement above the master's lane is subject to the district's approval of the content of the academic work. From September 1, 2026, a teacher with a master's plus 30 credits (or a Ph.D.) on Step 11 qualifies for the Senior Career Teacher schedule.
Source: Collective Bargaining Agreement between the PFT and the School District of Philadelphia, September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2028, Article XII. Checked .
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How is the Philadelphia teacher salary schedule organized?
The PFT's 2026–2027 salary schedule prints the 10-month teacher table with four lanes, BA, MA or Equivalent, MA+30 and Doctorate, and steps 1 to 11, followed by a separate Senior Career Teacher table. The same table covers apprentice and pre-professional teachers, dental hygienists, school nurses and nurse practitioners.
Steps move on an anniversary date. Article XII.B.1 of the agreement gives employees not at the top of their scale an increment on August 16 of 2025, 2026 and 2027, and adds: "Effective August 16, 2025, eligible employees shall receive credit on lanes for approved educational credits, including senior career credits." New teachers with approved outside experience are credited for those years less one (XII.B.2). We do not reproduce the dollar figures; the PFT posts the schedule on its contract page, and how to read a salary schedule explains the layout.
Which units count toward a Philadelphia lane change?
Credits beyond a master's are the clearest case: the schedule's MA+30 lane is named for them, and the agreement uses the phrase "M.A. Degree plus thirty (30) credits" in its new Senior Career route (Article XII.C.4). Article XII.C.1 adds the test for anything above the master's lane: for teachers hired after September 1, 1985, placement "shall be subject to approval of the content of the academic work presented, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld."
The Senior Career Teacher schedule now has two routes in Article XII.C:
- Original route: an M.A. plus sixty credits or a Ph.D., ten years of satisfactory teaching in the district, and dual certification (two subject areas, elementary and secondary, K-12, or regular and special education).
- From September 1, 2026: an M.A. plus thirty credits or a Ph.D., and credit for more than ten years of teaching or other approved relevant experience, shown by placement on Step 11 of the Master's plus 30 or Ph.D./Doctorate lane.
The agreement does not define what makes a teacher "equivalent" to a master's for the second lane. A teacher with only a bachelor's should ask the Office of Talent how credits are treated before relying on them for a lane change. Vocational teachers follow Appendix F, where the Master's Plus 30 level is "Possession of a Vocational II certificate issued by PDE" and Senior Career takes that certificate, ten years of satisfactory teaching in the district and "forty-five (45) approved college credits." Our article on units that count lists general tests.
Does Philadelphia require approval before you take a course?
The agreement frames approval as a review of the academic work presented for placement above the master's lane, not as a form signed before enrollment. Because that review looks at content, the safest course of action is to ask the Office of Talent about a specific course before you pay for it, and keep the reply. The same agreement requires that Act 48 hours beyond the 28 mandated professional development hours be approved by the district, an approval that "shall not be unreasonably withheld" (Article X.B.2). Our article on pre-approval forms explains what to keep.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new lane take effect?
The agreement does not print an annual filing deadline for lane changes. Its only date on the subject is the August 16, 2025 effective date for lane credit for approved educational credits in Article XII.B.1, and step increments fall on the August 16 anniversary date each year. Ask the Office of Talent when to file so a summer course is reflected from the start of the year, and send an official transcript as soon as grades post. Our transcript deadlines article explains why the filing date usually controls pay.
Do the same units count toward Pennsylvania certification?
Yes, in two separate ways. Act 48 keeps a certificate active with 6 collegiate credits, 6 PDE-approved credits or 180 hours every five years, and PDE's Options to Earn Act 48 FAQ values each semester credit at thirty Act 48 hours. Converting a Level I certificate to Level II takes 24 credits after the bachelor's, along with service and induction requirements, according to PDE's Level I to Level II page. Credits taken after a master's can therefore serve Act 48 and the MA+30 lane at once. The Pennsylvania renewal section has the full rules.
Where can Philadelphia teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
Philadelphia's 2025-2028 agreement pays four teacher lanes: BA, MA or Equivalent, MA+30 and Doctorate. Credits beyond a master's count toward MA+30, subject to the district's approval of their content. The agreement does not define the "equivalent" in the second lane, so a teacher with only a bachelor's should ask the Office of Talent before counting on credits alone. Credits also count toward Act 48 and Level II; see the renewal section.
Before you enroll: Article XII.C.1 of Philadelphia's agreement says that for teachers hired after September 1, 1985, "placement on a schedule higher than a Master's degree shall be subject to approval of the content of the academic work presented, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld." Choose courses whose content plainly relates to your teaching, and ask the Office of Talent about a specific course before you enroll.
| Question | What Philadelphia says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | Philadelphia: Credits beyond a master's; content subject to approval | 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 | Philadelphia: Not printed in the agreement | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | Philadelphia: Content approval for placement above MA; ask the Office of Talent first | 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 Philadelphia has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
Philadelphia salary questions teachers ask
Does Philadelphia pay more for credits beyond a master's?
Yes. Thirty credits after a master's move a teacher to the MA+30 lane, subject to the district's approval of the content of the academic work.
Who qualifies for Senior Career Teacher pay?
Under the original route, an M.A. plus sixty credits or a Ph.D., ten years in the district and dual certification. From September 1, 2026, an M.A. plus thirty credits or a Ph.D. with placement on Step 11 of the Master's plus 30 or Doctorate lane also qualifies.
When do Philadelphia step increases happen?
On the August 16 anniversary date each year of the 2025–2028 agreement, for employees not already at the top of their scale.
Do the same credits count for Act 48?
Collegiate credits count toward Act 48 at thirty hours per semester credit. Act 48 and the district's lane rules are separate tests.
Where can Philadelphia teachers take graduate-level courses for salary credit or renewal?
Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the School District of Philadelphia, September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2028, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Checked
- Salary Schedule, 2026–2027 School Year, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Checked
- Contract, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Checked
- Options to Earn Act 48 FAQ, Pennsylvania Department of Education. Checked
- Level I to Level II, Pennsylvania Department of Education. Checked
Reviewed November 12, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error