Short answer
How do South Carolina teachers renew a certificate and move up the salary schedule?
South Carolina renews a professional certificate, typically valid five school years, with 120 renewal credits; one semester hour counts as 20. Pay columns follow the certificate class: Bachelor's, Master's, Master's+30 or Doctorate. Moving up a class means requesting an upgrade from the SC Department of Education with official transcripts, and online coursework needs pre-approval at least 45 days before enrollment.
Source: SCDE Certificate Class Levels. Checked .
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How do you renew a South Carolina teaching certificate?
The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) explains the process on Renewing a Professional Certificate. The certificate is valid "typically" for five school years, and renewal takes 120 renewal credits earned during that period.
- Open to everyone: Options 1 to 3, which are college coursework, SCDE-approved renewal courses and SCDE-approved CEUs.
- Only for employees of an SC public district or renewal entity: Options 4 to 9, covering professional learning, publications, teaching courses, serving as an assessor, mentoring and projects.
- How to file: Employed educators give documentation to their employer, which requests the renewal. Others apply through the My SC Educator Portal.
- After expiration: A certificate can be renewed up to ten school years after it expires, using credits from the five years before the request.
For teachers outside a public district, that split matters: college coursework, approved renewal courses and approved CEUs are the routes available, so six semester hours, or a mix of courses and CEUs, meets the requirement. Renewal also carries the state's Read to Succeed and Jason Flatt Act requirements, which SCDE lists on the same page.
SCDE's Renewal Credit Options page sets the conversions:
- 1 semester hour = 20 renewal credits, so six semester hours cover the full 120.
- 1 quarter hour = 13 renewal credits.
- 1 CEU = 10 renewal credits.
- 1 contact hour = 1 renewal credit; projects must be at least 5 hours long.
College coursework must come "through an institution meeting State Board accreditation requirements," appear on an official transcript, and earn "a grade of C or better" or a pass. It must relate to the certification field, a field the educator is pursuing, or the educator's professional goals.
The license renewal hub sets South Carolina's 120-credit cycle beside other states, and quarter versus semester units explains why a quarter hour counts for less.
How do South Carolina teachers move to a higher salary lane?
South Carolina has a statewide minimum. SCDE posts the FY 2026-27 State Minimum Teacher Salary Schedule, with columns by certificate class (8 Doctorate, 7 Masters+30, 1 Masters, 3 Bachelors) and rows for years of experience from 0 to 28 and up. The same SCDE page also posts each district's minimum schedule.
The column comes from the certificate. SCDE's Certificate Class Levels page, under State Board Regulation 43-53, says the class "determines, in part, the level at which an educator is compensated." The classes are Bachelor's, Master's, Master's+30 and Doctorate, and the MA+30 class can be earned five ways:
- 30 graduate-level semester hours beyond the master's, at least 21 of them in one concentration (in or outside the initial area), completed within seven years of starting or revalidated;
- a second master's degree;
- a specialist's degree;
- a single master's degree of 60 or more graduate-level hours; or
- a master's of 51 or more hours, topped up to 60 in one concentration within seven years of conferral.
Schools must be institutionally accredited or approved by the State Board or nationally. For online coursework or programs, SCDE requires pre-approval through the portal "at least 45 days prior to enrollment," and approval "cannot be given via phone or email." To advance, the educator requests a class change in the portal with official transcripts.
Renewal credit and class change are different tests. Six semester hours renew a certificate, but MA+30 needs 30 graduate-level hours with a 21-hour concentration and a seven-year window, and online work needs pre-approval first.
Our guides to pre-approval forms and graduate-level course types help with the paperwork before you start.
What do the largest South Carolina districts require?
Greenville County Schools
Read the full Greenville County guide →
The FY2026-27 teacher salary schedule adds a Bachelor's+18 column to the state classes and runs from 0 to 38+ years. The district's Certification and Professional Development Handbook (revised 2026) ties pay changes to the certificate itself.
- Columns: Doctorate, Master's+30, Master's, Bachelor's+18 and Bachelor's.
- Pay changes are processed "only from the updated certificate"; a transcript "cannot replace the certificate."
- Timing: the effective date on the SCDE certificate starts the change; July 1 dates begin with the first pay of the next school year, and changes "cannot be entered for previous school years."
- Transcripts go from the college directly to HR; out-of-district in-service must be submitted within 180 days.
Charleston County School District
The FY2026 190-day teacher salary schedule runs steps 0 to 40, and the schedule notes that teachers at steps 0 to 4 are placed at step 5.
- Columns: Bachelor's, Bachelor's+18, Master's, Master's+30 and Doctorate.
- Responsibility: "it is the responsibility of the employee to notify Human Resources when an update is made to a certificate," including degree level.
- Non-teaching work: under Act 29 of 2025, one year of credit per two years of related full-time work, starting in 2026-27 and not retroactive, per a February 19, 2026 FAQ.
Full district guides for South Carolina
Before you enroll
- Decide which goal the course serves. Renewal needs 120 credits; a class change to MA+30 needs 30 graduate-level hours with a 21-hour concentration.
- Pre-approve online work. Submit it through the My SC Educator Portal at least 45 days before enrollment.
- Check accreditation and grades. SCDE needs an accredited institution, an official transcript and a C or better or a pass.
- Ask HR about district columns. Greenville and Charleston still print a Bachelor's+18 column. SCDE defines BA+18 as 18 graduate semester hours related to professional education or a certification field, and the state has dropped it from its minimum schedule, so ask HR how the column is paid.
- Update the certificate, then tell HR. Greenville pays from the certificate's effective date and will not backdate to past school years.
The provider directory groups semester-credit providers by need, and the comparison table shows their costs and formats side by side.
South Carolina questions teachers ask
How many renewal credits does a South Carolina teacher need?
120 renewal credits during the certificate's validity period, typically five school years. One semester hour counts as 20, so six semester hours cover it.
How do I move to the Master's+30 class in South Carolina?
Earn 30 graduate-level semester hours beyond the master's with 21 in one concentration within seven years, or another listed route such as a second master's or a specialist's degree. Then request the class change in the My SC Educator Portal with official transcripts.
Do online courses need approval for a class change?
Yes. SCDE requires online coursework or programs to be pre-approved through the portal at least 45 days before enrollment, and it does not approve them by phone or e-mail.
When does a class change raise my pay in Greenville?
Greenville starts the pay change from the effective date on the updated SCDE certificate and does not enter changes for previous school years.
Does non-teaching work experience count on a South Carolina schedule?
Under Act 29 of 2025, related full-time non-teaching work earns one year of credit for every two years, with no rounding up. Charleston's FAQ says the educator submits it through the SCDE portal, and credit begins in 2026-27 without retroactive pay.
Can I renew an expired South Carolina certificate?
Yes, for up to ten school years after it expires, using renewal credits earned in the five years before the request.
Sources
- Renewing a Professional Certificate, South Carolina Department of Education. Checked
- Renewal Credit Options, South Carolina Department of Education. Checked
- Certificate Class Levels, South Carolina Department of Education. Checked
- FY 2026-27 State Minimum Teacher Salary Schedule, South Carolina Department of Education. Checked
- Teacher Salary Schedules, South Carolina Department of Education. Checked
- FY2026-27 Teacher Salary Schedule, Greenville County Schools. Checked
- Certification and Professional Development Handbook, revised 2026, Greenville County Schools. Checked
- FY2026 190-Day Teacher Salary Schedule, Charleston County School District. Checked
- Non-Teaching Occupational Credit FAQ, Charleston County School District. Checked
- Salaries and pay schedules, Greenville County Schools. Checked
- Compensation, Charleston County School District. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error