Short answer
How do MSCS teachers move to a higher column on the salary schedule?
MSCS has four columns (BACH, MAST, EDS and DOCT) and steps 0 to 18. To move, submit an Application for Salary Adjustment marked "Educational Change," with TDOE correspondence showing the degree and an official transcript with the conferral date. Everything must reach the Office of Compensation by June 30, or the raise waits until the next school year.
Source: Application for Salary Adjustment, MSCS Human Resources/Compensation. Checked .
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How is the MSCS teacher salary schedule organized?
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools Teacher Salary Schedule 2026-2027 comes in four contract lengths: 10-month, 10.5-month, 11-month and 12-month.
| Column | Degree |
|---|---|
| BACH | Bachelor's |
| MAST | Master's |
| EDS | Education Specialist |
| DOCT | Doctorate |
Steps run from 0 to 18. Beyond the grid, the schedule notes that veteran employees receive a one-time increase based on eligible years of service, at 25 and at 35 years. The district's compensation FAQ adds that step and pay increases are not automatic; each depends on funding the Board approves for that year. Read side by side with the salary schedule reading guide, the structure is simple: education decides the column, years decide the row.
Prior experience counts too. On the adjustment form, the district credits up to 10 years of accredited teaching experience, documented on a TN Department of Education Experience Verification Form, and up to five years of active military service, documented with a DD214.
Which units count toward an MSCS column change?
Degrees, not loose credit hours. The application's certificated section, "Applying for Educational Level Change," lists the advanced degrees that can earn salary credit as Master's, Master's +30/45, Ed.S. and Doctorate. The 2026-27 teacher schedule itself prints no separate column between MAST and EDS, so a teacher aiming for "+30/45" credit should ask the Office of Compensation where it would place them before enrolling.
Two conditions apply to every degree:
- Accreditation. The college or university granting the degree must be accredited in line with district policy, practice and procedures. One of the printed denial reasons is "Credits not from an accredited institution."
- A state record. The Tennessee Department of Education has to reflect the degree, and its correspondence is a required attachment.
For degrees earned abroad, the compensation FAQ says a recognized credential evaluation service must find the degree equivalent to one from a regionally accredited U.S. institution; it can then be considered for advanced-degree pay. Coursework that never becomes a degree may still help with license renewal, as explained below. Master's vs. credits covers that choice more broadly.
Does MSCS require approval before you take a course?
MSCS's published materials show no course pre-approval for salary. Approval happens once, when the Office of Compensation reviews the finished application. The form's office-use section lists four reasons an education request can be denied:
- the salary adjustment application was not submitted to the state;
- the credits are not from an accredited institution;
- official transcripts were not received, or grades are not shown on them;
- the transcript credits were insufficient.
Read in reverse, those reasons make a checklist: get the degree on record with TDOE, use an accredited institution, order an official transcript that shows grades and the conferral date, and check that the program meets the level you are claiming. The pre-approval forms article explains how districts with an up-front step differ.
When are transcripts due, and when does the new column take effect?
The form sets both the effective date and the cutoff:
- Degree conferred before the first day of school: the raise is effective the first day of school for the current year.
- Degree conferred after the first day of school: the raise is effective the first day of the first pay period following conferral.
- Deadline: all documentation must be in the Office of Compensation by June 30 of the current fiscal year. Otherwise the adjustment starts on the first day of the following school year.
Picture a teacher whose Ed.S. is conferred in December. If the TDOE correspondence and transcript reach the office by June 30, the EDS column applies from the first pay period after the December conferral. If the packet arrives in July, the raise starts with the next school year and the spring months are not recovered. More on timing traps is in transcript deadlines.
Do the same units count toward Tennessee license renewal?
Yes, and in Memphis that is often the stronger reason to take a single course. To keep a professional license current, the state wants either two qualifying years of experience or 60 professional development points (PDPs); after its first issuance, a practitioner license needs 30. Each semester hour of college credit is worth 10 PDPs, entered in TNCompass and approved by a district designee. A course outside a degree program moves no MSCS column but can still count for renewal. The Tennessee guide explains the full renewal rules, and renewal vs. salary credit separates the two systems.
Where can MSCS teachers earn graduate-level units?
Every district, MSCS included, decides for itself whether a course counts for the purpose a teacher needs it for: license renewal, an added endorsement or a degree program. No provider, university or website can make that decision, so the rules above come first, and written approval from MSCS's human resources office is the safest record to have before you pay.
MSCS pays by completed degree, certificate level or rating rather than by units, so courses short of a degree do not change a MSCS salary on their own (see units that count). Where graduate-level units still help is license renewal, explained in the renewal section, and any other purpose MSCS or Tennessee names in writing.
| Question | What MSCS says | What to look for on the provider's site |
|---|---|---|
| Type of unit | MSCS: Completed degrees on record with TDOE; accredited institution required | 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 | MSCS: June 30 of the fiscal year | Published grading and transcript-posting time, and any rush option |
| Approval | MSCS: None published; review happens at 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
For renewal, or for a future move to a district that pays for units, many providers issue graduate-level units through accredited universities. 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)
- CE Credits Online: self-paced, 180 days, units through Valley City State, Augustana, Adams State or Cal Poly Humboldt; from $449 for 3 credits (price notes)
- Connected Classroom Courses: self-paced, letter grade, units through CSU Pueblo; $389 + university fee for 3 credits (price notes)
- Credits for Teachers: self-paced, 6 months, units through Valley City State, Adams State, UMass Global or CSU Pueblo; from $349 for 3 credits (price notes)
- VESi: self-paced online, 2- or 3-unit courses on special-needs instruction, units through University of the Pacific; $444 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 MSCS has approved a provider or course; only the district can do that. TeacherPayGuide has commercial relationships with some providers it lists; how listings work.
MSCS salary questions teachers ask
What documents does MSCS need for a degree raise?
The Application for Salary Adjustment, correspondence from the Tennessee Department of Education reflecting the degree, and an official transcript showing the conferral date.
What is the MSCS deadline for a salary adjustment?
June 30 of the current fiscal year. Documentation that arrives later is applied from the first day of the following school year.
Does MSCS pay more for credits beyond a master's?
The adjustment form lists Master's +30/45 among advanced degrees, but the 2026-27 teacher schedule prints only BACH, MAST, EDS and DOCT columns. Ask the Office of Compensation before relying on it.
Will MSCS accept a foreign degree?
It can be considered for advanced-degree pay if a recognized credential evaluation service finds it equivalent to a degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution.
Where can MSCS teachers take graduate-level courses for license renewal?
MSCS does not raise pay for units short of a degree, so check the renewal rules on this page and confirm with human resources or the state agency before you enroll. Providers that teachers compare include Teacher Friendly, Credits for Educators, CE Credits Online, Connected Classroom Courses, Credits for Teachers and VESi. 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
- Application for Salary Adjustment, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Human Resources/Compensation. Checked
- Teacher Salary Schedule 2026-2027, 10-Month, Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Checked
- Salary schedules, MSCS Human Resources. Checked
- Compensation FAQs, MSCS Human Resources. Checked
- License renewal for licensed educators, TDOE. Checked
- Professional development points FAQ, TDOE. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error