South Dakota Teacher License Renewal & Salary Advancement
Earn official graduate credits through UMass Global to effortlessly renew your 5-Year Professional or Advanced Teaching Certificate or move up your district's salary schedule.
100% asynchronous, fully flexible, and SD DOE aligned.
Only $240 per 3-Credit Graduate Level Course
$240 per 3-credit graduate course. Period.
Courses designed for the busy teacher. No portfolios - just practical implementation.
Graduate-level credits provided through UMass Global.
Browse our catalog of graduate-level courses and select the ones that fit your goals. Syllabi available Upon Request if required by your school district.
Complete the checkout process on this website and you will immediately be enrolled in our loyalty program. Refer friends and take multiple courses to earn Upward Rewards!
Check your inbox for your welcome packet and dive right in. Complete your coursework 100% online anytime between one and six months from registration.
Professional Teaching Certificate
Advanced Teaching Certificate
⚠️ Avoid Expiration Penalties & Invalid Certificate Fees!
Certificates expire on June 30, but SD DOE allows renewal through October 1 of your expiration year. If requirements are not met by October 1, your certificate becomes invalid (ARSD 24:28:03:04), requiring an additional Invalid Educator Certificate Fee to restore. Plan ahead to protect your credential!
South Dakota Teacher Salary Advancement
Because South Dakota school districts operate under independent local bargaining agreements, coursework should be pre-approved by your district or human resources department before registration. Detailed course syllabi are available upon request to assist with your approval process.
Earning Credit
South Dakota Teacher Renewal & Salary Advancement
South Dakota requires 6 education-related credits to renew a 5-Year Professional or Advanced Teaching Certificate.
Because Upward courses earn official graduate-level semester hours from UMass Global (a regionally accredited institution), taking just 2 Upward courses (6 transcripted credits) fulfills Option 1 under ARSD 24:28:17:13 and ARSD 24:28:17:14 without having to track or submit individual Continuing Education Contact Hours (CECH).
As defined by the South Dakota Department of Education, transcripted credits are graduate or undergraduate semester hours issued by a regionally accredited university and listed on an official transcript.
CECH (Continuing Education Contact Hours) represents individual clock hours of professional development (15 CECH equals 1 renewal credit). Transcripted graduate credits carry higher weight for both state renewal and school district salary advancement.
Once you complete your course, request your official transcript from UMass Global. Then, log into the SD Educator Portal via mySD.gov to complete your Educator Renewal Application and upload your official university transcript to your profile.
Your certificate is valid through June 30 of your expiration year, but the SD DOE provides a grace period through September 30. If your renewal requirements are not completed and submitted by October 1, your certificate becomes invalid (ARSD 24:28:03:04), and you will be required to pay an additional Invalid Educator Certificate Fee alongside your renewal fee to restore it.
Yes. South Dakota school districts typically require official graduate-level semester hours from regionally accredited universities for salary lane advancement (e.g., BA+15, MA+15, MA+30).
Because our courses are transcripted by UMass Global, they provide the official academic proof required by HR departments.
We always recommend securing pre-approval from your district using our detailed course syllabi, available upon request, prior to enrolling.
