To become a math teacher in Mississippi, you need a bachelor’s degree, a traditional or alternate route program, and a score of at least 152 on Praxis Mathematics (5165). Traditional graduates also take the PLT Grades 7-12 (5624). You then apply through MDE’s MECCA system for a five-year license, or a provisional one on an alternate route.
The Mississippi Department of Education’s Division of Educator Licensure licenses math teachers for grades 7-12. Middle school math (grades 7-8) is a supplemental endorsement you add to another license. Here’s how to become a math teacher in Mississippi, in four steps.
- Earn Your Degree Through a Traditional or Alternate Route
- Pass the Praxis Exams Mississippi Requires
- Apply for Your Mississippi Math Teacher License
- Renew Your Mississippi Math Teacher License
Step 1. Earn Your Degree Through a Traditional or Alternate Route
Every route starts with a bachelor’s degree, the same baseline you’ll see in the requirements to teach math in every state. If you’re still in college, you’ll earn a math education degree through an approved educator preparation program. If you already hold a degree in another field, you’ll enter through an alternate route and teach on a provisional license while you finish.
Traditional Route: A Math Education Degree
You complete a four-year education degree that leads to licensure, including student teaching, at one of the educator preparation providers approved by MDE. You then pass the required Praxis exams, and your program submits an online recommendation for your license. That’s the sequence on MDE’s licensure pathways page (checked October 2026).
Your program also checks basic academic skills at admission. Mississippi accepts a 21 ACT composite (or SAT equivalent), qualifying Praxis Core scores, or a 3.0 GPA on at least 60 hours of coursework, which your educator preparation program calculates. The options are in MDE’s licensure pathways summary. Check which one you already meet before you register for Core.
Alternate Routes for Career Changers
If you hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in a non-education field, you can enter through one of Mississippi’s alternate routes. Every route has the same entry bar, set in MDE’s alternate route requirements (checked October 2026):
- A bachelor’s degree or higher (non-education) from a regionally or nationally accredited institution
- A 21 ACT composite (or SAT equivalent), a qualifying Praxis Core score, or a 3.0 GPA overall or on your last 60 hours
- A passing score on Praxis Mathematics (5165), before program admission
Four routes offer math (7-12). They differ in what you finish before you teach and how you convert to a standard license:
| Route | Before You Teach | First License | To Earn the Five-Year License |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) | 9 graduate hours of pre-teaching courses | Three-year alternate route license | 6 more graduate hours, including a supervised internship |
| Teach Mississippi Institute (TMI) | An eight-week summer session or an approved online program (confirm the online schedule with the provider) | Three-year alternate route license | One-year internship with mentoring, plus your district’s recommendation |
| American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) | ABCTE’s own exams, including the Passport to Teaching exam, plus a district letter committing to hire you | One-year alternate route license | One-year internship with a qualified mentor, plus the Mississippi Public Broadcasting e-Learning course or 9 approved MAT hours |
| iteach Mississippi | Required iteach modules, a field supervisor and a mentor teacher | Three-year nonrenewable internship license | One full-year supervised residency and program completion |
ABCTE’s exams come on top of Praxis Mathematics (5165), not instead of it. Your ABCTE mentor must be National Board certified or MDE-trained in math, or have finished ABCTE’s mentor training.
Your first year of teaching is the internship, in a teaching job you secure with a district. Mentoring is built in, and MDE’s alternate route page says interns are paid at the first-year, bachelor’s-degree level. Confirm pay and employment terms with the district that hires you. The MAT’s 15 hours can also count toward a master’s degree, which matters later for your license class. Older guides still list the Mississippi Alternate Path to Quality Teachers (MAPQT). It’s no longer on MDE’s list of alternate routes.
Step 2. Pass the Praxis Exams Mississippi Requires
Mississippi uses ETS’s Praxis tests. Which ones you take depends on your route and grade band. As of October 2026, you’ll need:
- Praxis Mathematics (5165): required on every route for math 7-12. Mississippi’s qualifying score is 152.
- Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades 7-12 (5624): traditional program graduates only. Alternate route candidates don’t take the PLT.
- Middle School Mathematics (5164): only if you’re adding the grades 7-8 supplemental endorsement. The qualifying score is 150.
- Praxis Core (5713, 5723, 5733): only if you’re using Core instead of your ACT or GPA to meet the basic-skills requirement.
The qualifying scores are listed on ETS’s Mississippi required tests page (checked October 2026).
The 5165 is a 180-minute, 66-question computer test covering number and quantity and algebra, functions and calculus, geometry, and statistics and probability. About a quarter of the questions put the math inside a teaching task. You get an on-screen graphing calculator, and the fee is $130 (per ETS’s Mathematics (5165) page, checked October 2026).
If you test outside Mississippi, or your Praxis profile has an out-of-state address, your scores won’t reach MDE automatically. Add the Mississippi Department of Education (code 7599) as a score recipient when you register, and give ETS your Social Security number, which Mississippi needs to process your license. Both rules are on ETS’s Mississippi requirements page.
Step 3. Apply for Your Mississippi Math Teacher License
Once your program sends its online recommendation, you apply through the Mississippi Educator Career Continuum Archive (MECCA). Your MECCA account gives you an Educator ID number and builds a checklist of the documents your license type needs.
Mississippi sorts licenses into classes by degree level. Class A generally matches a bachelor’s degree. Class AA matches a qualifying master’s degree, AAA a qualifying specialist degree and AAAA a qualifying doctorate, subject to MDE’s degree and endorsement rules. Your class sets your renewal requirements in Step 4.
Traditional graduates receive a five-year standard license. Alternate route candidates start on the one-year or three-year nonrenewable license shown in the table above, then convert it to the five-year standard license after the internship. Official transcripts and Praxis scores follow the rules on MDE’s document submission page.
If You’re Already Licensed in Another State
MDE grants a five-year standard license to teachers who hold a valid standard renewable license from another state, as long as it carries an endorsement Mississippi also issues. If your out-of-state license is less than standard, you may qualify for a two-year nonrenewable provisional reciprocity license instead. You apply through MECCA either way.
If you’re still choosing between neighboring states, compare how Arkansas licenses math teachers and Louisiana’s math teacher requirements before you test, since each state sets its own Praxis scores.
Step 4. Renew Your Mississippi Math Teacher License
Only the five-year standard license renews. One-year and three-year licenses are provisional and have to be converted, not renewed. Your coursework or continuing education units (CEUs) must be in your content area or a job-related skill, and earned inside the dates printed on your license.
For a Class A license, you need one of these:
- 10 CEUs
- 6 semester hours
- 3 semester hours plus 5 CEUs
For a Class AA, AAA or AAAA license, you need 3 semester hours or 5 CEUs. A qualifying master’s degree lowers your renewal load as well as moving you to Class AA.
Any class can also renew by completing the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process within the renewal cycle. Two more options count only in your license’s final year: a current-year retirement letter from the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS), or a valid standard license from another state. All of these are in the current Guidelines for Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12 (Miss. Admin. Code Title 7, Part 4), and MDE’s renewal instructions list the documents to upload (both checked October 2026).
What You’ll Teach: Mississippi Math Standards and MAAP
Mississippi public schools use the 2025 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards (MS CCRS) for Mathematics, required starting in the 2025-2026 school year. Your students take the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) in math every year in grades 3-8, and as an end-of-course test in Algebra I. Older guides that mention the PARCC test are out of date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to take the Praxis Core to teach math in Mississippi?
Not always. Praxis Core is one way to meet Mississippi’s basic-skills requirement. A 21 ACT composite (or SAT equivalent) also works, and so does a 3.0 GPA: on at least 60 hours of coursework on the traditional route, or overall or on your last 60 hours on an alternate route.
What score do I need on the Praxis Mathematics (5165) in Mississippi?
You need at least 152. The same test and score apply on traditional and alternate routes. If you’re only adding the grades 7-8 endorsement, you take Middle School Mathematics (5164) and need a 150.
Can I teach math in Mississippi without an education degree?
Yes. With a bachelor’s degree or higher in another field, you can enter through the MAT, Teach Mississippi Institute, ABCTE or iteach Mississippi routes. You’ll pass the 5165 first, then teach on a provisional license during a mentored internship year.
Can I get a Mississippi math teacher license if I’m licensed in another state?
Usually, yes. If you hold a valid standard renewable license from another state, with an endorsement Mississippi also issues, MDE grants a five-year standard license. A less-than-standard license may qualify you for a two-year nonrenewable provisional license instead.
How long is a Mississippi teaching license valid?
A standard license is valid for five years and can be renewed. Alternate route candidates start on a one-year or three-year nonrenewable license and convert it to the five-year license after the internship.
- Content exam: Praxis Mathematics (5165) with a score of 152 is required for math 7-12 on every route.
- Pedagogy exam: Traditional graduates also take the PLT Grades 7-12 (5624), and alternate route candidates don’t.
- Career changers: A non-education bachelor’s degree or higher, plus a 21 ACT, Praxis Core or 3.0 GPA, opens four alternate routes.
- Applying: You apply through MECCA after your program’s online recommendation, and a bachelor’s degree generally places you at Class A.
- Renewal: Class A renews every five years with 10 CEUs, 6 semester hours, 3 hours plus 5 CEUs, or the National Board process.
If you’re weighing an MAT against a faster route, look at how each program handles your internship year and whether its graduate hours count toward a master’s, since a qualifying master’s moves you to Class AA and lowers your renewal load. The programs listed here include options for Mississippi career changers.