Alternative Teaching Certification in Nevada
Nevada’s alternative teaching certification options include two main routes: the Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) program for bachelor’s degree holders and a Business and Industry license for career and technical education professionals with relevant work experience. Each pathway sets its own eligibility rules, testing requirements, and application timeline through the Nevada Department of Education.
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The Nevada Department of Education recognizes two paths to alternative teaching certification for candidates who don’t hold a traditional education degree. The Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) program serves most career changers who already have a bachelor’s degree. A Business and Industry license serves professionals moving into career and technical education based on relevant work experience. Each path sets its own testing, experience, and application requirements, covered below, along with what they lead to in terms of Nevada teaching salaries and benefits.
Interested in learning about the traditional approach? Contact schools offering the traditional teacher certification path in Nevada.
Use the links below to jump to Nevada’s alternative certification pathways, testing requirements, and background check steps.
- Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) program
- Business and Industry license
- Examination requirements
- Criminal background check
Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL)
The Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) program is Nevada’s main path into teaching for candidates who already hold a bachelor’s degree outside education. Per NAC 391.057, the state’s minimum requirements are straightforward: acceptance into an NDE-approved ARL provider and a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited postsecondary institution. You don’t need a second degree to qualify.
Once accepted, you’ll receive a conditional license that lets you teach while you complete your ARL program’s coursework and field experience. That conditional license is valid for three years, the same testing window given to any Nevada educator who hasn’t yet completed competency testing.
Individual ARL providers set their own admission requirements on top of the state minimum, and many ask for Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators scores before they’ll accept you. Currently approved ARL providers include the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada State University, Great Basin College, Washoe County School District, iteach Nevada, Nevada Teachers of Tomorrow, and Western Governors University, among others. Each provider covers different endorsement areas and sets its own program length and coursework, so it’s worth comparing a few and confirming a provider’s current approval status with the Nevada Department of Education before you apply.
The Nevada Department of Education does not reciprocate ARL licenses issued by other states, territories, or countries. If you completed an alternative route program elsewhere, you’ll need to apply through a Nevada-approved ARL provider directly.
Want classroom experience while you finish your ARL coursework? A Nevada substitute teaching license can bridge that gap and get you in front of students sooner.
Business and Industry License
A Business and Industry license lets career and technical education professionals teach without a traditional teaching degree, covering grades 7 through adult. You need a high school diploma or its equivalent, two years of full-time experience or 4,000 hours of verifiable work experience after age 18 in a business or industry position related to your endorsement area, and any occupational license required by law for that field.
Endorsement areas range from career and technical education subjects to military science, computer science, and ethnic music and dance programs. Military science candidates are exempt from the Praxis Core testing requirement, since certification comes through their branch of military service instead.
Before your first Business and Industry license renewal, you’ll need to complete 12 semester credits, or the equivalent hours of professional development, split across four areas:
- Curriculum and instruction for career and technical education or secondary education
- Teaching methodology for career and technical education or secondary education
- Career development and work-based learning
- Career and technical student organization and management
If you already hold a master’s degree in your endorsement area, you’re exempt from the work-based learning and student organization coursework. If you hold a secondary academic license in any area, you’re exempt from the curriculum and methodology coursework instead.
Questions about Business and Industry licensing go to the Nevada Department of Education’s Las Vegas office at 702-486-6458.
Examination Requirements
Nevada requires the Praxis series of competency tests for most educator licenses, administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). If you’re issued a non-renewable or provisional license before finishing testing, you get three years from the date it’s issued to complete the required exams.
Most candidates need to pass all three Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests (reading, writing, and math), the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) exam matched to their grade level, and a content area test in their endorsement subject. You may qualify for a Praxis Core exemption if you hold a qualifying master’s degree with a strong GRE score, an SAT score of at least 1100, or an ACT score of at least 21, taken within the last 10 years.
Criminal History Background Check
All first-time applicants for a Nevada teaching license must pass a criminal background check, which the Nevada Department of Education requires in addition to any background check your employer runs separately. Most applicants complete this through Livescan electronic fingerprinting at an approved vendor location. If you prefer a physical fingerprint card (FBI form FD-258 or equivalent), you can mail it to the Department’s Office of Educator Licensure at 2080 E. Flamingo Rd., Suite 210, Las Vegas, NV 89119.
Processing typically takes four to eight weeks, since your prints go to both the Nevada Department of Public Safety and the FBI before results reach the Department of Education.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to get an alternative teaching license in Nevada?
It depends on your pathway and provider. ARL candidates get a three-year conditional license to finish their program’s coursework and testing, and some providers run accelerated timelines. Business and Industry candidates need their qualifying work experience in hand before applying.
Do I need a teaching degree to qualify for Nevada’s ARL program?
No. You need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in any field, then acceptance into an NDE-approved ARL provider such as UNLV, UNR, Nevada State University, or iteach Nevada.
What exams do Nevada alternative certification candidates need to pass?
Most candidates need the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests, the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) exam for their grade level, and a content area test in their endorsement subject, all within the license’s three-year testing window.
Does Nevada accept alternative teaching licenses earned in other states?
No. The Nevada Department of Education does not reciprocate ARL licenses from other states, territories, or countries. You’ll need to apply through a Nevada-approved ARL provider directly.
How much work experience do I need for a Business and Industry license?
You need two years of full-time experience, or 4,000 hours of verifiable work experience after age 18, in a business or industry position related to the subject you want to teach.
- Nevada offers two alternative certification paths — the Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) program and a Business and Industry license, each with its own eligibility rules.
- Testing has a three-year window — non-renewable and conditional license holders get three years from issuance to finish required Praxis testing.
- A criminal background check is required for every pathway — first-time applicants need fingerprints processed through Livescan or a mailed FD-258 card.
Find accredited alternative teaching certification programs in Nevada, including ARL and Business and Industry license pathway options.
