Alternative Teaching Certification in Utah
Utah retired its Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) program in 2020 and replaced it with a two-part system: an Associate Educator License (AEL), a provisional license worn while training, and the Alternate Pathway to Professional Educator License (APPEL), the coursework program that leads to full certification. Candidates with a bachelor’s degree get hired by a Utah school district first, then complete a customized Professional Learning Plan and pass the Praxis Subject Assessment for their endorsement area while teaching. The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) issues the final Professional Educator License.
Sponsored School(s)
A bachelor’s degree in biology, English, or business used to be a dead end for anyone who wanted to teach in a Utah classroom without going back for a full education degree. That changed with Utah’s alternative licensure system, though the program looks different than it did a few years ago. In 2020, the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) retired the old Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) and replaced it with the Associate Educator License (AEL) and the Alternate Pathway to Professional Educator License (APPEL). If you’re researching this path using older material, including guides that still reference “ARL,” treat that terminology as outdated. And if you already hold a teaching license from another state, Utah’s teacher reciprocity agreements may get you certified faster than starting the APPEL process from scratch.
Interested in learning about the traditional approach? Contact schools offering teaching certification programs in Utah.
Use the links below to jump to how Utah’s alternative pathway works, education and background requirements, and the steps to apply.
- How alternative certification works in Utah
- Education and background requirements
- How to apply for the alternative pathway
How Alternative Certification Works in Utah
The sequence matters more than it did under the old ARL system. Instead of enrolling in a program first, candidates generally need to be hired by a participating school or educational employer that is authorized to support an approved APPEL pathway. Once hired, the APPEL program director works with the candidate to build a Professional Learning Plan (PLP), an individualized outline of the coursework, mentoring, and pedagogical assessments still needed for a full license.
Candidates then teach under district supervision while working through the PLP, typically with a mentor teacher and regular observations from their school’s principal. Passing the required Praxis Subject Assessment for the endorsement area is part of the plan. Once the PLP is complete, the APPEL director recommends the candidate to USBE for a Professional Educator License.
The Associate Educator License (AEL)
An Associate Educator License is the provisional license that may be required before a candidate can teach independently while completing APPEL requirements, depending on the employing school and the candidate’s licensure pathway. It’s issued in Elementary Education, Secondary Education with a specific content endorsement, or Career and Technical Education. Not every APPEL candidate needs an AEL first. It’s also worth not confusing an AEL with Utah’s substitute teaching license, a separate, short-term credential that doesn’t lead to full certification on its own.
The APPEL Program
APPEL is licensure-only. It doesn’t grant a degree, and it isn’t a substitute for a university teacher preparation program if you’d rather earn a master’s alongside your license. What it offers instead is a direct path for someone who already holds a bachelor’s degree to earn a Professional Educator License while working, through USBE-created coursework, partnering university courses, or credit for prior coursework and experience where it applies.
Education and Background Requirements
The baseline requirement hasn’t changed with the shift from ARL to APPEL: candidates need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Candidates pursuing secondary certification generally need to demonstrate appropriate content preparation for the endorsement area, which may be satisfied through a matching degree major or other coursework evaluated by USBE against its endorsement content areas, including:
- Career and Technical Education
- Computer Science
- Dance
- Educational Technology
- English
- Film
- Fine Arts
- Gifted and Talented
- Health
- Journalism
- Mathematics
- Music
- Physical Education
- Science
- Social Studies
- Speech
- Stage Craft Theater
- Theatre
- Visual Arts
- World Languages
Candidates pursuing elementary certification are evaluated against USBE’s elementary content eligibility worksheet, which has historically required approximately 27–38 semester hours of coursework spread across core subjects, depending on the version of the worksheet in effect, with at least one course completed in each of the following:
- Science
- English
- Math
- Social Studies
- Fine Arts
- Physical Education or Health
Exact hour requirements can shift between USBE reviews of the content eligibility worksheet, so confirm your specific coursework gaps directly with USBE or your APPEL program director before assuming you meet the threshold.
Praxis Subject Assessments
During the APPEL program, candidates complete Praxis Subject Assessments in their endorsement area. Passing scores vary by subject and are set by USBE, not by ETS, so a passing score in one endorsement area doesn’t necessarily transfer to another. Check the current score requirements directly with USBE’s educator licensing office rather than relying on older published cutoffs, since these are reviewed periodically.
How to Apply for Utah’s Alternative Pathway
Because APPEL is employment-based, the practical first step is securing a teaching position with a participating school or educational employer that is authorized to support an approved APPEL pathway, or is willing to become one. From there:
- Apply for an Associate Educator License through USBE’s Educator Licensing Online portal if your employing school requires one before you can start teaching.
- Work with your school’s APPEL program director to build your Professional Learning Plan, including a transcript review against the content eligibility worksheet for your endorsement area. USBE’s Pathways to a Utah Educator page walks through the current APPEL process and application steps.
- Complete a criminal background check and fingerprinting through Utah’s Bureau of Criminal Identification, a step required for every new educator regardless of pathway.
- Submit official transcripts and any required program forms through USBE’s licensing portal.
Application and background-check fees change from year to year, so confirm current amounts on USBE’s licensing portal rather than budgeting around older published figures. The same goes for processing times, which vary by season and by how complete your APPEL paperwork is when it reaches USBE.
Frequently Asked Questions
What replaced Utah’s Alternative Route to Licensure (ARL) program?
Utah discontinued the ARL program in 2020. In its place, USBE created a two-part system: the Associate Educator License (AEL), a provisional license for candidates teaching while they train, and the Alternate Pathway to Professional Educator License (APPEL), the coursework and mentoring program that leads to a full Professional Educator License.
Do I need a bachelor’s degree in education to teach in Utah through an alternative route?
No. APPEL is built for candidates who already hold a bachelor’s degree in a field other than education. Secondary candidates generally need their degree major to match the endorsement area they want to teach, while elementary candidates are evaluated against USBE’s content eligibility worksheet.
What is the Associate Educator License (AEL)?
An AEL is a temporary license that may be required before a candidate can teach independently while completing APPEL requirements, depending on the employing school and the candidate’s licensure pathway. It’s available in Elementary Education, Secondary Education with a specific endorsement, or Career and Technical Education.
Do I have to pass the Praxis to get an alternative teaching license in Utah?
Most APPEL candidates are required to pass the applicable Praxis Subject Assessment(s) for their endorsement area as part of their Professional Learning Plan, subject to current USBE licensing requirements, with passing scores set by USBE.
How long does it take to complete Utah’s alternative certification pathway?
It depends on the candidate’s background and how much of the required coursework their prior degree already covers. USBE and district APPEL directors build the timeline individually into each candidate’s Professional Learning Plan rather than setting one fixed length for every applicant.
- ARL no longer exists — Utah retired the Alternative Route to Licensure program in 2020 and replaced it with the AEL and APPEL system.
- Employment comes before licensure — candidates generally need to be hired by a Utah school before starting the APPEL process, not the other way around.
- A bachelor’s degree in any field can qualify — secondary candidates need to demonstrate content preparation matching their endorsement area, and elementary candidates are evaluated against USBE’s content eligibility worksheet.
- Most APPEL candidates must pass the Praxis — most candidates are required to pass the applicable Praxis Subject Assessment(s) for their endorsement area, subject to current USBE licensing requirements, and passing scores can change.
- USBE issues the final license — after the Professional Learning Plan, mentoring, and Praxis requirements are complete, the APPEL director recommends the candidate for a Professional Educator License.
Find accredited teacher certification programs in Utah, including options that support APPEL coursework requirements for your endorsement area. If pay is part of your decision, see current Utah teaching salaries before you commit to a pathway.
