Before you enroll in a teaching program, you’ll need to decide what you teach (subject) and who you teach (grade level). These choices will determine the specific teaching license you’ll earn.
On this page, we’ll go over your options!
How do I choose a teaching license?
If you already know what grade and subject you want to teach: Fabulous! You can jump to the next section.
Not sure? Consider a shortage area or a subject that lets you teach all grades. Or simply start with what you love. If you're passionate about a subject, you'll make an excellent teacher!
In some cases, you may have multiple teaching licenses to choose from! For example, if you want to teach middle school math, you could earn a math teaching license for grades 4–9 OR grades 7–12.
You can add subject areas to your teaching license throughout your career. You don’t have to get all your endorsements at once!
Get the Licensing Guide
Keep a list of subject areas handy, and get step-by-step details on pathways to teaching and how to get licensed in Maryland.
It’s all free in our Licensing Guide!
What’s next
Career Coaching in Maryland
Talk to an experienced local educator about how to become a licensed teacher in Maryland. Get free advice on how to choose what subject and grade to teach and apply to the right program.
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References
- Maryland Subject Areas with the Highest Need. Maryland State Department of Education. https://teach.maryland.gov/Pages/High-Needs-Subjects.aspx
- Areas of Licensure. Maryland State Department of Education. https://marylandpublicschools.org/about/Pages/DEE/Certification/Certification-Areas.aspx
- 2026-2027 Teacher Shortage Areas Report for Maryland. U.S. Department of Education. https://tsa.ed.gov/#/reports
