New Credential Application

Now that you are logged into your TIMS dashboard, you are ready to submit an application for certification. Look on the left-hand side for the “Applications In Process “ section. Click on the button called “New Credential Application.”

You will then need to choose the Credential Type and Requested Subject Area for your application request.

Most applications are submitted under the following Credential Types:

Instructional I (61) – The Instructional certificate is issued to a person whose primary responsibility shall be direct contact with learners in teaching-learning situations (i.e., elementary teacher, special education teacher, science teacher, etc.)

Educational Specialist I (31) – The Educational Specialist certificate is issued to a person whose primary responsibility shall be to render professional service other than classroom teaching (i.e., School Nurse, School Counselor, School Psychologist, etc.)

Administrative Certificate I (75) – The Administrative certificate is issued to a person whose primary responsibility shall be to direct, operate, supervise, and administer the organizational and general education activities at a school. This currently covers our Principal PK-12 certification.

Program Specialist (86) – This currently covers our English as a Second Language PK-12 certification.

Private School – Teacher (1022) – In addition to public school certification, there is also private academic school certification. Either certification is appropriate for nonpublic and private academic schools in the appropriate content areas.

If you do not see your credential type listed above. Please refer to the Certificates in PA to determine the credential type and subject area necessary.

Once you have selected the appropriate Credential Type, click the hyperlink to select certification subject area to be requested. Page across the numbers at the bottom to look for your subject area.

Note:

• If you are applying for certification with the recommendation of a Pennsylvania college, please check all qualifying program subject areas to include with your application.
• If you are applying for certification through an out of state university or through out of state licensure, you can only select one subject area per application. Additionally, you may not see your exact subject area and/or grade span in the available listing. Please select the most comparable certificate to what you completed out of state.

You will then be asked to answer some preliminary questions to categorize your application:

The first question asks, "Are you applying to add an additional subject area to an existing Instructional I Credential through testing alone?"

• If this application is for your first certificate in Pennsylvania, answer "No."
• If this application is for a certificate earned through coursework, answer "No."
• If you already hold a Pennsylvania certificate, and you are adding to it through the completion of testing only, answer "Yes." This policy is outlined in our Instructional Add-On page.

The second question asks, "Will a Pennsylvania institution verify that you meet certification requirements for the certificate you are applying for?"

• If you are applying for certification with the recommendation of a Pennsylvania college, answer "Yes."
• If you are applying for certification through an out of state university or through out of state licensure, answer "No."

The third question asks, "Are you an active duty member or veteran of the US Armed Forces, or the spouse/surviving spouse of an active duty member or veteran?"

• If you answer "Yes," you will be asked to submit documentation to verify the validity of this statement. The qualifications and required documents are listed on our Veterans Preference page.
  

Once all questions have been answered, click Continue.