​In South Carolina, educators must renew their teaching certificates every five years. The renewal process involves the following key steps:​

1. Professional Development Points (PDPs/ Renewal Credits):

• Educators are required to earn a total of 120 renewal credits during the five-year validity period of their certificate.​
• These credits must align with the educator’s Professional Growth and Development Plan (PGDP) and support their professional goals. 
• All educators must take Jason Flatt Act Training: 2 hours of youth suicide prevention training per 5-year renewal cycle. Check out our Suicide Prevention for Educators course.

How many renewal credits are graduate-level course semester credits worth?

• 1 semester credit = 20 renewal credits
• 2 semester credits = 40 renewal credits
• 3 semester credits = 60 renewal credits

Happy Teacher Professional Development Graduate Courses can help you fulfill South Carolina’s five semester hours renewal requirement.

• Renewal credits must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university. All of our university partners, including Upper Iowa University and Adams State University, are HLC-accredited.
• You can choose multiple courses to meet the five-semester-hour requirement, including 1-, 2-, and 3-semester-hour courses.

When registering, be sure to select “Course + Graduate Level Credit.”

Important: Renewal requirements are subject to change. We recommend consulting the South Carolina’s Department of Education’s website to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.

Here are courses popular with South Carolina educators:

• Suicide Prevention for Educators 
• AI For Educators 
• Effective Classroom Management
• Stress Management
• English Language Learners: Practical Strategies for Educators