Service Fields

School Librarian (PK-Grade 12)
School Counselor (PK-Grade 12)
School Psychologist (PK-Grade 12)
Speech-Language Pathologist (PK-Grade 12)

Requirements for Adding Service Fields

The following requirements must be met:

• Hold a master's degree conferred by a Regionally Accredited institution of higher education
• Complete an Approved Preparation Program for the given service field through a Regionally Accredited institution of higher education
• Earn a qualifying score on the appropriate Subject Area Exam
• Complete any additional requirements provided as outlined for the given field in Regulation 43-64 Requirements for Initial Certification at the Advanced Level

Seeking Program Pre-Approval

Prior to beginning a program, educators must request approval using My SC Educator Portal. Once a program approval request is submitted through the portal, educators must upload a PDF copy of program description information to the portal. This is generally available through the provider's website or academic bulletin; please contact the provider if you encounter difficulties locating their program description information.

Approval for online programs cannot be given via phone or email.

Requesting Service Field Add-On

Once all eligibility criteria are met, educators must submit all of the following in order to apply for adding a certification field:

• Submit a request using My SC Educator Portal
• Submit Official Transcripts
• Verify program approval and completion
  • If you attended an out-of-state institution, have the dean, assistant dean, or certification specialist complete a College Recommendation Form - Service & Leadership Fields Form on your behalf; they may email the completed form to certification@ed.sc.gov or you may then upload the completed form using My SC Educator Portal
  • If you attended an in-state institution, contact the dean, assistant dean, or certification specialist to request verification of program completion be submitted on your behalf; the institute provides this information directly to the SCDE using their provider portal
• Submit Official Exam Score Reports