This specialized alternative certification is intended as a pathway for individuals with a degree and professional experience in an area of the fine arts to pursue a professional teaching certificate. Please note that Advanced Fine Arts (AFA) fields are only granted as initial certification pathways for non-certified educators; AFA fields cannot be added to an existing certificate.  In addition applicants that receive their initial certification through an AFA pathway are not eligible to add additional fields without completing an approved educator preparation program.

AFA fields currently include:

• Advanced Fine Arts – Art (PK–Grade 12)
• Advanced Fine Arts – Dance (PK–Grade 12)
• Advanced Fine Arts – Music (PK–Grade 12)
• Advanced Fine Arts – Theater (PK–Grade 12)

Please note that if an educator is issued certification only for an AFA field, they cannot add any areas without completion of an approved educator preparation program.

Eligibility Requirements

Teachers for advanced fine arts programs who do not meet the requirements for certification in any existing area of certification may be issued an Initial teaching certificate if all of the following requirements are met:

1. The school district offers courses in the fine arts aligned with the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency.
2. The school district superintendent requests certification for the prospective teacher in writing, describing the situation in which the teacher will work and the exact nature of the proposed duties of the teacher.
3. The candidate has earned an undergraduate or graduate degree in the specific area of the fine arts from a nationally or regionally accredited institution of higher education or an institution that has programs approved for teacher education by the SBE.
4. The candidate presents evidence of at least two years of successful professional experience in the area of the fine arts that he or she is expected to teach.
5. The candidate presents a passing score on the required content area assessment(s) approved for certification purposes by the SBE.

Application Procedures

Applicants should submit the following materials to the Office of Educator Services:

• Complete a certification application prior to all other steps;
• Complete the Fingerprinting Process and Criminal Records Review;
• Submit the non-refundable $105 processing fee online through My SC Educator Portal;
• Submit an official transcript from each college or university attended;
• Submit passing scores on an approved Content Knowledge Assessment (please be aware that official score reports must be received); and
• Submit verification of experience in the area of fine arts being applied for.

In addition to these materials which must be submitted by the applicant, the South Carolina public school district seeking certification for the prospective educator must have their district superintendent submit a request on formal letterhead describing the situation in which the educator will work and the exact nature of their proposed duties.

For more information on submitting application materials, please visit the Submitting Requests and Documents webpage. 

Advancing an AFA Certificate

Upon receipt of all required application materials and verification of eligibility, applicants will be issued an initial certificate in the qualifying AFA field. The initial certificate is valid for three school years.  In order to advance from an initial to professional certificate in AFA, the individual must complete each of the following requirements:

• The individual must complete a total of twelve semester hours of graduate level course work in professional education including courses in teaching methods and the psychology of learning. Courses must be completed through a regionally accredited college or university with approved teacher preparation programs. The individual must earn a grade of C or better in each course as documented through the submission of an official transcript from each college or university.
• The individual must complete the induction and summative evaluation requirements of South Carolina’s system for Assisting, Developing, and Evaluating Professional Teaching (ADEPT).
• The individual must submit a successful score on a pedagogy examination approved for certification purposes by the SBE.