Teacher Licensing Overview and Information
Teacher Education, Professional Development, and Licensing at DPI
Wisconsin Licensing System for Teachers, Pupil Services, and Administrators - Flowchart
What is the difference between a 700/1700, a 701/1701 issued before 2004, a 701/1701 issued after 2004, and the "new" 2700 Social Studies license?
Licensing language - What can I teach?
700/1700 - Lifetime license (no longer available), may teach any social studies subject in grade levels specified on license except Psychology (740) and Religion (755).
701/1701 Pre-2004 - May teach any social studies subject through grade 9 and fusion courses in grades 11-12.
701/1701 Post-2004 - May teach any social studies subject through grade 10 and basic or fusion courses in grades 11-12.
2700 Social Studies (post-2020 depending on the year the school of education changed over): May teach any social studies course between grades 4 and 12, including all honors, AP, IB, or stand alone courses.
A fusion course is one whose subject is drawn from several of the social studies disciplines, such as American Problems, Gender Studies, Social Issues, etc.
What can I teach with my social studies license?
Except for the new 2700 Social Studies license (post-2020/2021), to teach a course in the criteria below, the teacher must hold a license in that subject area:
- A semester long discrete course in a PI 34 social studies subcategory (ex: psychology);
- An honors, IB, or Advanced Placement course; or
- Part of the college preparatory sequence and/or an elective course with more depth of content than basic courses.
Social Studies License Codes:
| Certification: | Description: | Subject Code: |
| 701 | Broadfield Social Studies | 1701/Broadfield |
| 710 | Economics | 1710/Economics |
| 715 | Geography | 1715/Geography |
| 725 | History | 1725/History |
| 734 | Social Studies (used as a PI34 minor for elementary) | 1734/Social Studies |
| 735 | Political Science | 1735/Political Science |
| 740 | Psychology | 1740/Psychology |
| 745 | Sociology | 1745/Sociology |
| 760 | Other Social Studies | 1760/Other Social Studies |
| 2700 | Social Studies (4-12, available at institutions after 2020, depending on when they update their programming to meet current state law) | 2700/Social Studies |
Adding Certifications
There are two ways to add certification:
- Every college and university with a School of Education has a different path to endorsing additional licenses. Teachers interested in adding certification through this pathway must contact their local college or university for more information.
2. Under Emergency Rule on PI34, ss of Fall 2016, Social Studies educators with a license in a social studies area can take a content area test to gain licensure in additional social studies subject areas. For most subjects, the Praxis content test is required. You may not gain the 701 Broadfield Social Studies license by content test. Information is available online regarding the specific test to take & cut scores. Our licensing team also has a webpage showing step by step how to add your information into the Educator Licensing Online system after you pass the test. You can find information on the Praxis test at the ETS website.
FAQ on Social Studies Licensing
701/1701 Broadfield Social Studies
Our department wants to offer AP Psychology (enter any AP class name here) next year. Can Mr. Jones, who loves Psychology, teach it with his 701 Broadfield Social Studies license?
No. Specific certification in the subject area is necessary for AP, IB, or honors level courses. This also applies to history, political science, economics, geography, etc. The only exception to this are new graduates who have earned the 2700 Social Studies license, which allows them to teach any social studies course from grades 4 through 12.
Specific Content Courses
Our district requires Economics for graduation. It is a 12th grade class. Ms. Smith, who was our only teacher with Economics certification, left the district. What can we do?
An 11th or 12th grade course in economics is a discrete content course (similar to history, geography, etc) in an area of PI34 licensure. It must be taught by a person with that content license. The only exception to this are new graduates who have earned the 2700 Social Studies license, which allows them to teach any social studies course from grades 4 through 12.