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By law, all Massachusetts public school educators (teachers and administrators) must be licensed through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE).
The MA DESE issues three kinds of Educator Licenses (Preliminary, Initial, and Professional). At this time, there are only three areas in which social studies teachers are able to possess:
• History
• Middle School Humanities
• Political Science/Political Philosophy
Teachers who teach U.S. history or World history should have History as their primary area along with their respective grade span level (i.e., 1-6, 5-8, 8-12).
Go to the Licensure & Relicensure (ELAR) page to learn more about how to obtain a license, renew a license, and where to contact the licensure office.