Ontario Teacher Certification (MT & MA-CSE)

To teach in Ontario's publicly funded schools, you must become a member of the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) and receive an Ontario teaching certificate. If you have questions about the process, the OCT offers information sessions on the registration process to obtain your Ontario teaching license in December as part of the Professional Preparation Conference.

The OCT provides detailed application instructions on its website. This webpage is intended to help you navigate OISE and U of T processes in relation to your OCT application. 

OCT Application Process

Note: The below is required even if you have applied for the Temporary Certificate of Qualification and Registration (temporary certificate).

This can be done at any point during your MT or MA-CSE program, but most teacher candidates apply around December of their final year. You can get the needed number without paying – you pay when you complete your OCT application.

You can opt to become an OCT member when your degree is complete in order to:

  • Have valid AQ credentials.
  • Take Additional Qualifications courses after graduating. You will need to have an OCT number to get visible credit for the course – for it to “count”.
  • Work for a public board of Education.
  • Verify that you are a teacher in good standing through your membership.

When you apply, the OCT will issue you a temporary number that will be used to track your application. You must submit this number to OISE to be recommended for certification. 

Current Students: MA-CSE students, please email your OCT number to Vanessa Dane (vanessa.dane@utoronto.ca). MT students submit your OCT number on your candidate record in PeppeR by clicking on the "Practicum" button at the top of the screen. Make sure to save your OCT number in order for it to be processed. Don't have a Pepper account? Submit your OCT number by email to admissions.oise@utoronto.ca.

Annual Deadline: May 31

The following documents are required by OCT as per their instructions:

  • U of T Transcripts - transcripts can be ordered through OUAC and sent directly to OCT.

    At this time, transcripts ordered from ACORN will not be accepted. You will need to order them from OUAC via the OCT website. Follow these steps to do so:

    Click the "Becoming a Teacher" tab (found on the top navigation toolbar).

    Scroll down and click on "Apply Now".

    Scroll down and click the "OUAC Transcripts" link. This is just below the OCT address and above the heading "Creating a Password".  You will be directed to the OUAC site.

    If you don’t have an OUAC account, you will need to "Create My OUAC Account" before you can log in with your username and password. Once logged in, click on "Continue". Read the Terms and Conditions and select “Proceed to Transcript Requests”.

    Request a transcript for “After Degree Conferred”. OCT prefers transcripts that say “degree completed” – however, this cannot take place until after the MT/MA-CSE June convocation. Be sure to set the print date for your transcript to after convocation so that your transcript will show that the degree has been conferred. If you order your transcripts earlier than your convocation date, you will have to submit them again, costing you extra money and time.

    Students ordering transcripts via ACORN should check their Academic History on ACORN before submitting an order to ensure the conferral of their degree has been updated on your record.**Conferral of your degree will appear on your official transcript approximately one week after your convocation ceremony.**

  • Proof of identity – provide a photocopy of your birth certificate or passport (passport only valid if shows full name at birth).
  • The original copy of a newly acquired,  basic employee criminal record check - make sure it is not a vulnerable sector check.
  • If applicable, proof of a name change – photocopy of marriage or name change certificate.
  • MT and MA-CSE are consecutive programs. If you were graduating from a Combined Degree program, THEN you would answer yes to the question, "Was your teacher education program included as part of another degree program?"

Once you've completed the above, you don’t need to do anything further. OISE will provide the rest.

In early June, OISE will issue the "Report from Faculty" (also referred to as the “Letter from the Dean”) to OCT, recommending teacher candidates who have completed all requirements of the MT or MA-CSE but you will only be included in this report if you complete Step 2 by May 31. You do not need to email the Dean or the OISE Registrar's Office & Student Experience (ROSE) to request the letter if you completed Step 2 by this date. After that point, students must submit a manual request for a "Report from the Faculty" (see below for instructions). 

  • If you need to register with OCT for a spring or summer job, you can have the Registrar’s Office produce a letter for OCT, confirming that you are eligible and are set to graduate. There is an $8 fee for this, for more info, please email lucy.stellato@utoronto.ca.

Temporary Certification Process

In early 2022 the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) announced the 2023 Temporary Certificate of Qualification and Registration (temporary certificate) for students enrolled in an Ontario teacher education program and who are expecting to graduate in 2023. This measure was a continuation of the 2021 Temporary Certificate which was first introduced in January 2021 to help the province address shortages of qualified teachers as a result of COVID-19.

Students in the Master of Teaching and MA-CSE programs have the option of applying for a temporary certificate, if they wish to. Information about the Temporary Certificate and answers to FAQs can be found on the OCT website.

In order to process an application for a temporary certificate, the OCT requires that you have submitted the general application and all required documentation and fees related to the general application. You will need to submit an official transcript that documents the courses that you have completed so far in your teacher education program. 

In addition, the OCT requires that OISE sends a report indicating that you*: 

  • Have made successful progress in your program.
  • Have successfully completed a portion of your practicum.
  • Are expected to successfully complete your teacher education program by December 31, 2023.

This reporting process is separate from the “Report from Faculty” that OISE sends to the OCT at the end of your program as part of the OCT’s regular certification process. OISE's Registrar's Office & Student Experience (ROSE) has developed a separate form that will allow eligible* OISE teacher educations students to authorize OISE to send the report to the OCT.

A unique link to the form was previously emailed to each eligible* student.  On October 3, 2022 a new link was sent to those students who have not already completed this form with additional submission dates.

There are 3 new submission deadlines for you to submit this form:

  • Wednesday January 18, 2023.
  • Wednesday February 15, 2023 &
  • Wednesday March 15, 2023
     

Considerations
  1. You must apply for regular OCT certification and submit all required documentation and fees related to the general application in order to be considered for temporary certification.
  2. You will also need to submit an official transcript that documents the courses that you have completed so far in your teacher education program.
    • You can order your OISE U of T transcript on ACORN or from OUAC (via a link in the OCT general application).
  3. The granting of a temporary teaching qualification by the OCT does not exempt you from any of the normal requirements for your teacher education program.

    • You must complete all program requirements in order to graduate.
    • You must graduate from your current program by December 31st, 2023 in order to satisfy the OCT’s professional education requirement for regular teacher certification.
  4. Students in your program who have previously applied for the OCT temporary certificate have reported  longer than expected processing times, therefore, anyone who is interested in the possibility of teaching on the basis of a temporary certificate in the spring of 2023 is encouraged to complete the documentation of their application for a temporary certificate (including requesting the OISE report to the Ontario College of Teachers in support of your application and eligibility for the 2022-23 OCT Temporary Certificate.)
  5. This registration request form has been developed to support only the special process put in place by the OCT for the temporary teaching certificate. Whether you apply for the temporary certificate or do not apply for it, you will still need to provide your OCT registration number in the regular manner to your program.
  6. If you are a student in either the Master of Teaching program or the MA-CSE program and expect to graduate in 2023, but have not received an email with a unique link for the form that will allow eligible* OISE teacher educations students to authorize OISE to send the report to the OCT for the temporary certificate, please contact ROSE.

Completed Your Teaching Certification in a Previous Year?

For students who have completed their teaching certification program in a previous year and have been asked by the OCT to have a "Report from the Faculty," otherwise known as a “Letter from the Dean” sent, please email us at oise.registration@utoronto.ca, and include:

  • Your 6-digit OCT application number
  • Full name
  • Birth date
  • Program information (teaching divisions and subjects if applicable)
  • Date of graduation
  • Student number