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Services & Policies

PA Teacher Certification Systems - TIMS

As of February 2012, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requires that all applications for credentials be completed and submitted online via the Teacher Information Management System (TIMS): PA-TIMS.com. Paper applications are no longer being accepted and can no longer be submitted directly to Temple University for processing.  

How To Apply for Your Certification

  1. Please go to www.pa-tims.com and submit an online application.
  2. Log In or Register (upper left-hand corner
  3. Click on Certifications on the left.
  4. Click on the TIMS picture.
  5. Go to “Access TIMS” in the right-hand corner.

Tips & Suggestions for Completing Your Application

The TIMS system is under development. We offer the following tips for a successful application:

  1. You must be sure to select In-State Certification Application. To ensure that you have done so, please begin your application, close out of it, then return to www.pa-tims.com, Look under “Certificate/ Request Type.” If “Out-of-State” appears, you will have to select “New Credential Application.”
  2. For Credential Type, please select Instructional 1 (61), unless you are applying for an Intern (51) certification.
  3. For Step 2, Education Information, please choose Temple University/ Main Campus as the Institution. For major subject area, choose the program closest to yours. You must select undergraduate as the Program Level. It is currently the only choice. Program Level Type is Traditional. Please answer YES to both statements beginning “I authorize the listed institution to view my current application.” Failure to follow these steps will prevent Temple University from approving your application.
  4. Step 3 asks for Work Experience. Do not add any. As an applicant for an Instructional 1 or Intern certificate, it is not relevant.

We will offer additional tutorials and guides, as they become available. Detailed how-to guides are available from PDE at: http://www.education.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/TIMS/20476/page/1039597. If you have questions, you may contact the PDE (717-728-3224).

Receiving Your Credentials

Applicants who submitted a paper-only application (prior to December 8) may check the status of their applications at: https://www.tcs.ed.state.pa.us/.  If the application is listed as “assigned on hand” or “under review” in TCS, then the application data was migrated to TIMS.  Applicants who applied by submitting both a paper and online application, should check the status of their application via TIMS (http://pa-tims.com).  Once approved, TIMS will generate the credentials electronically for printing or download by the applicant, as paper certificates will no longer be issued.

For more information about Teacher Certification in Pennsylvania, including links to help and support for using the TIMS application process, please visit the PDE web site at: http://www.education.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/certifications/7199

If you have questions about your certification program at Temple, please contact the Office of Academic & Student Affairs: (215) 204-8011.