To become a math teacher in New Jersey, you need a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA, 30 math credits, and a score of 159 on Praxis Mathematics (5165). You then apply for a Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS), or a Certificate of Eligibility (CE) without teacher prep, and finish the Provisional Teacher Process once hired.
New Jersey offers two math endorsements. The Mathematics endorsement (1900) lets you teach math at every grade level. The Middle School Mathematics specialization (1102) covers grades 5-8, and you add it on top of an elementary school or P-12 subject endorsement you already hold or qualify for. Which one you aim for decides your credit count and your Praxis test. Your route then turns on one question: have you finished a teacher preparation program? The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) runs the whole process, and the requirements below were checked against its pages in October 2026. For the steps every state shares, see our guide to how to become a math teacher. Here are the four steps.
- Meet the Degree, GPA and Math Credit Requirements
- Pass the Praxis Mathematics Test and the Physiology and Hygiene Requirement
- Apply for a CEAS or CE in NJEdCert
- Complete the Provisional Teacher Process and Earn Your Standard Certificate
Step 1. Meet the Degree, GPA and Math Credit Requirements
You need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Your cumulative GPA must be at least 3.00 if you graduated on or after September 1, 2016, or 2.75 if you graduated before that date (NJDOE eligibility requirements, checked October 2026).
A GPA between 2.75 and 2.99 isn’t automatically disqualifying. Under NJDOE’s GPA and Praxis flexibility rules, you meet the GPA requirement if your Praxis score is at least 10% above the passing score: 175 on Mathematics (5165) or 173 on Middle School Mathematics (5164). It works the other way too. With a GPA of 3.50 or higher, a score as low as 151 on 5165 or 149 on 5164 meets the test requirement.
For the Mathematics endorsement (code 1900), you need at least 30 semester-hour credits in a coherent sequence of math, and at least 12 of them must be at the advanced level (junior, senior or graduate). Education and pedagogy courses don’t count toward the 30. NJDOE lists these as examples of courses that count:
- Algebra
- Calculus
- Data structures
- FORTRAN (Formula Translation)
- Geometry
- Statistics
A math major usually clears this bar. An engineering or finance degree may too, but NJDOE decides course by course against the New Jersey Student Learning Standards, so have your transcript in front of you before you assume. If you’re still choosing a program, compare your math teacher degree options with the 12 advanced credits in mind.
The Middle School Mathematics endorsement (code 1102) isn’t a shortcut around the full endorsement. It’s a specialization you add to another endorsement: you need 15 semester-hour credits in math, and you must also hold an elementary school or P-12 subject-matter endorsement. It covers grades 5-8 only, never grades 9-12. CEAS and standard certificate candidates also need a course in child and early adolescent development. CE candidates must finish that course within 12 months of their first teaching assignment.
Step 2. Pass the Praxis Mathematics Test and the Physiology and Hygiene Requirement
Your content exam depends on the band you chose in Step 1. These are the passing scores on NJDOE’s testing requirements page (checked October 2026):
| Endorsement | Grades | Praxis Test | NJ Passing Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics (1900) | All grades | Mathematics (5165) | 159 |
| Middle School Mathematics (1102) | 5-8 | Middle School Mathematics (5164) | 157 |
Register for Mathematics (5165) or Middle School Mathematics (5164) through ETS. Each test costs $130 (ETS, checked October 2026), separate from NJDOE’s certification fee, and prices can change. Scores from tests taken at New Jersey locations go to NJDOE automatically. If you test in another state or online, code NJDOE as a recipient with R7666 when you register. NJDOE accepts only official ETS score reports. The ETS New Jersey requirements page lists every test the state uses.
You No Longer Need the Praxis Core
New Jersey used to require a basic skills test in reading, writing and math. According to NJDOE, A1669/P.L.2024, c.26 eliminated that requirement for all instructional certificates except the limited CE and the limited CEAS, and the law is effective January 1, 2025. The limited certificates are part of a five-year pilot program that expires September 1, 2027, after which NJDOE won’t issue limited certificates. If you apply through that pilot, you still need the Praxis Core with scores of 156 in Reading, 150 in Math and 162 in Writing (NJDOE basic skills page). Everyone else can skip it. The edTPA is no longer a state requirement either. Your preparation program runs its own performance assessment instead.
Physiology and Hygiene Requirement
Every candidate must show a basic knowledge of health. You can meet the requirement in one of three ways:
- Evidence of basic military training
- A course such as biology, health or nutrition on an accredited two- or four-year college transcript
- An online test, which you can take once you have an application and a tracking number on file
Step 3. Apply for a CEAS or CE in NJEdCert
Both of New Jersey’s entry certificates let you seek and accept a public school teaching job. Which one you get depends on whether you completed a teacher preparation program, with student teaching, before you apply.
| Certificate | Who It’s For | Before You Can Be Hired | To Earn a Standard Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEAS (traditional route) | You completed a teacher preparation program | Nothing beyond the CEAS | 30 weeks of mentoring and two effective ratings |
| CE (alternate route) | You meet the degree, GPA, credit and test rules but skipped teacher prep | 50 hours of pre-professional experience with a CE program provider | The same, plus 350 more hours (or 24 credits) of formal instruction while you teach |
If you’re on the CE route, enroll with an approved Certificate of Eligibility program provider first. When you’ve finished the 50 hours, give the hiring district proof of enrollment and the completed 50-Hour Verification of Completion form (NJDOE alternate route, Step 2). Once you’re hired, you complete a further 350 hours of formal instruction, or 24 semester-hour credits, over at least two academic years. That makes 400 hours of preparation in all (N.J.A.C. 6A:9A-5).
Apply online through the New Jersey Educator Certification System (NJEdCert), which replaced the old TCIS system. Pay the application fee there too. Once you hold a CE or CEAS, you can start applying for openings on NJ School Jobs.
Step 4. Complete the Provisional Teacher Process and Earn Your Standard Certificate
You can’t apply for a provisional certificate yourself. Once you’re hired, your district requests it and registers you in the Provisional Teacher Process (PTP), a school-based training and evaluation program for your first years in the classroom.
The provisional certificate is valid for up to two years, expires July 31 of the second year, and can be renewed once if you haven’t met the standard requirements in time (NJDOE, checked October 2026). While you hold it, you must complete:
- Mentoring: at least 30 weeks with a certified teacher in your district or school
- Evaluation: two effective or highly effective final summative ratings under AchieveNJ, one per school year within a three-year span
- Formal instruction (CE holders only): the 350 hours (or 24 credits) that follow your 50 pre-professional hours, with your CE program provider
You can’t apply for the standard certificate yourself either. Once you’ve met these requirements, your district requests it in NJEdCert, after verifying your mentoring and submitting your final summative ratings. On the CE route, your program provider also submits a Verification of Program Completion form. You then complete the Oath of Allegiance, and any required payment, in NJEdCert (NJDOE, Becoming Permanently Certified). The standard certificate is permanent.
Moving to New Jersey With an Out-of-State License
New Jersey’s reciprocity rules depend on which license you hold now. You must hold the equivalent subject and grade level, and then:
- Standard license: show at least two effective years of teaching within three consecutive years, documented on the Record of Professional Experience form, or hold a National Board certificate in the equivalent area. Either way, you can qualify for a standard certificate.
- Traditional-route license: show a completed preparation program with student teaching and a passed subject test, either the one your state required or New Jersey’s.
- Alternate-route license: look at the Alternate Route Interstate Reciprocity Pilot Program at Rowan University or Rutgers University-Newark, which leads to a CE.
Out-of-state candidates also complete the physiology and hygiene requirement from Step 2. If you live near a border, compare these steps with how Delaware certifies math teachers and Pennsylvania’s math teacher certification requirements before you decide where to certify first. Our overview of how to become a math teacher shows where states differ most. Pay varies by district too, and our New Jersey math teacher salary page breaks it down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I still need to pass the Praxis Core to teach math in New Jersey?
No, not for a standard CE or CEAS. NJDOE reports that P.L.2024, c.26 removed the basic skills test for all instructional certificates except the limited CE and limited CEAS, effective January 1, 2025. The limited certificates come from a pilot that expires September 1, 2027. You still need to pass Praxis Mathematics (5165) or Middle School Mathematics (5164).
Can I become a math teacher in New Jersey without an education degree?
Yes. If you have a bachelor’s degree, the required GPA, 30 math credits and a passing Praxis score, you can apply for a Certificate of Eligibility. You complete 50 pre-professional hours with an approved CE program provider before you’re hired, then 350 more hours (or 24 credits) of formal instruction while you teach, 400 hours in all.
Which Praxis test do I take to teach middle school math in New Jersey?
Take Middle School Mathematics (5164). New Jersey’s passing score is 157. The Middle School Mathematics specialization is added to another endorsement: you need an elementary school or P-12 subject-matter endorsement plus 15 math credits, and it doesn’t cover grades 9-12.
What if my GPA is below 3.0?
If you graduated on or after September 1, 2016, with a GPA between 2.75 and 2.99, you can still qualify by scoring at least 10% above the passing score. That means 175 instead of 159 on Mathematics (5165), or 173 instead of 157 on Middle School Mathematics (5164). A GPA below 2.75 doesn’t meet the requirement.
How long does the provisional certificate last?
Up to two years, expiring July 31 of the second year. Your district can renew it once if you haven’t finished mentoring, your two effective ratings or, on the CE route, your formal instruction hours.
- Pick your endorsement first: the Mathematics endorsement needs 30 math credits and Praxis 5165 (159), while the grades 5-8 Middle School Mathematics specialization needs 15 credits, Praxis 5164 (157) and an elementary or P-12 endorsement underneath it.
- GPA rules have flexibility: you need a 3.00, but a score 10% above passing offsets a GPA from 2.75 to 2.99.
- No Praxis Core: New Jersey dropped the basic skills test for all instructional certificates except the limited CE and CEAS, effective January 1, 2025.
- Two ways in: the CEAS is for teacher prep graduates, and the CE lets degree holders start teaching after 50 hours of pre-professional experience.
- Standard certification comes on the job: 30 weeks of mentoring and two effective ratings, and on the CE route 350 more instruction hours after the first 50. Your district requests the standard certificate, not you.
If you’re heading for the CE route, your program choice carries a lot of weight: it runs your 50 pre-service hours and the 350 instruction hours that follow while you teach. Compare the schools listed here by how they schedule that coursework around a full-time classroom job.