Office of Teacher Education

Occupational Licensure Pre-OTE Admission Requirements

We recommend working on Benchmarks 1 & 2 simultaneously.

Benchmark 1: Submit Occupational License Applications

Step 1 / Confirm District Partnership

Confirm with Elora Davis, Test Preparation Coordinator / Advisor, that your district holds a partnership with Tennessee Tech prior to submitting applications.

Step 2 / Create a TNCompass Account

Create a TNCompass Account and submit an Occupational License application.

TNCompass Guide*

*TNCompass Guide dated 10/2020 from TN Dept. of Education.

You MUST select "Tennessee Technological University" as your university of choice. (It is important that you login regularly to check the status of your application.)

Step 3 / Begin License Application Process

License Application 

Once you have submitted your information, Certification Analyst Ethan Grissom, will contact you with additional instructions.

Benchmark 2: Admission to Tennessee Tech

Step 1 / Intent to Hire

Email an "Intent to Hire" letter to Elora Davis at eldavis@tntech.edu
stating that "the candidate has been or will be hired as the teacher of record, by a school district in which Tennessee Tech holds a partnership, and in an occupational teaching area."

Step 2 / Transcripts

Email all official high school and/or college transcripts to Mr. Ethan Grissom, Certification Analyst, at egrissom@tntech.edu or mail to:

Office of Teacher Education
Attn: Mr. Ethan Grissom
Tennessee Tech | Campus Box 5092 | Cookeville TN 38505

IMPORTANT: OTE will forward transcripts to the Tech Admissions Office for a candidate's university admission application.
If a candidate sends transcripts directly to the Admissions Office or College of Graduate Studies, they will be required to send additional copies to OTE for licensure.

Step 3 / Submit Online Application

Submit an online admission application to Tennessee Tech and obtain full admission status (keep application deadlines in mind).

Apply Online Here

Please designate your desired program as the following: undergraduate, teacher certificate, non-degree. Candidates will be given a student ID number, known as a T- number, upon admission.

If you have previously earned a bachelor's degree and are interested in applying occupational coursework towards a graduate degree, please contact Elora Davis, eldavis@tntech.edu prior to submitting your admission application to the:

College of Graduate Studies

Once you have received your full admission status to Tech and have received a T-number, please proceed with fulfilling your OTE Admission Requirements.