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Placement on the Master's & Master's Equivalent Salary Lane (M/MEQ)

A master's equivalency is earned by completing 30 semester hours (shrs) of post-baccalaureate graduate credit from a regionally accredited college/university and/or Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) approved Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits. A maximum of 15 shrs of CPD credits can be used, while a minimum of 15 shrs of graduate credits is required. Undergraduate credits do not count towards salary advancement.

• NOTE:  Qualification for the Advanced Professional Certificate (APC) does not automatically qualify one for placement on the master's equivalent salary schedule because undergraduate credit can apply toward the requirements for the APC, but are not applicable toward the MEQ salary requirements. In addition, qualifying for the MEQ salary lane does not automatically satisfy the APC equivalency requirements.
  
  To qualify for the APC equivalency, you must complete 36 shrs of post-baccalaureate course work, which must include a minimum of 21 shrs of graduate credit (the remaining 15 shrs may include graduate, undergraduate, and/or MSDE approved CPD credits).

A master's equivalency also can be earned by completing at least two bachelor's degrees with a minimum of 30 shrs in the second degree or a total of 150 credits earned with both bachelor's degrees.

For teachers of trades and industry subjects not requiring a bachelor's degree, a master's equivalency may be earned when a program of 36 shrs for the APC has been completed.

Salary Information