Application, Registration and Online Offerings

The Office of Professional Development in Education (OPDE) offers flexible online and face-to-face graduate-level professional development courses designed to meet the needs of working professionals.

Courses may be applied toward certificate renewal, additional endorsements to a teaching certificate, or salary advancement, where applicable, including salary classifications such as a bachelor’s degree plus 18 graduate credit hours (BA + 18) or a master’s degree plus 30 graduate credit hours (MA + 30). Eligibility for these purposes is subject to applicable certification and salary requirements.

Application & Registration Process

Select the Graduate Professional Development option that applies to you. If you are new CoC student, complete the New CoC Student Application, then complete the Registration Form. If you are a returning student, you only need to complete the Registration Form. Remember, ALL students must complete the OPDE Registration Form.
  • New Student Application

    Instructions for Graduate Professional Development online registration – 2 steps 

    1. APPLICATION: Complete this if you are new to CofC 
    • Create a new account and password then login to your account 
    • Click "Start New" 
    • Choose Education - Start Application 
    •  Choose Professional Development from dropdown menu 
    • You will need to upload  
      - A copy of your driver’s license in PDF, PNG, or JPG format 
      - A copy of your valid SC Teaching certificate in PDF, PNG, or JPG format 

    Important: You will receive a verification email from the College once you have submitted  the application.   

    After submitting the application, you must register for your course(s) – This is when you tell CofC which course you are taking

        2. REGISTRATION FORM for ALL STUDENTS:   New and Returning 


    For technical issues, please contact the OPDE at OPDE@cofc.edu. 
     
  • Registration Form

    REGISTRATION FORM for ALL STUDENTS:   New and Returning 

    Please note:  OPDE reviews and processes registration*.  (If it is determined that an updated application is needed, we will inform you)


    *VSC courses are offered through VirtualSC PD.  You must first register with VirtualSC PD before you register through the College of  Charleston. VirtualSC PD will then give you instructions for registering through our website. Registration through VirtualSC PD for Spring  begins January 4, 2027  and ends on January 25, 2027.

    For technical issues, please contact the OPDE at OPDE@cofc.edu. 

Spring & Summer 2027 Online Courses

Stay on schedule with convenient spring and summer course offerings! Ready to move up the teacher salary schedule? Earn your +18 or +30 hours with our courses and advance your certificate class level for higher compensation. Please check back frequently for updates!
  • Spr. 2027 - EDPD 829 L60: Ed. Gen Z: Student Dev. & Wellbeing in the Digital Age

    Course Description

    This NEW graduate professional development course examines the developmental, emotional, social, and educational experiences shaping Generation Z learners in contemporary digital environments.

    Participants will explore how smartphone-based childhoods, social media ecosystems, artificial intelligence, and digital culture are influencing adolescent wellbeing, identity development, attention, belonging, motivation, and student engagement.

    Participants will critically examine current research and public discourse on the following topics while developing practical, school-based approaches to support students in today’s learning environments.

    • Youth mental health
    • Digital culture
    • Educational outcomes

    Throughout the course, participants will connect research to their own educational contexts and design concrete strategies that promote healthy digital-age learning environments.

    Special Note: We are excited to share this course with as many professional educators as possible. Participants will complete an end-of-course survey to provide feedback and identify desired next steps in the development of understanding of the Gen Z and beyond..

    Please note: This course is expected to fill quickly.

    Course Information

    Apply & Register

     Registration is not yet available for this course

    If you have not previously taken an OPDE graduate professional development course or if you have not taken an OPDE graduate PD course in the past two semesters, you will need to complete a College of Charleston Graduate School application before registering for a course.

  • Spr. 2027- EDPD: 829 B60: Foundations of AI for the Classroom

    Course Description

    The introductory professional development course equips K-12 teachers with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and supports them in integrating AI responsibly and effectively into instruction. Participants explore key AI concepts, ethical considerations, classroom applications, and AI literacy skills aligned with the South Carolina AI Framework.

    Teachers engage in hands-on exploration of AI tools, examine pedagogical implications, practice prompt engineering, and design an AI-supported instructional activity or lesson for classroom use.

    Special Note: We are excited to share this course with as many professional educators as possible. Participants will complete an end-of-course survey to provide feedback and identify desired next steps in the field of AI in education.

    DID you know?  This course will count toward the Learning Web Tools to enhance Online Engagement elective (1-4 courses) for an Online Teaching endorsement?

    Please note: This course is expected to fill quickly.

    Course Information

    To register: 

    1. Go to  Professional Development – Application & Registration Process
    2. Pay $325 with a credit card at the CofC Marketplace Payment Portal

    The last day to register is February 19, 2027

    Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies 

  • Spr. 2027 - EDPD 829 A60: Driving Positive Behaviors: MTSS, PBIS & New Approach

    Course Description

    EDPD 829 A60: Driving Positive Behaviors: MTSS, PBIS & New Approaches

    This graduate-level professional development course equips educators with advanced training in implementing MTSS for behavior, emphasizing tiered interventions, PBIS, and emerging models such as trauma-informed practices, restorative approaches, and inclusive behavioral frameworks.

    Participants will analyze behavioral data, design school-wide systems, and integrate SEL into sustainable behavior supports.

    Course Information

    To register: 

    1. Go to  Professional Development – Application & Registration Process
    2. Pay $325 with a credit card at the CofC Marketplace Payment Portal

    The last day to register is TBD

    Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies 

  • Spr. 2027 - EDPD 826 X60: Collaborative Learning in the Classroom

    EDPD 826 X60: Collaborative Learning in the Classroom is an in-depth, teacher-centered look at grouping students for classroom success. It brings a unique perspective on this age-old topic of grouping students to differentiate for their learning needs. This course helps teachers build classrooms around groupings, with structure and control over learning for every learner. As the course progresses, teachers will understand that student learning is the reason to make the effort to group. After teachers have successfully established their classrooms' structure, guidelines, and management, they will learn concrete activities and strategies. This collection of strategies empowers teachers to change their classrooms for teaching and assessing learning. This course is designed for classroom teachers and administrators at all levels. 

    The course begins on January 10 and ends on February 21. Collaborative Learning in the Classroom is an online course comprising 9 sessions spanning 6 weeks. Starting Sunday, January 10, participants will receive an email with a detailed assignment that includes a written lecture on the topic, several websites to visit and read, specific textbook pages to review, and an application assignment.  After completing the session and submitting the assignment via email, the instructor will evaluate it and assign a grade. A new session will be emailed. Repeat this self-paced process until you complete all nine sessions. The last assignment is due on February 21. Request a syllabus for more details at fbouknight65@gmail.com   

    EDPD 826 X60: Collaborative Learning in the Classroom. The class size is limited to 30 participants. The cost for the three hours of graduate professional development credit through the College of Charleston is $350. 

    To register: 

    1. Go to  Professional Development – Application & Registration Process
    2. Pay $350 with a credit card at the CofC Marketplace Payment Portal

    The last day to register is January 6, 2027

    Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies 

  • Spr. 2027 - EDPD 826 Y60: The Struggle for Equal Education in South Carolina

    EDPD 826 Y60: The Struggle for Equal Education in South Carolina. Today’s public schools in South Carolina largely reflect past laws and court decisions. The journey has been marked by struggle and, in some cases, violence. This course aims to help teachers understand the past so they can connect it to today's schools.  

    This course is designed for classroom teachers, administrators, and others interested in learning the history of the segregation and integration of public schools in South Carolina. Topics include schooling during the colonial period and Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, the fight for desegregation with the Clarendon County Briggs v. Elliott case, school equalization, the Brown v. Board of Education decision, university desegregation, court-ordered desegregation, the aftermath of forced integration, and where we are today. 

    This online course comprises nine sessions over nine weeks (February 28-April 11). Beginning on February 28, participants will receive an email with a detailed assignment, including a written lecture on the topic, several websites to visit and read, textbook pages to read, and an application assignment. After completing the session and submitting the assignment via email, the instructor will evaluate it and assign a grade. A new session will be emailed. Repeat this self-paced process until you complete all nine sessions. The last assignment is due on April 11. 

    EDPD 826 Y60: The Struggle for Equal Education in South Carolina The class size is limited to 30 participants. The cost for the three hours of graduate professional development credit through the College of Charleston is $350.  

    To register: 

    1. Go to  Professional Development – Application & Registration Process
    2. Pay $350 with a credit card at the CofC Marketplace Payment Portal

    The last day to register is Wednesday, February 24th.  

    Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies 

  • SUMMER 2027 - EDPD 828 I60: Charleston Library Society - Special Course

    Course Description

    The Charleston Library Society presents its popular one-hour credit Professional Development course. Shakespeare: Books and Screens.

    The course offer a hands-on learning opportunity for area secondary school educators, including English, theater, history and science teachers.

    Offered through the College of Charleston’s School of Education, the course guides teachers in creating lesson plans and assignments that link their teaching of Shakespeare and his era in their classrooms to the resources of the Igoe Shakespeare Collection and CLS, including the CLS collection of Shakespeare-related visual arts, and films.

    Participants will learn more about the library’s history, the collections (with particular emphasis on the Igoe Shakespeare Collection), and will visit the Bindery for a workshop during one of their sessions. Classes will meet at the Charleston Library Society on select days.

    Through a generous donation from the Igoe family, the course is offered for $50 per teacher. Additionally, the Library Society will provide free one-year memberships to course participants. Parking vouchers will be provided for nearby garages, though the availability of parking spaces cannot be guaranteed.

    Course Information

    Registration

    Watch for registration information coming soon.

Additional Graduate Professional Development Online Offerings

VirtualSC PD Graduate Professional Development (3 hours graduate PD credit)

VirtualSC PD is a program of the South Carolina Department of Education and is an important partner in offering courses for course renewal credits and approved College of Charleston graduate professional development courses. These course offerings can meet the requirements for endorsement and certification programs: 

Learn More About VirtualSC PD