Masters Plus (M+) Credits (Units A & B)

CPS teachers and Unit B administrators can earn Masters Plus Credits through:

• The completion of credit-bearing graduate coursework at an accredited college or university. 

• The completion of approved in-service course listed on the Professional Learning Platform (PLP) as being eligible for Masters Plus credits (learn more about proposing a course here!)

Please note that only credits earned while you are employed by the Cambridge Public Schools may be counted towards Masters Plus credits. Credits earned prior to beginning employment with CPS are credited towards your salary at the time of hire, to the extent allowable. For example, if you had Master's Plus 33 when hired, you would be placed on the Master's Plus 30 salary level, and you would lose the 3 remaining credits. The Office of Human Resources only banks credits for present employees. Please see this FAQ document from the Office of Human Resources for more info.

Requests for Master's Plus credits from an accredited college and university courses must be accompanied by an official transcript. Copies of transcripts and Grade Reports are not acceptable. 

In order to earn an internal CPS Masters Plus credit for an in-service workshop, a teacher or Unit B administrator must:

• Have already completed their 10-hour contractual choice course requirement (Unit A only). This contractual requirement must be satisfied prior to earning any Masters Plus credit(s). 

• Have registered for a pre-approved Masters Plus course that meets the district requirements.

• Have completed the contact hours and coursework OUTSIDE of their contractual time. Contractual time includes the school day, early release days, full-day professional days, and the 38 professional learning hours described here.

• Not have earned a monetary stipend for the same CPS professional learning course. 

• No more than 45 CPS in-service M+ credits can be applied toward salary-lane advancement.

Please note that the CPS Office of Academics & Schools offers CPS M+ credits only for approved CPS in-service workshops. If you have taken a course outside of the district (i.e. through a local college/university or through another outside professional development provider), you may submit that institution's documentation directly to the Human Resources department to be evaluated for Master's Plus eligibility (see section above). 

After your first year of employment - and once you have received 15 incremental credits for in-service workshops or from an accredited college or university - you can submit an Application for Master's Plus Credit to Ashley Giesta or Cynthia Laroche in the Office of Human Resources. Requests for Master's Plus credits obtained by attending in-service workshops must be accompanied by the Certificate of Completion and a transcript from the Professional Learning Platform (PLP). If you have any questions about the PLP, please contact Chad Leith.

Please note that you may not request salary-lane credit for coursework that you have previously used to satisfy the 10-hour choice course requirement.

Please see this updated guidance from the Office of Human Resources on the new M+75 salary lane.