Understand Michigan’s Approval System

Michigan real estate education is regulated by the LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing (BPL). The state’s rules require the department to approve an instructor before that individual teaches a real estate course.

In practice, instructors generally work through a Michigan-approved real estate school, college, brokerage, or other education provider. The provider submits the course for approval and identifies each instructor who will teach it. The official course-approval application requires information showing how every proposed instructor satisfies Michigan’s minimum qualifications.

Meet at Least One Instructor Qualification

Michigan’s real estate rules recognize at least two principal paths to instructor approval:

• Teach or have taught real estate courses at an accredited institution of higher learning.
• Hold a license or certification from LARA or another governmental agency and be actively engaged in a real-estate-related field, such as appraising, financing, marketing, brokerage management, property management, real estate counseling, or real property law.

The second path does not necessarily require the person to hold a Michigan real estate salesperson or broker license if the person has another appropriate government-issued license or certification and relevant professional activity. However, a current Michigan broker or salesperson license can help establish practical subject-matter expertise, particularly for courses about brokerage practice, agency, contracts, or Michigan licensing law.

The rules and application materials do not appear to establish one universal number of years of brokerage experience, a mandatory college degree, or a separate statewide instructor examination. Approval is based substantially on the applicant’s teaching background or relevant professional license, certification, and experience.

Build Appropriate Education and Experience

A strong instructor candidate should be able to document both subject-matter competence and the ability to teach clearly.

Useful qualifications may include:

• An active Michigan real estate salesperson or broker license, when relevant to the proposed course.
• A license or certification in appraisal, law, finance, property management, or another related discipline.
• Experience practicing in the subject being taught.
• Prior teaching at an accredited college, university, or comparable institution.
• Experience delivering professional seminars, brokerage training, continuing education, or licensing instruction.
• Formal education in real estate, business, finance, law, economics, or a related field.
• Familiarity with current Michigan statutes, administrative rules, fair-housing requirements, and LARA policies.

The proposed course matters. Someone with substantial appraisal experience may be well qualified for an appraisal-related class but may not automatically be qualified to teach every subject in the Michigan prelicensure curriculum. The education provider should match the instructor’s documented background to the course content.

Decide What Type of Course to Teach

Michigan real estate instructors may teach different types of approved education, including:

• Salesperson prelicensure courses.
• Broker prelicensure courses.
• Continuing education courses.
• Specialized courses involving real estate law, finance, appraisal, property management, or related topics.

The educational requirements for the students differ by license level. Michigan’s rules identify 40 clock hours of qualifying prelicensure education for salesperson applicants and 90 clock hours for broker applicants, with required civil-rights and fair-housing instruction. Those student-hour requirements do not, by themselves, create an instructor credential, but they show why the provider must use qualified instructors and obtain course approval.

Work With an Approved Education Provider

The most practical route is to contact a Michigan-approved real estate school or education provider and ask whether it is accepting instructor candidates.

The provider will typically:

1. Review your résumé, licenses, certifications, education, and teaching history.
2. Identify the course or courses you propose to teach.
3. Prepare the course approval submission or instructor documentation.
4. Submit information demonstrating that you meet at least one Michigan qualification.
5. Wait for LARA approval before assigning you to teach the approved course.

The state’s course-approval form requests instructor information for every person who will teach the course, including an explanation of how each instructor meets one of the minimum qualifications.

Do not begin teaching a course for Michigan licensing or continuing-education credit until the provider confirms that the course and instructor have been approved. Teaching an informal private seminar is different from teaching education intended to satisfy Michigan licensing or continuing-education requirements.

Prepare the Instructor Submission

Although the exact materials may vary by provider and course, prepare a professional documentation packet containing:

• Résumé or curriculum vitae.
• Copies of relevant licenses and certifications.
• Evidence that licenses are active and in good standing.
• Description of real estate employment and practice history.
• Teaching history, including institutions, subjects, and dates.
• Academic transcripts or degree information, if relevant.
• Proposed course title and subject matter.
• Short explanation connecting your qualifications to the course.
• References or evaluations demonstrating teaching ability, if available.
• A proposed syllabus, lesson plan, or learning objectives, if requested.

Use specific evidence rather than broad claims. For example, identify the number and type of transactions handled, years managing property, cases involving real estate law, appraisal credentials, or courses previously taught.

Maintain Compliance After Approval

Instructor approval is not a substitute for maintaining any underlying professional license. If your qualification depends on a Michigan real estate license or another government-issued credential, keep that credential current and comply with its renewal and continuing-education requirements.

Instructors should also keep course materials current. Michigan real estate law, department rules, fair-housing requirements, forms, and licensing procedures can change. Coordinate with the education provider before revising course content or representing that a class qualifies for state credit.

The provider should also confirm whether LARA requires updated instructor information when an instructor changes employers, begins teaching a new subject, or relies on a different qualification.

Confirm Current Rules Before Applying

Michigan’s requirements can change through amendments to the Occupational Code, administrative rules, department policies, and revised application forms. The official LARA materials are therefore the controlling reference.

Before accepting an assignment, confirm:

• Whether the provider is currently approved by LARA.
• Whether the specific course is approved.
• Whether LARA has approved you for that course.
• What documentation the provider must submit.
• Whether additional requirements apply to online, remote, or continuing-education instruction.
• Whether the current application form has been revised.
• Whether the relevant rule has changed since the provider’s last approval.

For a definitive determination, contact LARA’s Bureau of Professional Licensing or ask the prospective education provider to obtain written clarification from the department.

Authoritative Sources

• Michigan LARA Real Estate Salesperson and Broker Prelicensure Course Approval Application
• Michigan LARA Bureau of Professional Licensing Licensing Requirements Help Guides
• Michigan Legislature—Michigan Occupational Code, Section 339.601
• Michigan Legislature—Michigan Occupational Code, Section 339.2504a