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California State University, Long Beach
Department of Professional Studies
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Part-Time Designated Subjects Vocational Education Teaching Credential

The preliminary, clear, or professional clear full-time vocational education teaching credential can authorize you to teach the subjects named on the credential in grades K-12, and in classes organized primarily for adults, in technical, trade, or vocational courses that are part of a program of technical, trade, or vocational education. In addition, you may serve as a substitute in any vocational class for up to 30 days for any one teacher during the school year. For the purpose of this credential, half-time for the holder of this credential who teaches in only one school district shall not exceed one-half of a full-time assignment for vocational educators in that school district. Half-time for the holder of this credential who teaches in more than one school district shall not exceed one-half of the greatest number of hours considered to be a full-time assignment for vocational educators in any one of the districts.

Vocational education teaching credentials are issued to individuals who meet the requirements listed below and who apply through, and are recommended by, either a Commission-accredited Local Education Agency (LEA) or by an Employing School District (ESD). The Designated Subjects Credential Office housed with the Department of Occupational Studies at California State University is an accredited Local Education Agency. In addition, some of the courses you take for your Designated Subjects Credential may also be applied toward coursework for a Bachelor of Science Degree or a Master of Arts Degree in Occupational Studies.

Requirements for the Part-Time Vocational Education Credential
For the PDF Information Leaflet about the requirements for this credential, click here. Otherwise, the information below details how you can obtain a preliminary part-time vocational credential and a professional-clear part-time vocational credential.*

Preliminary Credential

If you wish to obtain the five-year* preliminary vocational credential, you must satisfy all of the following requirements:
Verify five years of experience and/or education related to each subject to be named on the credential. (The experience and the subjects that can be named on the part-time credential are the same as those specified for the full-time credential. See Employment Verification for more information.

  • One of the following requirements must be satisfied:
  • possess a high school diploma
  • possess a diploma based on passage of the GED test
  • possess the foreign equivalent of a high school diploma
  • Obtain verification, signed by a Commission-accredited LEA, or by an ESD authorized to do so in accordance with guidelines established by the Commission, that the you have been fully apprised of the requirements for both the preliminary and professional clear credentials, including Level I and Level II requirements of the program of personalized preparation.


Professional Clear Credential

For the professional clear credential (initially issued July 1, 1996), all of the following requirements must be satisfied:

  • Possess a valid preliminary full-time vocational education teaching credential
  • Obtain verification by the ESD of the successful teaching of a minimum of one course in each of four terms within the five-year period of validity of the preliminary vocational education teaching credential (Two of these terms must be with one ESD. The teaching must have been to learners at the grade level and in the subject(s) authorized by the preliminary vocational education teaching credential and must have occurred while holding the valid preliminary full-time vocational education teaching credential.)
  • Obtain verification by an LEA that the applicant has completed all Level I requirements of a Commission-accredited program of personalized preparation, including the use of computers in an instructional setting
  • Complete a unit requirement in health education, including, but not limited to, nutrition; the physiological and sociological effects of alcohol, narcotic, and drug abuse; and the use of tobacco (This requirement must also include training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] that covers infant, child, and adult CPR skills.)
  • Once your application materials have been reviewed, you will be given a five-year Preliminary credential from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC). You will need to complete coursework or other requirements to "clear" your credential. You may enroll in courses through the Department of Occupational Studies and other programs at Cal State University to meet these requirements. Read the Requirements to Clear Your Designated Subjects Credential for Vocational Education for more information.


For more information, contact the Designated Subjects Credential Office in the Department of Occupational Studies at California State University, Long Beach at (562) 985-5631.


*Period of Validity

An initial preliminary part-time vocational education teaching credential issued on the basis of the applicant's satisfaction of requirements 1-3, specified above, authorizes service for no more than two years from the date of issuance of the credential unless the holder's employer (ESD) receives form CL-787, Verification of Completion of Level I Requirements from the LEA through which the holder completed those requirements. Once the holder's employer receives this verification, the credential's validity period will automatically be extended for the remainder of the five-year period from the date of issuance of the credential. There is no need to apply for this extension. The LEA's verification of completion of Level I requirements is the only documentation required in this process. If the credential holder's ESD is not known to the LEA, form CL-787 will be sent directly to the credential holder for forwarding to the employer. The LEA shall also submit this form directly to the Commission to assist in documenting that the holder completed Level I requirements.