Minimum qualifications for all new instructional faculty employed by or contracting with the college, are set forth below. Instructor qualifications specified here do not apply to Community Education or Continuing Education instructors.

1. Instructor qualifications are recommended by the Subject Area Committees (SACs) and approved by the administration.  Instructor Qualifications should generally align with the criteria listed below in 2, 3 and 4; however, SACs may recommend specific, alternative, or additional, qualifications (such as identification of degrees within the subject and related areas, professional registration, government certification, familiarity with special equipment or software).  The process for recommending and securing approval for SAC-specific Instructor Qualifications and the index of such qualifications are outlined on the Instructor Qualifications website; see 10 below.
2. Lower Division Collegiate (LDC) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instructors shall meet one of the following sets of criteria as recommended by the appropriate SAC:
   1. hold a master's degree in the subject area or
   2. hold a master's degree in a related area and have completed at least 30 quarter hours of graduate credit in the subject area, or
   3. have a high level of demonstrable competency gained through a combination of study, teaching experience, and/or professional performance in the subject area and/or have the qualifications set by the licensing or accrediting organization for the subject area.
3. Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructors shall meet one of the following sets of criteria as recommended by the appropriate SAC:
   1. hold a master's degree in the subject area and have a minimum of three years of relevant full-time non-teaching experience or
   2. hold a master's degree in a related area and have completed at least 30 quarter hours of upper division credit in the subject area) and have a minimum of three years of relevant full-time non-teaching experience, or
   3. hold a bachelor's degree in the subject area and have a minimum of four years of relevant full-time non-teaching experience or
   4. hold a bachelor's degree in a related area and have completed at least 30 quarter hours of upper division credit in the subject area) and have a minimum of four years of relevant full-time non-teaching experience, or
   5. hold an associates' degree in a career or technical field or in the subject area, whichever is more appropriate, and have a minimum of five years of relevant full-time non-teaching experience, or
   6. have a high level of demonstrable competency and have a minimum of five years of relevant full-time experience.  (Competency can be gained through a combination of study, teaching experience, professional performance in the subject area, or qualifications set by the licensing or accrediting organization for the subject area.)
4. For courses not covered in 2 and 3 (e.g., ABE courses and RD, WR, and MTH courses numbered less than 100), instructors shall meet one of the following sets of criteria as recommended by the appropriate SAC:
   1. hold a master's degree in an appropriate subject area, e.g., developmental education, special education, adult education, reading, mathematics, or English, or
   2. have a high level of demonstrable competency gained through a combination of study, teaching experience, and/or professional performance in the subject area and/or have the qualifications set by the licensing or accrediting organization for the subject area.
5. Instructors shall have earned required academic credentials at a regionally accredited US institution or a foreign institution having the equivalent of regional accreditation.  Instructors with credentials from other countries will have their transcripts evaluated by agencies that have good standing with the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services to establish fulfillment of this standard.
6. An instructor who was approved under a prior version of the Instructor Qualifications will remain qualified, provided they have taught at least one course in the subject area for PCC each academic year since approval, except when there is a change in employment status for the instructor; see 7 below.
7. A part-time instructor who was approved under a prior version of the Instructor Qualifications must meet the Instructor Qualifications that are in force at the time of the application for assignment rights, temporary full-time status, or permanent full-time status.
8. If current professional registration, government licensure, certifications, or familiarity with special equipment, processes, or computer software are required, all instructors must continue to maintain such credentials.
9. Provisional approval may be granted by an administrator designated by the College President for instructors who do not meet the published qualification.  Once granted, provisional approval will apply for up to one year, and may be renewed.  The parameters and procedures for provisional approval are outlined in Instructor Qualifications website; see 10 below.
10. Websites:
    1. Instructor Qualifications (Index of SAC-Specific Qualifications, and links to related pages)  [www.pcc.edu/resources/academic/instructor-qualifications/index.html]
    2. Instructions for Revising Instructor Qualifications  [www.pcc.edu/resources/academic/instructor-qualifications/revision-instructions.html]
    3. Provisional Approval:  [www.pcc.edu/resources/academic/instructor-qualifications/InstructionsforProvisionalApproval.html]