With the passage of Assembly Bill 1725 (1988), the issuance of credentials was discontinued in 1990. Credentials were replaced by a set of "Minimum Qualifications" that are used to determine a candidate's eligibility for academic and administrative positions in the community college system based on their education and experience.

All public California community districts have hiring authority and must adhere to the minimum qualifications when establishing hiring criteria and/or determining hiring eligibility. The districts may include additional criteria over and above the minimums but can never hire below the minimums. More detailed information is available at the following link: Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administrators for the California Community Colleges.

Please Note: Holders of valid community college “life” credentials retain the right to serve under the terms of their credential, and are considered to meet the statewide minimum qualifications for all academic positions within their subject matter areas (EC 87355).

Related Statutes and Regulations:

To access the relevant sections of the Education Code, click on the link and scroll to the appropriate code sections.

To access the relevant sections of the California Code of Regulations, here is a shortcut. Click on the link and when prompted enter the section number in the "Enter Section" box and put the words "Title 5" in the "Enter Title" box.