Equivalency

Equivalency Approval Process

The equivalency process allows faculty to evaluate candidates who do not exactly meet the minimum qualifications required for their discipline but whose training and experience make them at least equivalent—if not better qualified—than what the State calls for.  The Contra Costa Community College District has established general equivalency criteria.  Many departments have also established their own criteria for demonstrating equivalency.

If your department wants to hire a faculty member through the process of equivalency, here is a step-by-step process for completing the request.   

Your first step with all candidates should be to determine whether the candidate has the credentials listed in the Handbook of Minimum Qualifications for teaching in California Community Colleges.  Remember that all degrees must be from accredited institutions.  If the candidate you want to hire does not fulfill the minimum qualifications, then you have to show that the candidate either fulfills the district-wide or your department’s equivalency.  You will need to document the criteria on this form.

As I mentioned above, credentials must be from accredited institutions.  That does not mean you cannot consider candidates who completed their degrees outside the US, but if an applicant submits a foreign degree, it should have been evaluated and approved by one of the agencies that are authorized to do degree audits.  The review process sometimes takes weeks, so you should not accept a candidate whose foreign degree has not yet been approved by a NACES organization.  You can find a list of those organizations here.